ISLAMABAD: In a major biotechnology milestone, Pakistan successfully birthed buffalo calves using the OPU-IVF-ET (Ovum Pick-Up, In-Vitro Fertilization, and Embryo Transfer) technique for the first time in its history.
Royal Cell Biotechnology (Pakistan), a subsidiary of China’s Royal Group, introduced the innovative technique in the country.
Trials at Faisalabad’s Ibrahim Dairy Farm led to the successful implantation of embryos from elite buffaloes into recipient animals. From eight transfers, six pregnancies were achieved, resulting in five births, according to Dr. Qaiser Shahzad, a senior official at Royal Cell Pakistan.
Similarly, two calves were born from five transferred embryos at HAS Dairy Farm in Gujranwala, he added.
This progress is part of the broader ‘Buffalo Breeding Project’ under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), Dr. Shahzad noted.
The OPU-IVF-ET process involves ultrasound-guided egg collection from superior buffalo breeds, in-vitro fertilization to create embryos, and their transfer into healthy buffaloes, ultimately improving breeds for enhanced milk production and reducing the breeding cycle.
