CryoStore diary - Batuhan Kaplan
Secondment at Wageningen University Research, The Netherlands | January - February 2026
Wageningen, the Netherlands, January 2026
Winter challenge accepted and I started my secondment during the very first (and very snowy) days of 2026 in the Animal Breeding and Genomics (ABG) group at Wageningen University and Research (WUR), the Netherlands.
Thanks to my colleague Mahsa Abdi (CryoStore DC) from WUR, and the guidance of Dr. Annemieke Rattink and Dr. Marta Ruijter-Villani, we managed to navigate an intense and fast-paced schedule!
As Mahsa and I are both DCs working on porcine species within the CryoStore project, this secondment quickly turned into a two-way exchange of ideas, techniques, and small “lab survival tricks” that you can’t find in protocols.
Liquid Nitrogen tank and frozen semen straws
Our main focus was on boar semen cryopreservation, particularly exploring media additives to reduce oxidative stress and cold shock during cooling and thawing. Following this, we evaluated the fertilization ability of the thawed sperm through in vitro fertilization assays.
Each and every Monday morning had its own rhythm, starting with oocyte collection from abattoir derived porcine ovaries, followed by receiving fresh ejaculated boar semen from Topigs Norsvin (CryoStore partner). This was then followed by oocyte maturation, semen freezing and thawing, and finally in vitro fertilization.
Despite the well-known challenge of lower blastocyst rates in porcine IVF compared to other mammalian species, we were lucky enough to able to obtain blastocysts in several of our trials, which was a small but meaningful win that kept us going!
During this period, I gained hands-on experience in boar semen cryopreservation, storage and thawing techniques, as well as setting up and maintaining an in vitro fertilization culture environment. More importantly, I developed a deeper appreciation for how delicate and finely tuned these processes are and how important the teamwork in this specific case. In this occasion, I’d like to express my appreciation to my lab partners Mahsa and Agnes de Wit (Research Assistant, ABG, WUR).
Despite the demanding lab schedule and the cold winter days, I was lucky enough to be visited by a few friends from neighboring countries, in Wageningen. Exploring the eastern part of the Netherlands with them (which a country I’ve always enjoyed for its calm landscapes and nature) added a calming balance to the intensity of the academic life!
This secondment was not only about techniques and results, but also about learning how to navigate uncertainty, adapt quickly, and find small moments of excitement in repetitive yet meaningful work.
