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Right Diagnostics, Right Solutions
Increasing Sperm to Egg Binding
In agriculture, fertility has been declining year over year for decades, as emphasis has been placed on other selection traits. Today, lower economic rates of return can strain profitability. Consolidation of competitors has been a temporary solution. However, today consolidation may no longer provide such relief. Now, FertPlus technology offers a technology solution to increase productivity and the associated profit. Returns on specific application of FertPlus will have positive return in just a few generations.
FertPlus Peptide is a synthetic analog used to supplement the endogenous FertPlus on sperm cells to increase sperm to egg binding across mammalian species such bovine, poultry, humans, horses, mice and on into fruit flies. FertPlus Assay enables screening and elimination of infertile and subfertile males and allow high FertPlus males to increase fertility rates in all subsequent matings of that genetic line.
FertPlus Peptide
For fertilization to occur, millions of sperm cells are deposited in the female tract to start the journey. Although only one sperm cell is needed to finish the race and fertilize the egg that one sperm cell may never bind to the egg to continue the fertilization process. Sufficient endogenous FertPlus must be present on the sperm head to enable the sperm to "stick" to the egg and enable the fertilization process to initiate. In the graphic, we see illustration of 3 sperm with different levels of FertPlus. GREEN-sufficient, PINK-low and RED-none. Only the Green-sufficient FertPlus Sperm will "stick" to the egg and begin fertilization. Cryopreservation and Artificial Insemination (AI) and "sexting" of semen in the dairy sector have fertility rates near or below 50%. Studies and field trials show significant increases in the AI fertility rates with exogenous exposure of FertPlus to the sperm..
In bovine/dairy Artificial Insemination (AI), FertPlus Peptide applied to bull sperm increases the percentage of pregnant heifers as shown in the graphic. The impact of exogenous FertPlus Peptide exposure to each bull's semen in pregnant heifers is significant. FertPlus peptide is applied directly to the bull ejaculate as the ejaculate is being processed for AI straw filling before freezing. All subsequent steps in straw freezing, storage and application in the field is unchanged.
FertPlus Assay
FertPlus Assay is best used to screen males for the quantity of endogenous FertPlus peptide on the sperm before processing or use. Males with low or no FertPlus peptide are eliminated from the population allowing those with a higher probability of success to dominate. The FertPlus Assay is performed on a Flow Cytometer using fluorescence markers which quantify the amount of FertPlus Peptide on the sampled sperm. In the picture captioned "Control-(Low Binding) is the endogenous state while the caption "FertPlus Exposure" shows more FertPlus, either a high fertility bull or after FertPlus supplementation of a bull with otherwise excellent genetic traits.
FertPlus Assay in poultry can provide a 20% increase in the number of chicks/poults from one elite male. Viewed from value added perspective FertPlus Assay returns may be as high as a 20:1. Management's critical analysis is needed to make appropriate allocation of labor cost to assure that they are a small percentage of the value of the extra poults or chicks in downstream results.
Shown in the graphic to the right (dark blue color), the highest returns are gained the upper levels of the breeding pyramid, perhaps gene pool but certainly Great-grandparent (GGP) and Grandparent populations. Assuming genetic potential is the same, why let a "dud" (low or no fertility) get through to compete with "studs" (high fertility) in floor mating situations at any level, producing high value progeny. GGP chicks could be worth hundreds of dollars while product for sale brings in pennies. Under carefully defined conditions, chosen for each user, value can be made in the upper levels, at points of intense selection, in the breeding pyramid.
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