BIOCET - CETACEAN BIOBANK
BIOCET biobank represents the southern hemisphere's most diverse tissue repository for cetaceans. An expansive 25-year collection of dry, fixed, frozen tissue samples and swabs spanning 21 native, migratory and vagrant species sampled from mainland and offshore islands of New Zealand.
Fixed Collection
Formalin and ethanol fixed tissues comprise majority of the fixed collection.
Formalin fixed tissues include brain, spinal cord, heart, lung, liver, kidney, adrenal, spleen, pancreas, skeletal muscle (diaphragm and sternal), intestine, ovaries and testes. These tissues underpin current health, disease, and anatomical studies.
Ethanol fixed tissues include skin, teeth and stomach contents, which support a range of life history and dietary studies.
Frozen Collection
A wide selection of tissue and fluid samples which form the basis of virological, bacterial, molecular and toxicological studies.
-80 samples include blood, milk, semen, brain, tongue, heart, lung, liver, kidney, adrenal and spleen in addition to pooled mixed virology samples.
-20 samples include blubber, muscle, liver, kidney and heart samples which underpin toxicology, health and anatomical studies.
Dry Collection
Our dry collection predominantly comprises teeth, skulls, forelimbs and dried stomach contents from assorted species.
Skulls and stomach contents are the focus of taxonomic and ecological studies including collagen, stable isotopes and morphometric studies.
Forelimbs and teeth currently underpin bone and epigenetic aging models being applied across various delphinid species.
Swab Collection
Buccal, phalangeal, genital and anal swabs collected for microbiology and viral assessment in stranded dolphins are archived as part of metagenomic health projects underway.
Gastrointestinal tract and lung swabs within the BIOCET collection underpin current gut microbiome research and also support ongoing disease surveillance efforts.
