About Biobanking
What is Biobanking?
Preserving biological materials for future research
Introducing just a small amount of genetic diversity to a population can reduce the potentially negative impacts of limited genetic diversity in both captive and wild populations. On the other hand, once genetic diversity disappears, it is virtually impossible to recover. Biobanks afford the opportunity to preserve genetic diversity that might otherwise be lost forever.
Wildlife biobanks are responsibly managed collections of biospecimens or biomaterials that are primarily used for conservation and scientific research. They’re typically intended to be open access, including for conservation biology, population genetics, and biomedical researchers. At the Center for Zoonomics, we want to maximize the value of biospecimen collections by promoting best practices for sample collection and enhancing collection accessibility.
As members of the zoo community, we have the unique opportunity to be in regular contact with irreplaceable biomaterials that may be critical to future research and conservation. One of our aims is to raise awareness of the value and best practices in biospecimen collection and preservation, so that biospecimens can be as useful as possible.
Successes of Biobanking at Zoos
Biobanked samples have already proven to be valuable to wildlife conservation and population management
The Black-footed Ferret
Biobanking of diverse cell types are contributing to the black-footed ferret (BFF) population. Banked sperm samples have been used for advanced artificial insemination techniques, leading to the births of several BFFs. In addition, cell cultures from skin tissue from a wild BFF, cryopreserved at the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Frozen Zoo® in 1988, were used for the first successful cloning of a U.S. endangered species. These types of groundbreaking efforts, involving collaborations across multiple institutions, have reintroduced valuable historic genetic diversity to the species.
Learn more about black-footed ferret clones contributing to genetic diversity
Coral Reef Restoration
Sperm and larva cells banked from a variety of coral species are used to restore the taxonomic and genetic diversity of coral reefs that are threatened due to bleaching. The AZA-Florida Reef Tract Rescue Project, for example, is a partner in the Coral Biobank Alliance and is committed to the housing, propagation, and preservation of Florida’s corals.
In Vitro Fertilization and Embryo Transfer
A multitude of animals, such as cheetahs and Houston toads, have reproduced with the help of in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer. The use of biobanked samples have helped to produce offspring that contribute to genetic diversity of managed populations, or are released to the wild to assist in the recovery of natural populations.
Learn more about the role of biobanking in in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer