Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) and related technology

The micromanipulation techniques used to enhance fertilisation in both animals and humans are reviewed, Progress in the human field is illustrated using results of subzonal insemination and intracytoplasmic sperm injection from the Royal North Shore Hospital, Using knowledge derived from the human work, direct sperm injection into the oocytes of domestic species was reinvestigated. Exogenous oocyte activation was found not to be mandatory for fertilisation, The birth of a lamb indicates that normal development can occur subsequent to sperm injection. The lamb was produced from sperm that had been sorted on a flow cytometer and was of the predicted sex. The potential uses of sperm injection for domestic and exotic species are discussed.