Illumina has entered a sequencing partnership with the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance’s Frozen Zoo®, a biobank that has safeguarded living cells from threatened and endangered species for over five decades. Through this collaboration, up to 4,000 samples representing 1,300 species will be sequenced, generating data to support global conservation strategies and deepen understanding of biodiversity.
The Frozen Zoo®is the world’s most comprehensive and genetically diverse collection of animal cells. By combining its sample repository with Illumina’s sequencing technology, researchers aim to derive genomic insights that help protect vulnerable species and strengthen ecological resilience. A portion of the samples will support multiomic research to reveal biological relationships central to wildlife medicine, evolutionary biology, and conservation science.
“Illumina is proud to partner with SDZWA to power the next era of the Frozen Zoo,” said Cande Rogert, Vice President and Global Head of Advanced Sciences at Illumina. “This collaboration is a wonderful example of the way multiomic technologies can activate the potential of these critical biodiversity biobanks.” According to Megan Owen, SDZWA’s Benirschke Endowed Vice President of Conservation Science, “This collaboration marks a new era of genomic discovery that will accelerate our capacity to halt and reverse biodiversity loss.”
Illumina will generate whole‑genome sequencing data from the Frozen Zoo®samples, sharing the results with SDZWA scientists and research partners. The collaboration will also help to validate multiomic workflows for conservation science, ensuring they perform reliably with non-human samples.
The Frozen Zoo, founded in 1975 by Dr. Kurt Benirschke, was conceived as a way to preserve the DNA of rare and endangered animals. His son, Rolf Benirschke, now chair of the SDZWA Board of Trustees, remarked, “If he were alive today, he would be smiling knowing that his vision has led to this important collaboration with Illumina that will dramatically expand and amplify the science of conservation.”
The Frozen Zoo®is the world’s most comprehensive and genetically diverse collection of animal cells. By combining its sample repository with Illumina’s sequencing technology, researchers aim to derive genomic insights that help protect vulnerable species and strengthen ecological resilience. A portion of the samples will support multiomic research to reveal biological relationships central to wildlife medicine, evolutionary biology, and conservation science.
“Illumina is proud to partner with SDZWA to power the next era of the Frozen Zoo,” said Cande Rogert, Vice President and Global Head of Advanced Sciences at Illumina. “This collaboration is a wonderful example of the way multiomic technologies can activate the potential of these critical biodiversity biobanks.” According to Megan Owen, SDZWA’s Benirschke Endowed Vice President of Conservation Science, “This collaboration marks a new era of genomic discovery that will accelerate our capacity to halt and reverse biodiversity loss.”
Illumina will generate whole‑genome sequencing data from the Frozen Zoo®samples, sharing the results with SDZWA scientists and research partners. The collaboration will also help to validate multiomic workflows for conservation science, ensuring they perform reliably with non-human samples.
The Frozen Zoo, founded in 1975 by Dr. Kurt Benirschke, was conceived as a way to preserve the DNA of rare and endangered animals. His son, Rolf Benirschke, now chair of the SDZWA Board of Trustees, remarked, “If he were alive today, he would be smiling knowing that his vision has led to this important collaboration with Illumina that will dramatically expand and amplify the science of conservation.”