Ovum recovery and in vitro fertilization in the chimpanzee

The technique of in vitro fertilization (IVF) is being used to alleviate infertility in women. The potentials of the technique are not limited to this application and could be expanded to include embryo storage and cytogenetic evaluation prior to reimplantation. Nonhuman primate models should be used for development of such techniques. In general, techniques used for human IVF are applicable to the chimpanzee with modifications in culture medium and aspiration techniques as described here. This paper provides the first documentation of IVF in the chimpanzee, a species with significant potential to provide data of value in expansion of application of human IVF.