One of the main focuses of our technology platform is developing and implementing reproductive technologies that deliver our customers genetic progress, faster and more efficiently. At the forefront of our platform are our gender sorting technologies, which offer valuable benefits and multiple functionalities beyond just sex sorting. In fact, our sorters can also identify subfertility in boars through our proprietary KaryoFlow™ technology.
The Limitations of Conventional Tests
Chromosomal abnormalities can occur during the process of cell division, leading to issues with fertility in male animals. These abnormalities can affect the organization of DNA within chromosomes, leading to sub-fertility in boars. While the use of conventional tests, such as karyotyping and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), can identify some of these issues, these tests have several limitations, including:
- Time sensitivity: The processes can take several days, during which time the sample may degrade, or other issues may arise.
- High cost: Both karyotyping and FISH tests can be expensive due to the specialized equipment and expertise required to perform the test.
- Inaccessible: Limited laboratories have access to leverage the technologies.
- Type of cell analyzed: Karyotyping typically relies on the analysis of blood or skin tissue, which may not accurately reflect chromosomal abnormalities in reproductive cells.
These limitations create hurdles to identifying chromosomal abnormalities, which if not identified, unfavorably affect fertility outcomes on the farm.
The Solution
We are addressing this issue with our proprietary technology called KaryoFlow™. This modified sorting procedure can accurately detect boars with chromosomal abnormalities in their reproductive cells in a fraction of the time compared to traditional karyotyping. Instead of analyzing blood or skin tissue, KaryoFlow™ measures the amount of DNA in sperm cells, providing a more sensitive and accurate indication of chromosomal abnormalities in reproductive cells.
The Benefits of KaryoFlow™ for Producers
Using KaryoFlow™ technology to identify chromosomal abnormalities in boars’ reproductive cells can have numerous benefits for producers, such as:
- Reducing the risk of sub-fertile boars affecting fertility outcomes on the farm, such as total born, which could go unnoticed otherwise.
- Accelerating the delivery of genetic progress by weeding out sub-fertile boars from the breeding program.
- Providing a more sensitive test for small DNA organization problems compared to traditional Karyotyping.
- Analyzing the reproductive cell itself, rather than blood or skin tissue cells, to provide a more accurate assessment of fertility potential.
- Allowing for testing with both fresh and frozen semen, with results returned within a few hours.
By identifying sub-fertility in boars, our innovative reproductive technology KaryoFlow™ further supports our mission of delivering ever-increasing, realized genetic progress to our partners.
Acuity and Fast genetics work with partners across North America and continue to expand into global systems. For more information on all the ways they build better outcomes, visit https://www.acuityswine.com/?p=642
