Exploring dry storage as an alternative biobanking strategy inspired by Nature

Abstract

Close to 25% of species in the animal kingdom face the risk of extinction. A variety of stresses, largely anthropogenic in nature, and lack of sufficient resources and political support to counteract this biodiversity crisis, suggest that we will witness the extinction of many thousands of species in the coming years. Unless we act now to, at least, preserve samples from each and every threatened species, these extinct species will be lost forever. To preserve record of the world's biodiversity, establishment of genome resource banks is thus desirable. Presently, biobanking is done almost exclusively by cryopreservation, followed by maintenance of the samples under liquid nitrogen. Cryopreservation has satisfactory efficiency but it comes with a host of problems. The process is also highly species-specific. Like in many other walks of life, we can search Nature for better alternatives. When longterm preservation is desired, Nature opted for controlled drying rather than in water preservation via freezing. Nature also created an assortment of materials that protect organisms from damages during the drying and rehydration processes. Once dry, these organisms can survive extended periods of time and be resistant to extreme environmental stressors. Over the past 70 years researchers attempted applying this idea to preserved desiccation-sensitive mammalian cells in the dry form. Desiccation is experiencing increased interest in recent years with some exciting developments. Presented here an overview of dry preservation and its possible applications towards establishment of dry biobanks as part of our endeavour to preserve the world's biodiversity.

Dry storage of mammalian spermatozoa and cells: state-of-the-art and possible future directions

“…Freezing in liquid nitrogen (LN; Wakayama and Yanagimachi 1998;Loi et al 2008) can progress towards more environmentally friendly options, such as freezing to mild sub-zero temperatures (Palazzese et al 2020). Several different drying techniques have been used (Saragusty and Loi 2019). Packaging of dried products requires the vials to be sealed under vacuum to prevent oxygen and humidity from damaging the cells (Wakayama and Yanagimachi 1998;Loi et al 2008;Anzalone et al 2019).…”

Understanding and Assisting Reproduction in Wildlife Species Using Microfluidics

“…However, sensitivity to cryoprotectants (CPAs) and low temperatures varies from species to species, and systematic studies will be necessary to understand the resilience and survival of germplasms [8,9]. The same applies to thawing and reanimation of samples that must also be adapted on a species-by-species basis [11]. Furthermore, given the high complexity and costs of cryopreservation, simple and cost-effective solutions to preserve and store living samples in the long term must be devised for wild animal species [11].…”

“…The same applies to thawing and reanimation of samples that must also be adapted on a species-by-species basis [11]. Furthermore, given the high complexity and costs of cryopreservation, simple and cost-effective solutions to preserve and store living samples in the long term must be devised for wild animal species [11].…”

Current and Forthcoming Approaches for Benchmarking Genetic and Genomic Diversity

“…Dry storage may offer an interesting alternative, considering some of the disadvantages of cryopreservation, such as complex and expensive logistics, and the need of constant supply of energy and maintenance by trained personnel (Saragusty and Loi, 2019). Both gametes and somatic cells can also be preserved through different drying techniques, and while they may not remain viable after rehydration, DNA is preserved almost intact (Saragusty and Loi, 2019). Collection and preservation of genetic samples from rare species of conservation concern should be a priority.…”