In vitro fertilization is used to help those people who are childless even after marriage, but now it is being used on animals rapidly and scientists are getting success too. 

World's First Kangaroo Embryos Created Via IVF: Scientists have created the first kangaroo embryos through in vitro fertilisation, a development that is said to be crucial to saving the species from extinction. In a study published in the journal Reproductive, Fertility and Development, researchers led by the University of Queensland in Australia documented the potential of assisted reproduction for native marsupial conservation.

The species of these animals can be saved.

Lead researcher Andres Gambini, Senior Lecturer in Animal Science at the University of Queensland, said, "Our ultimate goal is to support the conservation of endangered marsupial species such as koalas, Tasmanian devils, Northern Hairy-nosed wombats and Leadbeaters possums."

"By developing conservation methods, our goal is to safeguard the genetic material of these unique and precious animals for use to ensure their conservation in the future," Gambini said.

IVF is being explored around the world as a way to conserve endangered species. In January 2024, scientists in Germany transferred the world's first rhinoceros embryo produced via IVF into a surrogate.

How was the kangaroo embryo created?

In this study, the researchers tracked how lab cultures of kangaroo eggs and sperm evolved over time. "Because eastern grey kangaroos are so abundant, we collected their eggs and sperm to use as a model for adapting embryo technology already applied to domestic animals and humans," Gambini explained.

The authors of the research wrote, "A total of 32 ovarian follicles (sacs containing immature eggs in the ovaries) from one female were cultured; 78% showed some degree of growth and 12% of these doubled in size." The embryos were then created by the 'intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI)' technique, in which a single sperm is injected directly into a mature egg.

In how many years will the complete kangaroo be ready?

Gambini said, "Although it is difficult to give an exact timeline, with continued collaboration, funding and continued technological advancements, we hope that the birth of a marsupial through IVF can become a reality within a decade."