This is no ordinary book. It is a detailed description, such as has never been compiled before, of the current status of micromanipulation procedures. It describes in detail the various pieces of equipment and supplies necessary to set up the sophisticated procedures used in the treatment of male infertility, in characterizing early-stage embryos, and in performing procedures of mouse transgenesis. It is gratifying to see that this work is grounded in the belief that the key to micromanipulation is understanding the instruments, selecting the appropriate equipment, and picking the ideal consumables.

Since the first success of in vitro fertilization (IVF) in 1978, the field has been transformed by a steady stream of discovery and technological progress that has led to the expansion of the indications, such as the treatment of severe male infertility by intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) and the identification of genetic disorders by pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD). These discoveries and techniques are grouped under the term ‘assisted reproduction techniques’. For the first time, this book describes in a clear and concise manner the hows, whys and therefores of such procedures. It has been written to be readable and usable by research fellows, embryologists and technicians who need some insight into the technical developments, and who wish to know the A to Z of micromanipulation as seen and performed by the two authors.