BHUBANESWAR: Odisha will soon get its first bio-banking facility where biological samples will be stored and disease and gene research of endangered species undertaken to supplement the ongoing ex-situ wildlife conservation in the state.
Set to come up at the Nandankanan Zoological Park (NZP), the advanced facility will use cryopreservation technique to store the samples at an ultra-low temperature of -180 degree or -196 degree Celsius.
Sources in the Forest department said process for setting up of the lab in the zoo has already been initiated and steps are being taken to procure equipment for the project. “The facility will help us in storing gametes of deceased endangered species, DNA and RNA samples of wildlife species, their embryos as well as different tissue and blood samples,” said an official.
Zoo sources said the facility will act as a gene bank and be helpful in studying the genetic diversity of endangered species. Most importantly, it will help in disease investigation to know genetic disorders.
“Besides, it will also help in implementation of assisted reproductive technology such as in vitro fertilisation and artificial insemination. This, however, will require further expansion of the lab as the bio-banking facility, at present, is being set up on a small scale,” they added.
The authorities are in touch with Hyderabad-based Laboratory for the Conservation of Endangered Species (LaCONES) and may soon ink a pact with it for establishment of the advanced lab.
Apart from being the first such facility in the state, the proposed lab will also be one of the few such laboratories for endangered species in the country, an official said.
“The lab has been planned to be used for storing biological samples of endangered species in captivity in the zoo. However, it could also be used to facilitate research for the wildlife species in protected habitats given the approval for the same is received from the state wildlife authorities.