Right now, populations are declining in 48% of our planet’s animal species. As individuals are lost within a species, its genetic diversity is reduced. This makes a species more vulnerable to extinction, as genetic diversity confers resilience to disease and environmental changes. If population numbers drop too low, individual survival rates start to decline dramatically.
Cryo-conservation refers to the use of cryopreservation technologies in wildlife conservation. Traditionally, biological material has been stored in biobanks in a way that allows for DNA to be analysed for genetic studies, but not in a way that living animals can be produced from the preserved material. Through cryopreservation, we preserve reproductive cells and tissues at -196°C in a living state. These cells and tissues are collected from animals post-mortem or during routine veterinary procedures, such as castration. As these cells are still alive, they can be used to establish live pregnancies in the future through reproductive technologies such as IVF and induced pluripotent stem cell technology. This helps to bolster animal populations and improve genetic diversity, leading to healthier, more resilient animal populations.
Nature’s SAFE preserves samples from extant wildlife in collaboration with our conservation partners. Our goal is to prevent these species from going extinct.
