Cryopreservation and revival of Hawaiian stony corals via isochoric vitrification

ABSTRACTCorals are under siege by both local and global threats, creating a wordwide reef crisis. Cryopreservation is an important intervention measure and a vital component of the modern coral conservation toolkit, but preservation techniques are currently limited to sensitive reproductive materials that can only be obtained a few nights per year during spawning. Here, we report the first successful cryopreservation and revival of cm-scale coral fragments via mL-scale isochoric vitrification. We demonstrate coral viability at 24h post-thaw using a calibrated oxygen-uptake respirometry technique, and further show that the method can be applied in a passive, electronics-free configuration. Finally, we detail a complete prototype coral cryopreservation pipeline, which provides a platform for essential next steps in modulating postthaw stress and initiating long-term growth. These findings pave the way towards an approach that can be rapidly deployed around the world to secure the biological genetic diversity of our vanishing coral reefs.

Powell-Palm, M. J., Henley, E. M., Consiglio, A. N., Lager, C., Chang, B., Perry, R., ... Hagedorn, M.

Powell-Palm, Matthew J||Henley, E Michael||Consiglio, Anthony N||Lager, Claire||Chang, Brooke||Perry, Riley||Fitzgerald, Kendall||Daly, Jonathan||Rubinsky, Boris||Hagedorn, Mary

Cryopreservation and revival of Hawaiian stony corals via isochoric vitrification Institutional Repository Document