BioRescue starts working
Last chance for the Northern White Rhino
The BioRescue project, aimed at saving the northern white rhino, which is under threat of extinction, has officially been launched. Modern reproductive technologies, as well as work with stem cells, should ensure the survival of this important animal species.
International Scientific Consortium led by the Institute of Zoo and Wildlife Research named after Leibniz (Leibniz-IZW) and with the significant participation of the Center for Molecular Medicine. Max Delbruck (MCD), received funding of about 4 million euros from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) as part of the Ministry's Biodiversity conservation initiative.
An important event of the research group's work was the successful transplantation of an embryo into the uterus of a southern white rhino at the end of May 2019. Ethical and social issues arising in connection with the BioRescue project will be considered by scientists in an accompanying research project.
Dr. Michael Meister, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Education and Scientific Research of Germany, noted: "Biodiversity is the basis of our existence. Therefore, the Federal Ministry of Education and Scientific Research has established a research initiative for the conservation of biodiversity. Within the framework of this initiative, we primarily pay attention to the promotion of preventive research aimed at preserving biodiversity. At the same time, we are promoting the adoption of immediate measures to protect endangered species of animals, as in the case of the ambitious BioRescue project. Thanks to the impressive combination of different research approaches and the involvement shown by the project participants, there is now an opportunity and hope that we will be able to preserve such an endangered species as the northern white rhinoceros."
"The BioRescue research project can play an important role in the conservation of biodiversity, as it is significantly ahead of existing approaches," said project leader Professor Thomas Hildebrandt from the Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research. Leibniz. An international group of experts from Germany, Italy, the Czech Republic, Japan and the USA will jointly develop methods and methods for the study of reproduction and stem cell transplantation. They are being used for the first time to save endangered species of animals."
"The BioRescue project is an excellent example of a first-class and up-to-date study of the Leibniz Association. The interdisciplinary international research team transfers its conclusions and methods directly into practice, thus helping to save representatives of such a valuable species as the northern white rhinoceros from extinction," said Professor Matthias Kleiner, president of the Leibniz Association.
The situation of the northern white rhino is really critical: after the death of the last male in Sudan in March 2018, only two females remained alive: Najin and Fatu. They live in the Ol Pejeta Nature Reserve in Kenya. The team of experts adheres to two approaches to preserve this important species:
At the first stage, eggs will be taken from the two remaining females of the northern rhinoceros. At the second stage, the egg will be fertilized by sperm. The sperm of the deceased northern white rhinos is stored at a temperature of minus 196 degrees Celsius in liquid nitrogen, at the Zoo and Wildlife Research Institute. Leibniz. The embryo obtained by in vitro fertilization will be transplanted into the uterus of the southern white rhino by embryo transfer and carried out by a surrogate mother. Najin and Fatu can no longer bear offspring. This rhino embryo transplant is a completely innovative approach in assisted reproduction that has not been carried out before. Therefore, the new procedure is being pre-tested by the method of embryo transplantation of the southern white rhinoceros. If everything goes smoothly, northern white rhino embryos will be used. As part of the BioRescue project, Professor Thomas Hildebrandt and his team have already achieved important results on May 27, 2019: they managed to transfer an embryo into the uterus of a southern white rhino for the first time. However, due to the size of the embryo, scientists suggest that the embryo failed to attach to the lining of the uterus, despite its successful growth. The recipient animal will soon be examined again, as a final clarification of the situation is needed. In the near future, the next embryo transplants will be performed so that the team is optimally prepared for the use of this method of saving the northern white rhino.
As for the second approach, the team of the Zoo and Wildlife Research Institute named after Leibniz collaborates with well-known experts in stem cell transplantation, such as Professor Katsuhiko Hayashi (Kyushu University, Japan), Dr. Sebastian Dicke (Center for Molecular Medicine named after Max Delbruck in Berlin), Dr. Micha Drukker (Center named after Helmholtz, Munich), Professor Cesare Galli (AVANTEA) and Professor Vasil Galat (Institute of Reproductive Genetics, USA). The goal of this approach is to transform skin cells into pluripotent stem cells and then convert them into primary germ cells (PGCs). During a trial study, Dr. Drukker's team has already been able to convert skin cells into pluripotent ones, which will be improved in the future. In Dr. Dicke's laboratory, the cells were described in detail and transformed into other different types of tissues, such as heart muscle cells. "These preliminary studies are necessary so that in the next stages it is possible to extract germ cells, sperm and oocytes from pluripotent stem cells," explained Dr. Dicke. The end result will be a self-sustaining, genetically healthy northern white rhino population that can survive in the wild. Due to the small number of eggs and spermatozoa available, the stem cell approach is important for increasing the genetic variability of the population.
The BioRescue project aims to expand the boundaries of possibilities for the conservation of species from both medical and technical points of view. In this regard, ethical questions arise regarding the use of newly created opportunities. These issues will be openly discussed in the BioRescue project: Prof. Barbara De Mori heads the Laboratory of Ethics of Veterinary Medicine, Conservation and Animal Protection at the University of Padua (Italy) and is responsible for the study of ethical issues in the field of medicine, technology and society in the BioRescue project. In this context, the consortium will actively contribute to public debate in order to find answers to questions of ethical responsibility of scientists, governments and the public for the conservation of biodiversity.
The Kenyan Government is a significant partner on the African continent and plays a central role in the rescue of the northern white rhino. The exemplary policy of the Republic of Kenya in the field of biodiversity conservation is the basis for the sustainability of African biodiversity. The fact that the Kenyan Government attaches great importance to the BioRescue project within the framework of partnership relations is confirmed by the participation of the Ambassador of Kenya, His Excellency Joseph Magutta in the coverage of the project.
The financing of the BioRescue project of the Federal Ministry of Education and Scientific Research of Germany is supported by the German partners of the project. Research expenses that are not covered by the Ministry's funds are funded by partners of the international consortium and provided by third-party donors and partner companies from industrial fields, such as the scientific and technological company Merck and other private companies. "We take responsibility as leaders in the field of reproduction, offering innovative technologies so that this ambitious project has every chance of success," said Dr. Jan Kirsten, global head of reproductive health at Merck.
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