Participants - professor D.Kacheva and associate-professor E.Kistanova,

The name of the visited institution - Laboratory of Biomedical Embryology - Center for Stem Cell Research, University of Milan, Italy - Prof. F. Gandolfi

Duration: February 27^th, - March 3^rd, 2010

Purpose of the visit: Exchange of know-how on the problem “Mitochondrial activity during the oocytes maturation for in vitro fertilization IVF”

The research program included:

• Immunostaining of mitochondria, tubulin and nuclei in murine and porcine fibroblasts;
• Collection of oocytes, selection and in vitro maturation. Isolation and measurement of mRNA;
• Assessment of the mitochondrial activity in oocytes after the 1^st meiotic division (MI). Parthenogenetic activation and/or in vitro fertilization of oocytes after the 2^nd meiotic division (MII oocytes). Immunostaining of MII oocytes;
• Confocal analysis stained oocytes.

The program was successfully achieved. The used methods were discussed extensively and described.

Additional events:

• Laboratory seminar. The ReProForce project was introduced as well as the topics developed in the Department of embryotechnologies in IBIR. The introduction was followed by a detailed discussion on the possibilities for further collaboration. A provisional topic of this collaboration could be “Effect of exogenous factors on the quality of oocytes from animals and their capacity to mature in vitro”.
• A short course on working with cryostat was held which was quite useful because IBIR will purchase a similar machine in near future.
• An animal farm at the Veterinary Faculty of the Milano University was visited. The technique for in vivo collection of oocytes from cows (ovum pick-up) was demonstrated. Preliminary analysis of the collected oocytes was done in the laboratory of the farm. A method for rapid freezing was demonstrated. Information about the used materials and protocols was obtained.
• A final discussion was held and analysis of the obtained results was done during the week days. Dates for the next bilateral visits were specified (mid-May 2010).

The visit achieved its goal - the contacts with partner were deepened, the new knowledge was obtained. The experimental protocols useful for the work in IBIR were collected. The perspectives of future scientific collaboration were identified.