Piezoelectric micromanipulator
PMM-150FU SUTTER INSTRUMENT

Sutter Instrument offers the PrimeTech PMM-150FU piezo impact drive for challenging microinjection applications such as mouse nuclear transfer, intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) and blastocyst injection. Oocyte plasma membranes, particularly those of the mouse, are particularly sensitive to microinjection, which tends to result in oocyte death. Initially designed for porcine oocyte injection, the PrimeTech PMM was adapted for use in mouse in 1995 (Kimura and Yanagimachi, 1995), and since then has become the gold standard for mouse nuclear transfer and ICSI.

The PMM-150FU harnesses the "piezoelectric effect": the tiny, but extremely rapid distortion of a piezoelectric crystal lattice when an electrical current is applied to it. This causes the micropipette holder, which is placed in direct contact with the piezo element to vibrate. Two modes of piezo "drilling" are available with the PMM-150FU: A continuous train of pulses of desired frequency and amplitude are used to vibrate the micropipette, gently penetrating the zona pellucida of an oocyte or embryo, then a single pulse, again of desired amplitude, is used to break the oolemma and inject the oocyte. This approach makes it possible to achieve up to 100% survival of injected oocytes.