What could a cold beer and a frozen embryo have in common? Turns out, quite a lot. From brewing to breeding, the parallels might surprise you – and maybe even change the way you think about that next sip of your favourite cold one during this sweltering Australian summer.
Bruno Sanches is the Vice President of Operations at Vytelle, a precision livestock company reshaping how cattle producers worldwide optimise their herds. Originally from Brazil, the now U.S. based Bruno shares four ways Vytelle has revolutionised the embryo freezing process to now average a 48% success rate globally on frozen transfers with just a 4% gap between its fresh transfers at 52%, in comparison to its competitors with a 50% success rate on fresh, and 27% on frozen.
- Like beer left too long in the freezer
We’ve all been there. You put a bottle of beer in the freezer – and promptly forget about it until two days later. By that time the water inside the beer has solidified, expanded, and you’ve got an exploded mess on your hands. It’s the same concept for embryo cells, with their composition of 80% water. The water inside the cells can expand to the point the cells explode so that when the embryo is thawed and transferred to the recipient cow, that embryo is dead already. It’s an all too familiar scenario experienced by many cattle producers using frozen embryos in the in vitro fertilisation (IVF) process.
- Fat embryos, overfilled beer bottles
Imagine an embryo as a beer bottle. The glass bottle is the embryo’s membrane, made of lipids and proteins. If you overfill that bottle with lipids – like overfeeding an embryo – it becomes a ticking time bomb during freezing. When you freeze, you first remove water from the embryo, just like ensuring no excess pressure in a beer bottle. But if the “bottle” is packed with too much fat, the water can’t fully escape, bounces back, and the embryo “explodes.”
Vytelle takes a different approach (a proprietary media solution for embryo protection, the Direct Thaw method, and a hormone-free IVF process) – creating lean, healthy embryos that can handle the freezing process without bursting. It’s about quality over quantity, like brewing a perfect batch instead of mass-producing a subpar one. Competitors might focus on making more embryos, but if they’re overfed and unhealthy, they won’t survive the freeze. Vytelle’s method ensures embryos are built to last, just like the perfect brew stored at the right temperature.
- Timing makes all the difference
Popping a beer in the freezer on a whim? Sure, why not? Popping an embryo in a recipient cow at any point in the cycle? Not so simple. Fresh transfers require a synchronisation of the uterus of the recipient with the age of the embryo. A seven day old embryo requires a precise environment of a seven day pregnancy, meaning the cow must have been in heat seven days prior. Frozen embryos represent a transformative advancement in cattle breeding, particularly crucial for countries like Australia with vast distances and complex logistics. As Dr. Sanches explains, the technology allows embryos to remain viable for years, giving producers unprecedented flexibility in their breeding programs – from collecting eggs multiple times before a large transfer to aligning with recipients’ natural cycles. Using Vytelle’s Direct Thaw method, which mirrors the simplicity of thawing semen, producers can efficiently handle and transport embryos while maintaining export eligibility. This strategic approach enables producers to optimize their breeding programs by transferring grade 2 embryos fresh while preserving grade 1 embryos for future use, ultimately allowing for more concentrated calving periods and better coordination with recipient availability. Perhaps most importantly, it eliminates the logistical risks associated with fresh embryo transport over long distances, which Dr. Sanches identifies as a game-changing advantage for large-scale operations in expansive territories. Vytelle’s proprietary media for the embryos means the company has frozen embryos that can be successfully thawed and transferred up to 80 days maturation. A game changer.
- The beer-friendly guide to transferring frozen embryos
There’s a bit more to Vytelle’s Direct Thaw (DT) method than cracking open a cold one – but the similarities remain.
- Step one: Air thaw the embryo for 10 seconds in a room temperature of 60-80°F (15-27°C) – like pulling a beer out of the fridge.
- Step two: Warm it in a 95°F (35°C) water bath for 30 seconds – think of it as letting your frosty brew settle just right.
- Step three: Load into a warmed transfer gun and implant – time to serve it up, perfectly prepped.
Vytelle’s DT method – and the proprietary media that protects the embryo in the thaw stage – reduces handling and improves success rates.
Similar to the way a perfectly timed brew delivers the best flavour, embryos are frozen at the ideal stage for optimal results. And with 95% graded as top quality Grade 1 embryos, you’re getting the best of the best. Frozen embryos, like a well-stocked beer stash, give you the flexibility to match your goals, whether it’s a tight calving window or year-round dairy production. Cheers to genetics made easy.
