A groundbreaking study has revealed that human oocytes can be successfully transported at ambient temperature, maintaining high viability and opening new research opportunities in reproductive medicine and stem cell technologies. The study, conducted with oocytes from The World Egg and Sperm Bank in Phoenix, AZ, showed that over 95% of the oocytes remained viable after transport, with many demonstrating meiotic progression or spontaneous activation.
The research utilized a specialized transport medium designed to mimic the follicular environment, including components like caffeine, dibutyryl cyclic-AMP, estrogen, progesterone, and zinc sulfate (ZnSO4). Notably, oocytes transported with zinc exhibited a higher incidence of spontaneous activation and cleavage activity, suggesting zinc's potential role in enhancing oocyte behavior.
This study addresses a significant gap in human oocyte research by providing a sustainable and ethical source of viable research material. The findings could lead to advancements in assisted reproductive technologies (ART), improved understanding of meiotic arrest causes, and the development of parthenogenetic stem cells, which present fewer ethical concerns than embryonic stem cells.
Published on June 21, 2025, the study is available online at https://doi.org/10.1007/s10815-025-03548-9, offering supplementary materials including time-lapse videos through the journal's website.
