The microbiome research field is rapidly evolving, but the required biobanking infrastructure is currently fragmented and not prepared for the biobanking of microbiomes. The rapid advancement of technologies requires an urgent assessment of how biobanks can underpin research by preserving microbiome samples and their functional potential.
A team of scientists, led by CABI’s Dr. Matthew Ryan, have outlined a series of challenges and opportunities presented in a necessary review of how microbiomes – biological communities including bacteria, archaea, fungi, algae, protists, and viruses – can be ‘banked’ and preserved for generations to come. The researchers, who call for a prioritized list of what should be conserved from a scientific, economic, social, and environmental perspective, present their views in the journal Trends in Microbiology.
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