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What is the LIB Biobank?
The LIB Biobank is a specialised archive that offers standardised, documented and secure long-term storage of biodiversity samples for international research. Linked to the other LIB collections, samples of animal DNA, tissue, living cells, small organisms, and environmental DNA are stored here at temperatures between -40 and -190 °C and made available for research together with the associated discovery data. An external alarm system, self-sustaining cryogenic tanks (based on liquid nitrogen) and emergency plans ensure optimum storage conditions even in crisis situations.
We are committed to the development of biobanking standards (see ISBER and SYNTHESYS+) and are actively involved in shaping international networks, including the FrozenArk project and as chair of the Global GenomeBiodiversity Network (GGBN). The LIB Biobank is primarily dedicated to the research on, and conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity. In line with the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the commercial utilisation of samples is excluded.
Why is this important?
Our goal is to make unique genetic and genomic samples discoverable and accessible for current and future generations of scientists. This keeps previous research open to validation and offers a window into the past of ecosystems, species and populations. The Biobank enables follow-up studies without having to repeatedly take samples from wild populations. This is hugely important in the face of the biodiversity crisis, where populations are disappearing at an unprecedented rate.
The LIB biobank represents an important infrastructure also within the GBOL and CaBOL projects, which aim to create publicly accessible reference databases with species-specific DNA barcodes.
Which samples can be stored? How can I request samples?
The biobank accepts samples that have been preserved for molecular analysis (e.g. DNA or samples in 96% ethanol), which have been fully documented and are free from third-party claims. We also cryopreserve living cells and propagate them in our cell culture laboratory. Our viable cell and tissue collection, which includes numerous endangered species, is growing thanks to the FOGS, BGE and ZooRepository projects, as well as sample donations from individual zoos and project partners. Here you can find our detailed guidelines for sample storage.
To search the molecular samples (at the LIB and in the Global Genome Biodiversity Network) please visit the GGBN portalor theLIB collection portal. For material requests or sample depositions, please send us an e-mail.
Related collections
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Contact person
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Projects
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ERGA - The European Reference Genome Atlas
Management: Dr. habil. Astrid Böhne
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BGE - Biodiversity Genomics Europe
Management: Dr. habil. Astrid Böhne
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Biodiversity processing HUB™
Management: Dipl. Biol. Björn Rulik
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Genomics technology for the Caucasus
Management: Dr. Jonas Astrin
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CaBOL - Caucasus Barcode of Life
Management: Dr. Jonas Astrin
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Joint Danube Survey
Management: Dr. Jonas Astrin
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SYNTHESYS+
Management: Dr. Jonas Astrin
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FOGS
Management: Dr. Jonas Astrin
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ZooRepository - Tissues and living cells from zoos at LIB Biobank
Management: Dr. Jonas Astrin
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ISBER Best Practices: Recommendations for Repositories
Management: Dr. Jonas Astrin
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GGBN
Management: Dr. Jonas Astrin
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GGBC
Management: Prof. Dr. Bernhard Misof
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Frozen Ark Project
Management: Dr. Jonas Astrin
Publications
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2025/09
A high-quality reference genome for the Ural Owl (Strix uralensis) enables investigations of cell cultures as a genomic resource for endangered species
Gigascience
2025/09
Letter: Treat “Biobank” and “Biorepository” as Synonyms, and Watch “Biobank” Win the Race
Biopreservation and Biobanking
2025/09
Letter: Treat “Biobank” and “Biorepository” as Synonyms, and Watch “Biobank” Win the Race
Biopreservation and Biobanking
2025/06
Addressing key challenges in sample handling for high-quality reference genome generation
2025/06
Addressing key challenges in sample handling for high-quality reference genome generation
2025/03
Three new species of flightless Cryptorhynchinae from the Caucasus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)
Zootaxa, 2, 5601
2025/01
FOGS: A SNPSTR Marker Database to Combat Wildlife Trafficking and a Cell Culture Bank for Ex‐Situ Conservation
Molecular Ecology resources
2025/01
Best-practice guidance for Earth BioGenome Project sample collection and processing: progress and challenges in biodiverse reference genome creation
Gigascience, 14
2024/11
Species limits in Wiedomys (Cricetidae: Sigmodontinae) reinforce the South American São Francisco River as a biogeographic barrier
Journal of Mammalogy
2024/11
Supplemental Lab-Protocol for Barcoding Primers: dEURYT-BRBM2, LCO1490-JJ, LCO1490-JJ2 & LCO1490-JJ3 v1
2024/10
A master in disguise? The rediscovery of Misumena bicolor Simon, 1875 (Araneae: Thomisidae)
Zootaxa, 1, 5529
2024/09
First records of the Hymenoptera superfamilies and families Mymarommatoidea: Mymarommatidae and Stephanoidea: Stephanidae in Georgia
Caucasiana, 3
2024/08
Exkursion in den Kaukasus: Der CaBOL BioBlitz 2022 in Armenien und Georgien
2024/08
The Christoph Schubart decapod collections
Crustaceana, 5-9, 97
2024/07
Discriminating woody species assemblages from National Forest Inventory data based on phylogeny in Georgia
Ecology and Evolution, 7, 14
2024/06
Joint detection of microsatellites and flanking sequences–SNPSTR markers for Athene noctua to fight illegal wildlife trade
Forensic Science International Animals and Environments, 5
2024/05
How dispersal rates depend on the prey capture strategy: A case study of Georgia's spiders
Ecology and Evolution, 5, 14
2024/04
Picking pearls from the Silk Road: Insights into the spider (Arachnida, Araneae) diversity in Georgia from the Caucasus Barcode of Life (CaBOL) project. Part III
Caucasiana, 3
2024/02
Arthropod diversity in the alpine tundra using metabarcoding: Spatial and temporal differences in alpha‐ and beta‐diversity
Ecology and Evolution, 2, 14
2023/12
Updating International Society for Biological and Environmental Repositories Best Practices: A New Process for Relevance in an Evolving Landscape
Biopreservation and Biobanking, 6, 21
2023/12
Standard Operating Procedure for karyotyping non-model organisms
2023/10
Revealing Diversity in Gammarus (Amphipoda: Gammaridae) in the Freshwater Ecosystems of Armenia Using DNA Barcoding
Water, 19, 15
2023/06
Into the unknown: the first barcode-assisted checklist of Psocoptera (Insecta, Psocodea) of Georgia with a census on country species richness
ZooKeys, 1168
2023/04
Efficient extraction of mitochondrial genes from next‐generation sequencing libraries
Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 4, 14
2023/03
DNA
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