West Coast Equine Reproduction Symposium (WCERS-VII) - Wet-Labs

Course overview

The West Coast Equine Reproduction Symposium is a continuing educational event for veterinarians. The meeting has been held once every 4 years since 2001 in Solvang, CA. Speakers at the symposium are amongst the world leaders in the field of equine reproduction, with a majority of speakers Board Certified in either the American College of Theriogenologists, European College of Animal Reproduction, or both Colleges. The symposium also serves as an important fund-raising event for the International Symposium on Equine Reproduction (ISER), which will be held in Dublin, Ireland, in July of 2027. The WCERS VI will be an in-person meeting with two days of lectures and one day of wet-lab. For the Wet labs, there are three hands-on modules; each participant can choose one module. Module 1 - General Stud Farm Pregnant mare ultrasound fetal evaluation and sexing Hands on transabdominal ultrasonography with rectal demo in mid-gestation mares; identification of viability parameters (heartbeat, bone maturity, placental thickness) and fetal sexing Foal resuscitation dummy and placental examination Protocols for neonatal airway management, ventilation and chest compressions on a mannequin; systematic gross placental exam of frozen samples Cytology and culture prep biopsy interpretation Collection of uterine samples; on-farm Gram and Diff-Quik smears; plating for bacterial culture; interpretation of inflammatory versus infectious findings Semen evaluation Manual assessment of motility, concentration and morphology; extender preparation; use of the VetMotl microfluidics device Module 2 - OPU TVA IVP Equipment and media set up Assembly and priming of transvaginal aspiration systems; comparison of available platforms; checklist preparation for aseptic oocyte collection TVA demonstration on full reproductive tracts and ovum pick-up under ultrasound guidance; discussion of techniques to optimize oocyte recovery and minimize contamination Oocyte search and packing Filtration of aspiration fluid; identification and assessment of oocyte cumulus complexes under stereomicroscope; transfer to holding medium and packaging for shipment IVP embryo thawing Thawing and viability grading of day 7 or 8 in vitro produced embryos; loading into straws or guns for transfer Post mortem gamete retrieval optional Ovary scraping and epididymal flush techniques on frozen specimens to recover oocytes and sperm when in vivo collection is not feasible Module 3 - Embryo Transfer ET Embryo flush Non surgical transcervical lavage; filtration and recovery of embryos with minimal loss Embryo search and evaluation Identification of recovered embryos; stage grading; serial rinses to remove debris and contaminants Embryo transfer with Wilsher forceps Loading into 0.5 mL straws; transcervical delivery using Wilsher forceps under aseptic conditions Embryo vitrification and warming Vitrification of embryos 300 um or less using Cryolock; rapid warming and stepwise dilution to maximize post thaw survival