Image: wikipedia
The urgency is there and this is our watch. The need far outweighs the want.
Australia possesses some 200 native amphibian species, of which 16 are considered critically endangered1.
Since 1979, four Australian amphibian species are believed to have become extinct1.
An important complement to animal husbandry efforts to safeguard against future extinctions is cryopreservation2,3,4,5,6.
Prospectively validated somatic cell line cryopreservation provides:
a) material for cloning initiatives,
b) an in theory infinite supply of (i) nuclear and mitochondrial genomic DNA and (ii) protein,
c) specific cell types for the pre-application screening of pharmaceutical agents, and
d) material for iPSC generation and future technologies such as the potential production of gametes.