Cryopreservation of Drosophila Strains

Drosophila melanogaster is widely used in the biomedical research community to study development, model human diseases and undertake high-throughput drug discovery. However, reliable and cost-effective approaches for long-term preservation of Drosophila stocks are lacking. To address this gap, the Office of Research Infrastructure Programs in the Division of Program Coordination, Planning and Strategic Initiatives and the National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke co-sponsored a workshop titled “Cryopreservation of Drosophila Strains” in Orlando, Florida on July 13, 2016. The objective of this workshop was to evaluate the potential and practicality of developing efficient preservation methods for long-term storage of Drosophila stocks.