UC Davis Veterinary Assisted Reproduction Laboratory

A great study from Brazil showed that reproductive techniques, including AI, ET, and ICSI, do not affect neonatal health parameters in foals. Congratulations to Dr. and the co-authors!

Big congratulations to Dr. Margo Verstraete and all the co-authors on their new paper

Using single-cell RNA-seq, the team mapped cell types in the horse placenta and identified distinct trophoblast populations, showing strong similarities to human placental trophoblast lineages. Another step forward for comparative placental biology and equine reproduction.

Published in Placenta, the official journal of the International Federation of Placenta Associations!

Happy New Year & Thank you for an incredible 2025
From research to clinical service, teaching, and innovation, none of this would be possible without our students, collaborators, clinicians, and clients.
We’re excited for everything 2026 will bring!

Sharing Science Worldwide - Conference Highlights of 2025
VetART was present at major meetings in reproductive biology, sharing our work and connecting with the global community: SSR, SFT, WCERS, JSPS San Francisco Animal Reproductive Biology Symposium and many more. Our presentations covered topics ranging from equine embryo morphokinetics to oocyte maturation, organoid technology and steroid research.
We’re grateful for the discussions, collaborations, and new ideas sparked at each meeting.

2025 Research Milestones
Equine IVP Morphokinetics
We showed that early cleavage patterns and timing during the first mitotic divisions are linked to blastocyst development, pregnancy rates, and early pregnancy loss in equine IVP embryos.
These morphokinetic features provide a practical tool for embryo selection, helping close the gap between in vivo and in vitro embryo outcomes. https://doi.org/10.1111/evj.70004

Equine placentitis
In “Beyond nocardioform,” we showed that other microbes are involved in equine mucoid placentitis, offering new insights into placental disease mechanisms and pregnancy loss. https://doi.org/10.1111/evj.70112

Endometrial organoids
We demonstrated that equine endometrial organoids keep the structure and cycle-stage identity of real endometrium. A powerful new tool for studying the mare’s uterus and improving reproductive science. https://doi.org/10.1093/biolre/ioaf232

Together, these studies reflect our commitment to connecting fundamental biology with clinical impact in equine reproduction.
ReproBiology

We showed that early cleavage patterns and timing during the first mitotic divisions are linked to blastocyst development, pregnancy rates, and early pregnancy loss in equine embryos.
These morphokinetic features provide a practical tool for embryo selection, helping close the gap between in vivo and in vitro embryo outcomes. Now we have implemented these factors into our embryo grading, which helps select the best embryos for pregnancy and foaming potential! https://doi.org/10.1111/evj.70004

Training the Next Generation of ART Specialists
Education is at the heart of VetART Lab. In 2025, our team organized hands-on training for veterinarians in assisted reproduction technologies during the Society for Theriogenology () and held one of the largest clinical equine reproduction symposia in North America, the West Coast Equine Reproduction Symposium (). In addition, we had the opportunity to share our work in equine reproduction with the community at UC Davis Horse Day . We’re grateful for every learner, colleague, and collaborator who continues to grow this field with us.

Innovation in Cell Banking
This year, we refined our skin biopsy processing workflow, enabling long-term cell storage and downstream applications with high cell viability. Now we can save cells for future cloning from horses, dogs, cats, cows, sheep, goats, and almost any mammal!

2025 marked strong growth in our IVF services for ruminants . Our integrated approach; oocyte recovery, fertilization, IVP, and embryo cryopreseravation; continues to expand the genetic and reproductive tools available to producers.
# Goat