Abstract: Objective To establish a non-suigical method for in utero transplantation of stem cells into goats under sonographic guidance. Methods Human hematopoitic stem cells from cord blood were delivered into the peritoneal cavities of the fetal goats at 45-55 days of gestation under sonographic guidance (displaying transect of the peritoneal cavities) by injection using a #7 piercing needle . The fetal development was observed and miscarriage rate was noted. The level of chimerism obtained in the fetal goats was studied at set intervals. Results Human hematopoitic stem cells were injected into 49 goat recipients under sonographic guidance, obtaining 36 live bom goats with miscarriage rate (26.7%, 13/49) similar to those from the uninjected control group, but significantly lower than the laparatomy group (63%). Conclusions The method described herein is efficient and safe, with much lowered miscarriage risk comparing to that using surgical interventions for delivering stem cells into fetal goats, and is suitable for producing large numbers of chimeras with many useful applications including serving as animal models for studying stem cell biology in a live organism.

Key words: Non-surgical in utero transplantation, Sonography guidance, Stem cell, Human/Goat chimerism.