** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** THE MAIN GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO STUDY EARLY EMBRYONIC DEVELOPMENT TO PREVENT PREGNANCY LOSS IN CATTLE. IN CATTLE AND HUMANS, MORE THAN HALF OF PREGNANCIES ARE LOST DURING THE FIRST MONTH OF DEVELOPMENT. DURING THIS TIME CRUCIAL DEVELOPMENTAL MILESTONES ARE OCCURING, AND ERRORS IN THESE RESULT IN PREGNANCY LOSS. FOR CATTLE PRODUCERS, THIS RESULTS IN ECONOMIC LOSS. WE WILL BE USING IN VITRO PRODUCTION OF EMBRYOS TO STUDY EXTRAEMBRYONIC MEMBRANE FORMATION AND FUNCTION IN CATTLE. FURTHERMORE, WE EXPECT TOIMPROVE EMBRYONICQUALITY BY SUPPLEMENTING INTERLEUKIN-6, A CYTOKINE KNOWN FOR IMPROVING EMBRYO QUALITYIN VITRO. IN ADDITION, WE WILL ALSO INHIBIT THE IL6 RECEPTOR BY ADDING AN INHIBITOR TO THE EMBRYOS. THIS WILL TELL US IF IL6 SIGNALING IS IMPERATIVEFOR EMBRYONIC SURVIVAL. THE ULTIMATE GOALS OF THIS PROJECT ARE TO DESCRIBE THE NECESSITY OF IL6 SIGNALING IN EXTRAEMBRYONIC MEMBRANE FORMATION AND FUNCTION, WHICH WILL HELP TO IMPROVE CATTLE PREGNANCY RATES AND REDUCE PREGNANCY LOSS. FURTHERMORE, THE SAME IMPLEMENTATION CAN BE USED IN HUMAN EMBRYONIC DEVELOPMENT AND HELP TO REDUCE PREGNANCY LOSS IN HUMANS.