Cryopreservation of Mammalian Embryos
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The cryopreservation of mammalian embryos has expanded over the past 20 yr by encompassing a range of sophisticated methods
to deal with different developmental stages and different sensitivities to low-temperature exposure. We have described a method
for slow, controlled-rate freezing of early stage embryos based on exposure to 1,2-propanediol and sucrose, while the method
for late-stage (blastocyst) embryos employs mixtures of glycerol and sucrose. Both methods have been used for animal and human
embryos. A third rapid cooling or “vitrification” technique is described, which depends on brief but controlled exposure of
multicellular embryos to mixtures of glycerol and 1,2-propanediol at high concentrations. This technique is used for successful
animal embryo cryopreservation but is not yet widely applied in the clinic.
