Exploring dry storage as an alternative biobanking strategy inspired by Nature

Area of Science:

• Biobanking and reproductive biology
• Biopreservation strategies
• Anhydrobiosis research

Background:

• Biobanking currently relies heavily on cryopreservation, which presents species-specific challenges and limitations.
• Nature utilizes anhydrobiosis (controlled drying) for long-term preservation, offering a potential alternative to freezing.
• Research into dry preservation of mammalian cells has been ongoing for 70 years with limited success in restoring full biological activity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore dry preservation as an alternative to cryopreservation in biobanking.
• To review the current state, applications, and future directions of desiccation-based biopreservation.
• To highlight the potential of dry preservation for preserving genetic material.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature on dry preservation techniques and anhydrobiosis.
• Analysis of successful and unsuccessful attempts at preserving mammalian cells in a dry state.
• Examination of DNA preservation and viability in dried cells, particularly spermatozoa.

Main Results:

• DNA in dried mammalian cells, especially spermatozoa, is often well-preserved, enabling use in advanced reproductive techniques.
• Offspring have been produced from dried spermatozoa in several mammalian species (mouse, rat, hamster, rabbit, horse).
• Dried somatic cells have not yet yielded offspring, indicating challenges in preserving their full biological function.

Conclusions:

• Dry preservation, inspired by anhydrobiosis, shows promise for biobanking, particularly for preserving genetic material from spermatozoa.
• While full cellular function recovery remains a challenge, DNA integrity is maintained, supporting reproductive applications.
• Further research is needed to overcome limitations and expand the applications of dry preservation for various cell types.