Biobanking is the preservation of biological materials, such as cryopreserving cells, gametes, and tissues. By freezing viable materials, we secure future access to genetic diversity and simultaneously aggregate a vast library of biological information that will be available to generations of future scientists.
Access to cryobanked cells and other banked biomaterials has been crucial to studies of ecology, evolution, genomics, and the health of wildlife, fostering an unprecedented understanding of life on earth. These materials also serve as the foundation for a pivotal new set of conservation options — including cloning, as well as the many more technological advances that can be anticipated — that afford us the opportunity to safeguard genetic capital, support population sustainability, and reduce extinction risk.
Click to read more.