CRB-Anim: A Network of Biological Resource Centers for Genomic and Reproductive Materials of Domestic Animals

Biobanks play a key role in animal genomics. They are needed for the development of breeding programs, for the ex situ preservation of biodiversity, and for the restauration of extinct or depopulated breeds. Moreover, they are a basic tool to understand the relationships between genotypes and phenotypes.

In the aftermath of the Convention on Biological Diversity signed in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, several Biological Resource Centers (BRCs) focusing on domestic animals were developed in France. They belong to two main categories, namely (a) cryobanks, for reproductive materials, and (b) repositories specialized on the storage of tissues and genomic samples.

Within this context, the French government is supporting an ambitious program called ‘CRB-Anim’, (2012-2019), which aims at setting up a network of BRCs dedicated to reproductive and genomic materials of domestic animals, either farmed or pets. About 530,000 biological samples (i.e. semen, embryos, tissues, nucleic acids) of 22 species are stored at present. Several public institutions, one research foundation, some technical institutes and private partners have started to share their know-how, to develop common practices and to better characterize their materials.

In the case of genomic BRCs, one of the most important issues is to maintain the integrity of the specimens to high standards, in order to ensure the validity of the data generated by the downstream analysis (i.e. genotyping). With this goal, several procedures and quality control (QC) metrics are being implemented. A web portal will be set up for the submission of users’ requests for samples or services.