Zsuzsanna Keresztes<\/a> \u2013 Medical Laboratory Assistant<\/p> Veterinary Residents:<\/strong>
Dr. Bogl\u00e1rka Vincze, PhD
Dr. N\u00f3ra Vass, PhD<\/p>
Key Research Areas \u2013 Overview<\/h2> - Our research focuses on improving reproductive performance in a colony of experimental American Foxhound<\/span><\/span> dogs<\/strong> maintained by the Heart and Vascular Center of Semmelweis University, using assisted reproductive technologies. These include semen cryopreservation, endoscopy-assisted intrauterine transcervical insemination (TCI), and the use of epididymal sperm for fertilization.The preservation of the foxhound breed is essential for the clinic due to its calm temperament and robust physiology, making it particularly suitable for cardiovascular research.<\/li>
- The ovarian cortex contains hundreds of thousands of immature oocytes within follicles. Their collection and cryopreservation would enable long-term genetic resource banking and allow future reproduction from valuable females even after unexpected death. Although ovarian tissue cryopreservation has been successfully applied in several species, it carries risks such as disease transmission upon transplantation. Consequently, increasing attention has been directed toward preantral follicle culture, cryopreservation, and utilization<\/strong>. Our research group conducts intensive studies on the in vitro culture and long-term preservation of preantral follicles using mouse and canine (including shelter program) ovaries. From a veterinary and animal breeding perspective, these methods are particularly relevant for conservation biology<\/strong>, supporting the preservation of genetic diversity in endangered or indigenous breeds at risk of genetic erosion and extinction.<\/li> <\/ol>
Selected Publications<\/h2> Canine sperm cryopreservation and TCI<\/h3>
Bacsa, M.; T\u00f6r\u00f6k, D.; Bord\u00e1s, L.; Somosk\u0151i, B.; M\u00fcller, L.; Szil\u00e1gyi, E.; Erdei, K.; Radovits, T.; Dobos, A. B.; Cseh, S.
Reproduction of a genetically valuable experimental canine population using assisted reproductive techniques.
Magyar \u00c1llatorvosok Lapja<\/em> 147(9): 537\u2013543 (2025)<\/p> Bacsa, M.; T\u00f6r\u00f6k, D.; M\u00fcller, L.; Erdei, K.; Cseh, S.
Support of reproduction in a valuable canine colony using assisted reproductive techniques \u2013 Case report.
Acta Veterinaria Hungarica<\/em> 74(1): 55\u201357 (2026)<\/p>
Preantral follicle culture and cryopreservation<\/h3>
Somosk\u0151i, B.; T\u00f6r\u00f6k, D.; Lacalandra, G. M.; Bord\u00e1s, L.; Cseh, S.
In vitro culture of canine preantral follicles after slow freezing.
Animal Reproduction Science<\/em> (2025)<\/p> Bord\u00e1s, L.; Somosk\u0151i, B.; T\u00f6r\u00f6k, D.; Vincze, B.; Cseh, S.
Post-thaw viability of mouse preantral follicles after cryopreservation.
