A team of scientists led by CABI’s Dr. Matthew Ryan has outlined a series of challenges and opportunities presented in a necessary review of how microbiomes—biological communities including bacteria, archaea, fungi, algae, protists and viruses—can be ‘banked’ and preserved for generations to come.
The researchers, who call for a prioritized list of what should be conserved from a scientific, economic, social and environmental perspective, present their views in the journal Trends in Microbiology and also suggest that the current biobanking infrastructure is ‘fragmented and not prepared for the biobanking of microbiomes.’
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