The first bovine embryo transfer
(ET) company in the world was established in 1971 in Calgary.
This company was called Alberta Livestock Transplants
Ltd. (ALT). Initially, the primary focus for ALT was to
maximize the number of calves being produced from beef
donors imported from Europe. Very soon after, dairymen
began to realize the benefits as well, with high producing
animals and demand for the service increased. Because
the value of these calves at the time was very high, it
was a natural impetus for ET to be commercialized.
In
1986, the ownership of ALT formed a new company called
Alta Genetics which in 1988 merged with Western Breeders
to form a new Alta Genetics Inc. (AGI). In 1999, several
of the employees of the Embryo Division of AGI purchased
this entity and is running it as an independent company
called Alta Embryo Group Ltd. (AEG). Thus the current
ownership of AEG are all actively working at the facility
and have many years of experience in ET, dating back
to the 70's.
The group represented at AEG have been a major player
in the field of embryo transfer for many years. They
have pioneered the major developments which have taken
place including:
- investigating methods for inducing superovulation
in cattle
- developing non-surgical techniques to recover and
transfer embryos
- researching methods for achieving successful freezing
and thawing of embryos
- setting up a mobile unit to deliver superior ET
services on farm
- applying ultrasound to both evaluate reproductive
traits and to attempt to control reproductive events
- bisecting of embryos to produce twins
- establishing a laboratory capable of producing
viable embryos using in vitro fertilization
- offering successful techniques for sexing embryos
The company remains committed to continuing to stay
current with all procedures which have a practical
benefit for our clients.
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