Patent ID: 6649344
Filing Date: 2003-11-18
Classification: A61K,C12N,G01N,Y10S

Abstract:
A method of assaying for the presence or quantity of a substance in a sample from a mammal to determine whether non-fertilizable prophase ova capable of in vitro maturation and subsequent fertilization are present in the mammal and to select said ova for in vitro maturation and subsequent fertilization, the method comprising:obtaining a sample from a female mammal at various times during the menstrual cycle; testing the sample to determine the presence and relative concentration of at least one substance selected from the group consisting of a hormone, a small peptide hormone, a peptide hormone, a lipid, a nucleic acid, an intra- or intercellular messenger, and an enzyme; correlating the relative concentration of at least one substance with a reference level to determine if non-fertilizable prophase ova capable of in vitro maturation and fertilization are present; and subsequently retrieving ova from said mammal.