Reproductive Biology<\/em> (2023)<\/p>
Research Fields<\/h2> - Andrology \/ male reproductive biology<\/li>
- Assisted reproduction and ART techniques<\/li>
- Embryology and spermatology<\/li>
- Gamete and embryo cryopreservation<\/li>
- In vitro fertilization (IVF)<\/li>
- Embryo transfer<\/li> <\/ul>
Professional Memberships<\/h2> - Hungarian Academy of Sciences \u2013 Committee on Agricultural Biotechnology<\/li>
- Hungarian Society for Assisted Reproduction<\/li>
- Hungarian Society for Reproductive Biology<\/li>
- Hungarian Andrology Society<\/li>
- Hungarian Embryology Society<\/li>
- European College of Animal Reproduction (ECAR) \u2013 Education and Residency Committee<\/li>
- European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE)<\/li> <\/ul>
Long-term Collaborations<\/h2> - Richter Reproductive Network<\/li>
- Agricultural Biotechnology Research Institute<\/li>
- University of Debrecen \u2013 Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences<\/li>
- University of P\u00e9cs \u2013 Faculty of Medicine<\/li>
- St. John\u2019s Hospital \u2013 Buda Infertility Center<\/li>
- University of Szeged \u2013 Faculty of Pharmacy<\/li>
- University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna (Austria)<\/li>
- University of Thessaly \u2013 Faculty of Veterinary Science (Greece)<\/li>
- University of Bari \u2013 Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (Italy)<\/li>
- University of C\u00f3rdoba \u2013 Faculty of Veterinary Medicine<\/li>
- University of Extremadura \u2013 Faculty of Veterinary Medicine<\/li>
- ICAR \u2013 National Institute of Animal Nutrition and Physiology (India)<\/li> <\/ul>
Services Available<\/h2> - Embryological analyses and embryo culture<\/li>
- Spermatological examinations<\/li>
- In vitro fertilization (IVF)<\/li>
- Gamete and embryo cryopreservation<\/li>
- Artificial insemination and embryo transfer<\/li> <\/ul>
Grants<\/h2> Ongoing Projects<\/h3> - SNN_25 (Hungarian\u2013Slovenian cooperation, 2026\u20132028)<\/strong>
Advanced cryobiological and biomarker-based strategies for preserving genetic resources of endangered indigenous pig breeds<\/li> - UNIVET Research Group Grant (2026\u20132027)<\/strong>
Canine sperm cryopreservation and TCI; preantral follicle culture and freezing<\/li> - UNIVET Young Researcher Grant (2026\u20132027)<\/strong>
Development of assisted reproductive techniques in exotic animal species<\/li> - MTA Bolyai Research Scholarship (2024\u20132027)<\/strong>
Development of assisted reproductive technologies in dogs<\/li> <\/ul>
Project Descriptions (Selected)<\/h2> Hungarian\u2013Slovenian Cooperation<\/h3>
Cryopreservation of boar semen is significantly less efficient compared to other livestock species, which poses a major risk for indigenous breeds vulnerable to disease outbreaks such as African swine fever.<\/p>
Our objective is to identify the causes of low cryopreservation success rates by analyzing multiple biomarkers using both conventional and advanced methodologies. We investigate differences in semen quality, cryotolerance, and metabolic profiles among Hungarian Large White, Mangalica, and Kr\u0161kopolje breeds.<\/p>
UNIVET Research Group Project<\/h3> - Improvement of reproductive performance in experimental foxhound colonies using ART<\/li>
- Development of ovarian tissue and preantral follicle preservation techniques for genetic conservation<\/li> <\/ul>
UNIVET Young Researcher Project<\/h3>
Sperm cryopreservation plays a key role in preserving genetic diversity, particularly in rare and endangered species. However, ARTs are rarely applied in exotic species due to limited sample availability and significant interspecies variability.<\/p>
This project aims to develop cryopreservation and storage protocols primarily for chameleon species<\/strong>, with further extension to additional species during the research period.<\/p>
Bolyai Research Project<\/h3>
Cryopreservation and in vitro culture of preantral follicles offer powerful tools for genetic conservation in wildlife and zoo animals, and have important applications in human medicine.<\/p>
Our research has led to the development of a reliable culture medium supporting in vitro growth of canine and murine preantral follicles (PAF IVC).<\/p>
However, assisted reproductive techniques such as IVM, IVF, and IVC show low efficiency in dogs due to species-specific reproductive physiology. Canine oocytes are ovulated at the germinal vesicle stage and reach fertilizable metaphase II only after 54\u201372 hours, accompanied by rising progesterone levels.<\/p>
The aim of the project is to develop protocols that improve the efficiency of IVM, IVF, and preantral follicle culture systems in dogs<\/strong>.<\/p>
","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Andrology and Assisted Reproduction Research Group Head of the Research Group Prof. Dr. S\u00e1ndor CsehProfessor, Doctor of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (MTA), Dipl. ECAR Visiting Professor (since 2018): University of Bari Aldo Moro, Italy Contact: [Click to see email]\u00a0 Members of the Research Group Professor:Dr. S\u00e1ndor Cseh Researchers:Dr. M\u00f3nika Bacsa, DVM \u2013 PhD studentDr.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":869,"menu_order":228,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-889","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/univet.hu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/889","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/univet.hu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/univet.hu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/univet.hu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/univet.hu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=889"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/univet.hu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/889\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":204417,"href":"https:\/\/univet.hu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/889\/revisions\/204417"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/univet.hu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/869"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/univet.hu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=889"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/univet.hu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=889"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/univet.hu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=889"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}