ABSTRACT
Over the past 20 years micromanipulation has increased in significance in the livestock and human assisted reproductive techniques (ART) laboratories. Applications of micromanipulation include: embryo bisection for embryo twinning,1 the production of chimeras to investigate cell fate and development,2
pronuclear DNA injection to establish transgenic animals,4 blastomere biopsy for the diagnosis of genetic disease,5 intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) for the treatment of infertility,6 and cytoplasmic transfer to investigate and improve embryo development.7,8 While all of these procedures have unique characteristics, they all share some fundamental components. This chapter attempts to provide some insights into the general principles of micromanipulation as recorded from my own experiences.
