Sustainability in Vapor-phase Nitrogen of a World-class Frozen Biorepository at the Museum of Southwestern Biology

西南生物学博物馆(MSB)基因组资源部(DGR)是新墨西哥大学(UNM)的世界级低温生物材料储存库。DGR成立于1979年，是世界上最大的自然历史冰冻哺乳动物组织收藏，拥有大量鸟类、鱼类、两栖动物、爬行动物和寄生虫组织的冰冻组织收藏，包括濒危物种和受威胁生态系统的关键样本。DGR收藏品保存了动物组织、胚胎和寄生虫等整个生物体以及纯化的DNA和RNA的低温保存样本。该档案馆从30多万份担保样本中收集了70多万份冷冻组织样本，并以每年3%-4%的速度增长。DGR是全球性的，为基因组学、气候变化、分子进化、保护生物学、人畜共患病、新出现的病原体、污染物和稳定的同位素生态学的研究提供了关键的基础设施。每年，约50份2000份标本的借阅产生了约58份同行评议的出版物和2800多份引文。在UNM，MSB在研究生产率、本科生和研究生培训以及公共服务方面处于领先地位，特别是与生物多样性发现、新出现的人畜共患病原体以及对日益减少的自然资源进行科学管理有关的活动。该项目将提升DGR在气相氮气中高质量组织存储的能力。遵循冷冻保存的最佳实践，它将大大增强这一最先进的科学基础设施，以服务于全球生物多样性科学界。该项目将确保西南生物博物馆(MSB)基因组资源部(DGR)的长期保存、增长和可持续性。该项目通过增加六个氮冷库和第二个冷冻头发电机，将DGR的气相氮气存储能力-冷冻组织存储的黄金标准-增加了一倍以上，使该设施的液氮发电能力翻了一番。这一重大升级将把整个冷冻收藏品从纤细的超低冰柜转移到-196°C的安全气相氮气存储。这一改进还将适应5年以上的增长，大幅降低电力消耗，并大幅增加冷冻收藏品的安全保存时间至21天，而如果冰箱在发生灾难性紧急情况时发生故障，则需要2小时。最后，MSB在社区推广、学生培训和未被充分代表的少数群体参与生物多样性科学方面的记录表明了对以博物馆为基础的科学教育的真诚和长期承诺。该项目将招募、支持和培训不同群体的UNM学生，让他们沉浸在博物馆科学的最佳实践中，了解博物馆收藏品如何为重要的社会问题做出贡献。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The Museum of Southwestern Biology’s (MSB) Division of Genomic Resources (DGR) is a world-class, biorepository at the University of New Mexico (UNM) for cryogenic biological materials. Founded in 1979, DGR is the largest natural history collection of frozen mammal tissues worldwide and has significant frozen tissue collections of birds, fishes, amphibians, reptiles, and parasite tissues, including critical samples from endangered species and threatened ecosystems. The DGR collection archives cryogenically preserved samples of animal tissues, whole organisms such as embryos and parasites, and purified DNA and RNA. The archive has more 700,000 frozen tissue samples from more than 300,000 vouchered specimens and is growing at 3-4 percent annually. DGR is global in scope and provides critical infrastructure for studies of genomics, climate change, molecular evolution, conservation biology, zoonotic disease, emerging pathogens, contaminants, and stable isotope ecology. Annually, about 50 loans of 2,000 specimens generate about 58 peer-reviewed publications and more than 2,800 citations. At UNM, MSB is a leader in research productivity, undergraduate and graduate student training, and public service, especially activities related to biodiversity discovery, emerging zoonotic pathogens, and science-based management of our dwindling natural resources. This project will upgrade DGR’s capacity for high-quality tissue storage in vapor-phase nitrogen. Following best practices in cryopreservation, it will substantially enhance this state-of-the-art scientific infrastructure to serve the global biodiversity science community.This project will ensure the long-term preservation, growth, and sustainability of the Division of Genomic Resources (DGR) in the Museum of Southwestern Biology (MSB). This project more than doubles DGR’s vapor-phase nitrogen storage capacity – the gold standard for frozen tissue storage – by adding six nitrogen cryotanks and a second cryohead generator to double liquid nitrogen generating capacity in the facility. This major upgrade will transfer the entire collection from tenuous ultralow freezers to secure vapor-phase nitrogen storage at -196°C. The improvements will also accommodate more than 5 years of growth, substantially reduce electrical consumption, and dramatically increase safe holding time of the frozen collection to 21 days vs. 2 hours if a freezer fails in case of catastrophic emergencies. Finally, MSB’s track record of community outreach, student training, and involvement of under-represented minorities in biodiversity science demonstrates a sincere and long-term commitment to museum-based science education. This project will recruit, support, and train a diverse population of UNM students by immersing them in best practices in museum sciences as they learn how museum collections contribute to important societal questions.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.