Germplasm Repositories
Overview
Germplasm repositories offer many potential benefits to commercial farm operations, including preserving genetic resources and increasing production capabilities (aggrc.com). Aquaculture industries have yet to take advantage of repository storage despite decades of research evaluating cryopreservation protocols. To address the gap between protocol-level research and commercial application a different approach is necessary that can analyze the requirements of repository development at multiple organizational levels. Industrial engineering tools, such as process flow mapping and simulation modeling, allow for the analysis of processes and the creation of frameworks of relationships among facilities. Work of this type is key to moving beyond protocol research and transitioning to developing systems to integrate repositories into aquaculture industries.
Pathway Level
Starting at the level with the smallest scale, the Pathway Level outlines all the steps of a particular process that take place in a repository facility, for example, the process of cryopreservation. The process of cryopreservation at a repository is referred to as a pathway and not a protocol because quality management has been integrated, the process is reproducible using different equipment options (harmonization), and the process is scalable and therefore can operate at multiple scales of production. This is in contrast to a bench-scale cryopreservation protocol that often lacks quality management, relies on specialized equipment not available at other facilities, and cannot process samples at a scale applicable to commercial industries.
Center Level
The next level is the Center Level which encompasses the multiple processes that can take place at a repository facility which include cryopreservation, shipping and receiving samples, and database management. The Center Level also outlines the direct interactions, the exchange of materials and information, that take place between a repository and the surrounding community. For example, a repository focused on aquaculture species may ship cryopreserved sperm from selectively bred animals that can withstand high water temperatures to a hatchery in need of such genetics. The hatchery can use the sperm to spawn, raise larvae, and distribute juveniles to farms where they can be grown until ready for harvest. During harvest, the farm can collect new broodstock and send animals to the repository for cryopreservation and storage.
Network Level
The final organizational level is the Network Level which outlines the relationships of a repository facility and the surrounding community members as well as interactions among other repositories and their communities. Together the repositories and community members form a repository network. This level tracks the flow of materials and information among the network members. For example, in a national repository network focused on aquaculture species, the central repository would be expected to interact with federal agencies (such as the USDA NAGP), research laboratories at universities, research and commercial hatcheries, and farms. These community members would exchange samples and data with the repository and collaborate with each other to reach aquaculture production goals.
