Biological Collections: Chasing the Ideal

Abstract

This article is based on the results of an analysis of existing biological collections in Russia and abroad set up in the framework of the project “Scientific Basis of the National Biobank –Depository of Living Systems” by M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University [1].

The importance of biological collections for public health: The case of the Triatominae collection of the Museum of the Institute of Agricultural Zoology “Francisco Fernández Yépez”, Venezuela

“…Furthermore, collections can also be classified depending on the types of biological material stored and the storage methods, for example, cryogenic collections, and "classical" collections. The biological collections regarded as classical were the first collections of biological material in the world and include collections of zoological museums and herbaria (Kamenski et al 2016). Zoological museum collections are very important sources of biological samples for genetic diversity studies which can be used to compare past and present diversity and detect possible loss of genetic diversity and to infer about global change biology (Baker 1994;Weber et al 2000;Moraes-Barros & Morgante 2007) and herbaria collections are one of the main sources of preserved material for plant and fungal diversity studies (Krinitsina et al 2015;NYBG 2018).…”

“…They provide an invaluable record of the distribution of plants and animals throughout the world and are being used in many types of studies including those focused on climate change, movement of invasive species, and niche modeling (Wen et al 2015). Recently it has become clear that these collections of biological material, in addition to being used to study biodiversity, are a valuable source of DNA that can be extracted from the specimens stored and analyzed using the methods of molecular genetics leading to the discovery of cryptic species (Moraes-Barros & Morgante 2007;Krinitsina et al 2015;Kamenski et al 2016). In addition, order to make the museum specimens more accessible, several biological collections worldwide are directing efforts to increase digital collections (FAPESP 2020;NHM 2020).…”

Specialized biorepository for human brain glioma: project development and operational experience

“…В последнее время акцент делается на сборе именно материала тканей человека в качестве источника информации для исследований экспрессии генов, протеомики и изучения сигнальных путей. При этом современные технологии требуют большого количества образцов, чего можно достичь только при развитии биобанков [5].…”

The Expanding Role of Natural History Collections

“…The specific topics of presentations made during the symposium were wide-ranging (Appendix 1), but all were united by the notion that there is a continued need to increase the visibility of the inherent and critical values of natural history museums and the importance of the care of the specimens they protect for future generations. There have been several recent discussions of the importance of natural history collections and the value of specimens from a variety of perspectives, and with a variety of motives (Lane, 1996; Suarez and Tsutsui, 2004;Bradley et al, 2014;Kamenski et al, 2016;McLean et al, 2016;Schindel and Cook, 2018;Watanabe, 2019;Bakker et al, 2020). Collections, and their vitality, depend on both their continued roles in traditionally supported fields (e.g., taxonomy) as well as emerging arenas (e.g., epidemiology).…”