Zakład Embriologii Doświadczalnej

CURRENT RESEARCH AREAS

1. Mammalian cloning by means of nuclear transplantation. Different types of embryonic cells (mouse embryonic stem cells, ovine, porcine and bovine epithelioid cells derived from inner cell masses and embryonic discs), as well as somatic cells (mouse, pig and sheep foetal fibroblasts; mouse, bank-vole, rabbit, sheep, pig and bovine adult fibroblasts) were used as donors of nuclei. Studies concern mainly analysis of nucleo-cytoplasmic interactions in reconstructed embryos during their preimplantation development and testing cells alternative to MII oocytes (GV oocytes, proMI and MI oocytes, zygotes), which could be used as the recipients of exogenous embryonic and somatic nuclei.
2. Generation of chimaeric animals with the use of somatic cells. Embryonic-somatic chimaeras serve as models in studies on transdifferentiation of somatic cells (foetal fibroblasts) in developing chimaeric fetuses and in born chimaeric animals. Experiments are performed on mouse and sheep. 
3. Production of transgenic animals either by microinjection of exogenous DNA into pronuclei or by transfer of nuclei from genetically modified in vitro cells or from the the cells of transgenic animals. The aim is to generate transgenic animals (rabbits and cattle) producing in milk human therapeutic proteins and also transgenic pigs whose tissues and organs could be used in human xenotransplantation.
4. In vitro production of bovine embryos (including production of embryos from the oocytes collected by ovum pick-up method) under various culture conditions and using co-culture with various types of cells.
5. Cryoconservation of rabbit, sheep, goat, pig and cattle oocytes and embryos.
6.  Interspecies somatic cloning of European bison.
7. Banking of somatic cells from the wild endangered species (mainly Cervidae and Bovidae).
8. Development of the methods of in vitro maturation of bovine oocytes using specific cell cycle inhibitors.
9. Derivation of embryonic cell lines from laboratory and farm animals (mouse, rabbit, sheep).
10. Investigating mechanism of early lineage determination in preimplantation mammalian embryos (mouse, rabbit).
11. Studies on parental (mother’s and father’s) age effect on anxiety-like behaviour of mouse offspring (in collaboration with Teramo University, Italy).
12. Analysis of the behaviour and growth rate of mouse offspring derived from 8-cell embryos subjected to blastomere biopsy (in collaboration with Teramo University, Italy).