Illumina and the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance partner to sequence the Frozen Zoo®, supporting critical conservation genetics efforts globally

Illumina will sequence up to 4,000 unique individual animals across 1,300 species, unlock genomic insights from 50-year-old biological samples

Sequencing connects decades of preserved biodiversity with the latest multiomic technologies

SAN DIEGO, Feb. 3, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Illumina, Inc. (NASDAQ: ILMN) today announced a sequencing agreement with the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance (SDZWA)’s Frozen Zoo®. The 50-year-old biobank is the world’s most comprehensive and diverse collection of living cells from threatened and endangered species across the animal kingdom. Illumina will sequence up to 4,000 samples representing 1,300 species in the Frozen Zoo®. Genomic insights will be applied to real-world conservation challenges and efforts to safeguard animal species worldwide. A subset of samples will be used for groundbreaking multiomic research, geared toward unlocking vital insights into wildlife medicine, evolutionary biology, and biodiversity preservation.

Illumina will sequence up to 4,000 samples representing 1,300 species in the Frozen Zoo®, in an agreement that connects the latest in genomics and multiomics with decades of preserved biodiversity.

“Illumina is proud to partner with SDZWA to power the next era of the Frozen Zoo,” said Cande Rogert, vice president and global head of Advanced Sciences at Illumina. “This collaboration is a wonderful example of the way multiomic technologies can activate the potential of these critical biodiversity biobanks.”

Conservation scientists across the globe are racing against time to collect samples from threatened and endangered species. Those samples are preserved in biobanks like the Frozen Zoo®, where they serve as a repository of increasingly fragile biodiversity. Sequencing those biobanked samples gives researchers genomic insights that are useful to help protect species and promote ecological resilience.

“This collaboration marks a new era of genomic discovery that will accelerate our capacity to halt and reverse biodiversity loss,” said Megan Owen, SDZWA’s Benirschke Endowed Vice President of Conservation Science. “The next fifty years of the Frozen Zoo will rely on a global network of conservation scientists, as well as scalable multiomic technology to maximize the impact of biobanked samples.”

The San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance has partnered with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Species Survival Commission as a Center for Species Survival focused on biodiversity banking. The partnership with Illumina aims to illustrate the value of sequencing in conservation efforts globally. To make the effort possible, Illumina will generate whole-genome sequencing data from samples representing wildlife in the Frozen Zoo®, which will be made available for research to the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance and its collaborators.

A selection of the samples will be available for collaborative research projects, where Illumina’s multiomic solutions will help conservation researchers unlock information about genetic diversity and population history. The collaboration will also help to validate multiomic workflows for conservation science, ensuring they perform reliably with non-human samples.

“My father, Dr. Kurt Benirschke, founded the Frozen Zoo way back in 1975, believing it was important to preserve the DNA of rare and endangered species, but not knowing exactly why or how,” said Rolf Benirschke, the board chair of the SDZWA Board of Trustees. “If he were alive today, he would be smiling knowing that his vision has led to this important collaboration with Illumina that will dramatically expand and amplify the science of conservation.”

Genomics insights are driving a deeper understanding of koala cancer risk
Illumina collaborates with the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance through its iConserve program and, in addition to the Frozen Zoo® collaboration, has also worked on lemur conservation in Madagascar and elephant genetic mapping in Africa. iConserve advances conservation by enabling projects with acute conservation needs and advocating for genomics as a conservation tool to support species protection and management decisions.

One recent iConserve project, published last month in Nature Communications, demonstrates how sequencing koala genomes can inform conservation management decisions for koalas in zoos and in the wild. Koalas are susceptible to a retrovirus associated with cancers that are difficult for zoo veterinarians to detect and treat. Through the iConserve program, Illumina generated high-coverage whole-genome sequencing data for 91 San Diego Zoo koalas, from samples collected over multiple decades. Those sequences show how these viruses integrate into the koala genome across populations. This collaborative effort led to the identification of inherited and newly arising viral integrations in koala DNA. It also advanced the development of genetic risk scores, and the creation of a longevity breeding index—tools that can help reduce cancer risk and support healthier outcomes for koala populations in zoos and in the wild.

About Illumina
Illumina is improving human health by unlocking the power of the genome. Our focus on innovation has established us as a global leader in DNA sequencing and array-based technologies, serving customers in the research, clinical, and applied markets. Our products are used for applications in the life sciences, oncology, reproductive health, agriculture, and other emerging segments. To learn more, visit illumina.com and connect with us on X, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.

About the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance
San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, a nonprofit conservation leader, inspires passion for nature and collaboration for a healthier world. The Alliance supports innovative conservation science through global partnerships and groundbreaking efforts at the world-famous San Diego Zoo and San Diego Zoo Safari Park, both leading zoological institutions and accredited botanical gardens. Through wildlife care expertise, cutting-edge science and continued collaboration, more than 44 endangered species have been reintroduced to native habitats. The Alliance reaches over 1 billion people annually through its two conservation parks and media channels in 170 countries, including San Diego Zoo Wildlife Explorers television, available in children’s hospitals across 14 countries. Wildlife Allies—members, donors and guests—make success possible.

About the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance’s Frozen Zoo®
The Frozen Zoo® is the world’s first large-scale cryogenic biological bank dedicated to preserving living cells and reproductive material from wildlife—and remains the largest, most diverse collection of its kind. Founded in 1975 by Kurt Benirschke, M.D., the Frozen Zoo today holds over 11,500 samples from 4,000 unique individuals across 1,300 species. Stored in liquid nitrogen at minus 320 degrees Fahrenheit, the collection includes cells, embryos and gametes from mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, plants, marine invertebrates and insects. The Frozen Zoo® is one of six unique San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance biobanking collections that make up its Wildlife Biodiversity Bank. Together these collections offer a variety of approaches to preserving biodiversity. Learn more at sdzwa.org/frozen-zoo.

Contacts

Illumina
For media:
Christine Douglass
[email protected]

San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance
For media:
Meghan Breen
[email protected]

SOURCE Illumina, Inc.

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