This article is about the success of scientist at Cornell in delivering mammalians using non surgical embryo transfer procedure. With this success the scientist at Cornell University hopes to contribute by way of their research saving and breeding mammalian species whose numbers have dwindled down to an all time low and are endangered of extinction.

The success of reproducing ferrets is significant having performed a non surgical embryo collection which is the first in the field of embryo transfer on a small scale. Using miniature instruments specially designed for this delicate procedure and, new methods to guide the scientist at Cornell, scientists hope to lessen the risk when doing the procedure of harvesting and transferring embryos.

The experiment bore two healthy ferrets (Mustela putorius furo) harvested from a surrogate ferret and scientist aims to duplicate the technique to black-footed ferrets (Mustela nigripes) after further testing and refinement of techniques. Hopefully, the scientist adds, that with their success in this non surgical approach to embryo harvest eventual application would lead to application to same size mammals as well as endangered species.
Brief descriptions on the embryo transfer are described in this article, with comments and challenges the scientist faced during the delicate procedure. Even with the use of specialized tools and the use of an embryo transplant microscope the procedure posed a challenge due to the small size of the subject. Although non surgical embryo collection and transfer have been done, they were done on larger animals. The fact that regular surgical instruments are too big for the procedure even with the help of  a camera and   embryo transplant microscope developing the procedure posed a challenge, as one of the doctor describes the state “The ferret’s cervix is not much bigger than a pinhead”.

The procedure of the embryo transfer is clearly explained in this article with walk through of the procedure. It starts with the harvesting of embryos using a set of specialized and custom build instruments. Through the use of fluid which is injected to the uterus of the donor ferret it flushes the embryos through the catheter which is only 0.86 millimeter in size. With the use of an embryo transplant microscope the harvested specimen or embryos are screened for viability.
With continuous success and refinement the scientist aims to perform the procedure to an endangered species known as the black footed ferret. Scientists at Cornell are even looking at the possibility of using this new found success in the field of cloning. This technique is being developed by the Cornell Embryo Bioengineering Program with the help from other laboratories.

The article also includes the scope in which the procedure will be applied in the next years to follow and the difficulties that lies ahead, particularly in the field of cloning.
With the new found technique and success used in embryo transfer the scientist hopes to push the possibilities even further not limiting to embryo transfer but in the field of cloning as well. There is hope that we may save and preserve what we have left. Even the little ones count as this study has proven.Read more on this subject