IN PIGS, PRODUCTION OF EMBRYOS BY USING OOCYTES THAT ARE MATURED IN A PETRI DISH HAS ASSUMED INCREASING IMPORTANCE FOR AGRICULTURAL APPLICATIONS. RECENTLY, FOR EXAMPLE, IMMATURE OOCYTES WERE MATURED IN A PETRI DISH WERE USED TO PRODUCE PIGS THAT ARE RESISTANT TO THE PORCINE REPRODUCTIVE AND RESPIRATORY SYNDROME (PRRS). ONCE THESE ANIMALS ARE PERMITTED TO ENTER THE FOOD CHAIN, THEY COULD SAVE NORTH AMERICAN PORK PRODUCERS MORE THAN $600 MILLION ANNUALLY. HOWEVER, IMMATURE OOCYTES ARE NOT GREAT AT PRODUCING EMBRYOS. OUR HYPOTHESIS IS THAT BY ADDING FGF, LIF, AND IGF1 (ACRONYM FLI) TO THE MEDIUM THAT THE OOCYTES ARE MATURED IN WILL GREATLY INCREASE THE PRODUCTION OF COMPETENT EMBRYOS. OUR OBJECTIVES ARE: 1) IDENTIFY THE MEANS THAT FLI IN COMBINATION LEAD TO IMPROVED OOCYTE MATURATION; 2) DISTINGUISH THE GENES AND GENE PATHWAYS OF THE SURROUNDING SUPPORTING CELLS FROM OOCYTES FROM ONES UNLIKELY TO LEAD TO A VIABLE PREGNANCY AND FURTHER IMPROVE OVERALL OOCYTE QUALITY AND COMPETENCE, EMBRYO DEVELOPMENT AND REPRODUCTIVE EFFICIENCY OF PIGS; 3) TO DEMONSTRATE THAT FLI MATURATION OF OOCYTES PROVIDES A MEANS OF REDUCING THE NUMBER OF EMBRYOS TRANSFERRED TO A SURROGATE WHILE ACHIEVING A NORMAL LITTER SIZE. WE EXPECT TO IDENTIFY MARKERS THAT ALLOW FOR IDENTIFICATION OF THE BEST OOCYTES FOR PRODUCING PREGNANCIES AND PIGLETS. OUR EXPECTATIONS FROM THIS RESEARCH ARE TO BRIDGE THE GAP OF KNOWLEDGE ON OOCYTE MATURATION IN A LABORATORY SETTING AND A WAY TO MORE EFFICIENTLY PRODUCE VIABLE PREGNANCIES IN PIGS.