About Us
Boviteq® California’s goal is to bring Boviteq’s world leadership in embryo transfer and IVF technologies to the West Coast’s dairy and beef producers.
Bringing the world-class research of Boviteq to California
Boviteq offers:
- 25 years of In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) experience
- 70,000+ embryos produced in 2019
- Industry leadership in reproductive technologies
- State-of-the-art laboratories in Wisconsin and Quebec
Our Team
Dr. Ramon Tosta, DVM
Dr. Tosta performs all OPU and ET techniques, and oversees the health and well-being of all donor animals. As a DVM, Dr Tosta has conducted OPUs on more than 5000 animals, run thousands of ETs and has extensive work in R&D. Dr. Tosta is an American Embryo Transfer (AETA) member, maintaining the high industry standards as a Certified ET Practicioner. Born and raised on a Brazilian beef ranch, Dr. Tosta, developed a love of animals and decided to study veterinary medicine. An internship brought him to the US where he worked for seven years with assisted reproductive technologies.
Dr. Sonia Lachapelle, DVM
Dr Lachapelle has 7 years of experience in advanced reproductive technologies. She started her IVF journey 6 years ago at Boviteq Canada then pursued it in a local bovine practice here in the Central Valley of California. She collaborated on research projects both in bovine general practice and in vitro fertilization.
She graduated from University of Montreal in 2013 and is a member of the American Embryo Transfer Association (AETA). Besides IVF, Dr Lachapelle also has experience in pregnancy diagnosis, ultrasounding, preventive medicine, treating sick cows and performing digestive surgeries in cattle.
Raised on a small northern Canadian dairy, Dr. Lachapelle knew very early on she wanted to be a veterinarian specializing in bovine reproduction.
Andreanne Descoteaux
Andreanne graduated from Cégep de Saint-Hyacinthe in Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec as a Vet Technician in 2015. As an intern with Semex partner-owner, CIAQ, she honed her animal care skills, working in the semen production facilities. Upon graduation, she accepted a position at Boviteq’s lab in Canada, specializing in IVF protocols, assisting OPUs, embryo transfers and research projects. Additionally, she was a Vet Coordinator, following donor production, pregnancy rates, reports and communication to the lab. Recently, she moved to California to serve as our OPU Coordinator, working as the conduit between our clients and the laboratory.
Lais Coelho
Dr. Coelho has seven years of experience in embryology, cell culture and R&D. Coelho is responsible for the handling, searching and freezing of embryos. Coelho works closely with Dr. Tosta to ensure our lab’s biosecurity and quality control. A native of Brazil, Dr. Coelho was born and raised on a beef ranch, leading her to fall in love with veterinary medicine and acquire her DVM at the Unified Institute of Higher Education Objectivo in Brazil.
Sarah Garcia Quinonez
Sarah studied Animal Science and has a Masters in Animal Reproduction and Genetics. She began working with IVF in 2008.
Hannah Sanders
Hannah was raised on Fire-Lake Dairy where she would exhibit registered jerseys at the local and national level. She attended MJC and has an Associates Degree in Agricultural Business.
Kayla Herrera
Kayla has Vet Tech degree and majored in Animal Science. She grew up on a beef cattle ranch and bred and showed sold registered black angus. She also raises highlander cattle and competition horses.
Weston Fair
Weston graduated from Fresno State with a degree in Animal Science. Weston was raised in the cattle industry and owns and operates Fair Cattle Company which raises show steers and heifers that compete at a local and national level.
Joseph Goncalves
Joseph is well versed in breeding and shot protocols. Also Joseph assists Dr. Ramon Tosta with OPU and Embryo transplant.
Joseph learned to AI at Hilmar High School where he took ag classes all 4 years of high school practicing on animals donated to the school. Joseph then formally joined the AI industry through his uncle who had been an AI technician for 25+ years in the surrounding area. He has been a certified AI technician since 2008 who owned and operated a successful breeding business for 13 years. Spending his first years on his route, in the Petaluma, Ca area then moving back to the Central Valley to begin raising his family. In his career Joseph has bred over 100,000 animals.
Dr. Christian Vigneault, Ph.D.
Christian Vigneault, Semex’s Director, Reproductive R&D, obtained a BSc in Biochemistry at Laval University in 2001, followed by his MSc and PhD in Animal Science specializing in gene expression in bovine in vitro produced embryos.
He began an industrial postdoctoral internship at Boviteq in 2007, with the goal of creating a new IVF (In Vitro Fertilization) system to produce freezable IVF bovine embryos. Following the successful implementation of that new IVF system, he was hired into a research and development position at Boviteq, working on the development of a suite of media that would allow for the movement of oocytes and embryos through couriers.
This research allowed Boviteq to expand activities through satellite locations in Canada in 2012. In 2013, Christian moved to Madison, Wisconsin to launch Boviteq in the US. He returned to Canada to supervise Semex’s Research & Development Team and was been assigned to lead the semen research in 2014.
Christian also led a team that researched, investigated and diagnosed Semex’s fertility position in 2016, leading to the Fertility First protocols and campaign that launched in 2018. His current position as Director, Reproductive R&D, specializes in ensuring each department within Semex’s laboratory and research teams are working in harmony and reaching their absolute fullest potential.
Dr. Shantille Kruse, Ph.D.
As the IVF Program Liaison, Dr. Shantille Kruse is responsible for veterinary collaboration and technical inquiry related to OPU/IVF services.
Shantille was raised on a diversified sheep and cattle operation near Tecumseh, Nebraska. Being actively involved in the livestock industry since childhood was extremely influential on her career ambitions of serving the cattle industry and its stakeholders. She earned her B.S. in Animal Science from the University of Nebraska, followed by her M.S. in Biomedical Science at the Animal Reproduction and Biotechnology Lab at Colorado State University. There her research focused on improving cryopreservation techniques for both in vivo- and in vitro- produced bovine embryos.
Dr. Kruse then earned her Ph.D. in Reproductive Physiology from the University of Minnesota while utilizing OPU/IVF technologies and embryo recovery and transfer to study the impacts of nutrition on oocyte quality, uterine function and early embryonic development.