A Coordinated U.S. Biobank Alliance for the Zoological and Conservation Community

ABSTRACT With dramatic advancements in biological data generation, genetic rescue and reproductive technologies, and inter‐institutional coordination of care across entire animal populations, zoos, aquariums, and their collaborators are uniquely positioned to lead population‐wide research benefiting animal wellbeing and species survival. However, procedural and inter‐institutional barriers make it exceedingly difficult to access existing zoological biospecimens and data at scale. To address this, the Zoonomics Working Group, representing diverse roles across three zoological associations (AZA, EAZA, WAZA), proposes a biodiversity biobank alliance that develops and delivers shared resources to support the collection, storage, and sharing of biological samples and associated data across the zoological and conservation community. By biobank alliance, we mean a community‐guided effort that develops shared resources, standards, ethos, and practices for collecting, storing, and sharing biological samples and associated data voluntarily through transparent processes, consistent with professional accreditation standards and international best practices. While initially focused on addressing the needs and regulatory landscape of U.S. institutions, the alliance is designed to create frameworks that are adaptable and adoptable for international expansion. Such a framework would help the zoological community navigate the ethical, legal, and practical challenges of managing biospecimen collections, making access more efficient, reliable, and robust. Achieving this vision requires collective agreement on ethical principles such as reciprocity, transparency, and data stewardship, ensuring that research is both feasible and proactively supported. Such coordination will drive advances in fundamental biology and accelerate progress in animal health, welfare, management, and biodiversity conservation.

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Publication Details

Journal
Zoo Biology
Published
2026-10-01
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/zoo.70118
Primary Topic
Research Data Management Practices
Type
article
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article

A Coordinated U.S. Biobank Alliance for the Zoological and Conservation Community

Marietta Dindo Danforth, Eric J. Baitchman, Lisa Moses, Adrienne Horrigan et al.
Zoo Biology
Research Data Management Practices
article

A Coordinated U.S. Biobank Alliance for the Zoological and Conservation Community

Marietta Dindo Danforth, Eric J. Baitchman, Lisa Moses, Adrienne Horrigan, Sarah U. Morton, Christina Hvilsom, Budhan S. Pukazhenthi, Jennifer Rhodes Kropf, Francis J. Oliaro, Kim Labuschagne, Piper Mullins, Andrea S. Putnam, Cynthia Steiner, John A. Griffioen, Diane P. Genereux, Elinor K. Karlsson, Rachel A. Johnston, Carla Bonetti Madelaire, Jennifer D’Agostino, Andrew W. Torrance, Gregory J. Watkins‐Colwell, Rachel L Thompson, Katherine D. Heineman, Megan Brown, Asako Y. Chaille, Tahlia Perry, Shelly Grow, Debbie Johnson, Jimmy Erkens, Michelle White, Anna Mekarska, Andrew C. Richardson, Alex J. Garretson, Mark Kameron Roth, Tanya M. Salvey, Danica Wolfe
article en

Abstract

ABSTRACT With dramatic advancements in biological data generation, genetic rescue and reproductive technologies, and inter‐institutional coordination of care across entire animal populations, zoos, aquariums, and their collaborators are uniquely positioned to lead population‐wide research benefiting animal wellbeing and species survival. However, procedural and inter‐institutional barriers make it exceedingly difficult to access existing zoological biospecimens and data at scale. To address this, the Zoonomics Working Group, representing diverse roles across three zoological associations (AZA, EAZA, WAZA), proposes a biodiversity biobank alliance that develops and delivers shared resources to support the collection, storage, and sharing of biological samples and associated data across the zoological and conservation community. By biobank alliance, we mean a community‐guided effort that develops shared resources, standards, ethos, and practices for collecting, storing, and sharing biological samples and associated data voluntarily through transparent processes, consistent with professional accreditation standards and international best practices. While initially focused on addressing the needs and regulatory landscape of U.S. institutions, the alliance is designed to create frameworks that are adaptable and adoptable for international expansion. Such a framework would help the zoological community navigate the ethical, legal, and practical challenges of managing biospecimen collections, making access more efficient, reliable, and robust. Achieving this vision requires collective agreement on ethical principles such as reciprocity, transparency, and data stewardship, ensuring that research is both feasible and proactively supported. Such coordination will drive advances in fundamental biology and accelerate progress in animal health, welfare, management, and biodiversity conservation.

Zoo Biology
Smithsonian Institution (US), Broad Institute (US), Boston University (US), Boston Children's Hospital (US), Zoological Society of San Diego (US), Harvard University (US), University of Kansas (US), University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School (US), Perot Museum of Nature and Science (US), Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (US), Association of Zoos and Aquariums (US), Shedd Aquarium (US), Lincoln Park Zoo (US), Chicago Zoological Society (US), University of Massachusetts Boston (US), South African National Biodiversity Institute (ZA), Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp (BE), National Zoological Park (US), Species360 (US), Zoo New England (US), International Union for Conservation of Nature (CH), Fort Worth Library (US), Yale Peabody Museum, Conservation Biology Institute, European Association of Zoos and Aquaria, Massachusetts College of Art and Design (US), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (US)
Openalex Percentile: Top 6%
Research Data Management Practices
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