Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** this project is designed to advance…

Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** this project is designed to advance development of a novel breeding tool in cattle production, referred to as surrogate sires. The envisioned impact is providing new opportunity for enhancing traits related to the generation of foodstuffs for human consumption. Through use of genome editing and stem cell transplantation, the project will generate bulls that lack the ability to make their own sperm and optimize methodology to transfer sperm producing stem cells isolated from another male into their testicles. The envisioned outcome is that surrogate recipient bulls will generate sperm possessing the donor male's genetics at a level that endows them with natural fertility. Because sperm are the conduit for transmission of a male's genetics and millions are produced daily, refinement of surrogate sires methodology would provide a tool for efficient dissemination of select genetic information into cattle populations on a worldwide scale.