Sharing mutations: are biobanks still required in the post-CRISPR/Cas9 era?

Cryopreservation is seen as a key aspect of good colony management which supports the drive towards improvements in animal care and the implementation of the 3Rs. However, following the advent of gene editing technologies, the generation of new mouse models is quicker and cheaper than ever before. This has led some to question the future value of biobanks around the world. In the following commentary, we argue that the need to cryopreserve mouse strains and distribute them from well-funded repositories is as strong as it has ever been. Repositories are not simply archives for unwanted mouse strains. Biobanks distribute identical QC verified mouse strains to the community and eliminate the need to recreate mice. They provide a check point in the development of mouse strains that minimises genetic drift and breeding failures. What is more, cryopreservation makes resource sharing easier, cheaper and improves animal care by eliminating the need for live animal shipments.