**Acknowledgements**

applying recent technological advances. In the recent past, improvements have been made on the conventional nitrogen freezers through development and adoption of validated methods including a wide range of stem cells. Many cryopreservation protocols exist for freezing and storing various biological materials. These need to be reviewed and tailored toward delivering quality biological materials to our research institutions and products to our clinics. Modalities for sharing of materials by different institutions need to be developed and made operational in order not to disadvantage communities from which the materials are collected and the institutions that have collected, preserved, and maintained these materials in resource‐ constrained settings. The contractual arrangements surrounding areas of the material transfer agreements should be carefully negotiated. National and international institutions (local and foreign), should invest in adequate bio‐specimen management, legal and administrative skills, just as they do for developing scientific skills to facilitate sharing of samples and information

**10.3. Lessons learnt: how to establish and sustain cryobank in a resource‐constrained setting**

Collection and cryopreservation of biological materials is critical to research and development but expensive to collect, process, store, and maintain. Institutional top management leadership supported by the existing national, regional and international guidelines, rules and regulations are necessary in providing policy direction and resources [31]. In Kenya, tsetse flies, vectors of human and animal trypanosomiasis, infest mainly conservation areas and wildlife are carriers of pathogens, hence there is a need to work closely with the Kenya Wildlife Service. Through effective collaborations and multidisciplinary approach, it is possible to leverage on all activities undertaken by collaborating institutions to make collections. From the resource‐ constrained perspective, one does not need state‐of‐the‐art bio‐repository to initiate collec‐

**1.** to define roles and responsibilities for collaborative arrangements among institutions,

**2.** to ensure that communities from which the materials are collected are not taken

**3.** to facilitate the establishment of relevant multidisciplinary teams that cut across

**4.** to ensure proper collection, storage, and maintenance of the materials according to

**2.** capacity assessment and development to include human, infrastructure, and financial

**3.** training of field teams in best practices regarding sample collection and processing at field

associated with the bio‐specimens.

22 Cryopreservation in Eukaryotes

advantage of

across the sectors, and

level [32–34].

tions. Strategic leadership is the key in spearheading:

**1.** the development of the appropriate institutional policies

strictly observing existing rules and regulations

the legal mandates of participating institutions

**5.** to ensure equity in sharing of the resources,

several sectors, e.g., human health, livestock, and wildlife

The Director‐General KALRO for financial support and members of staff of the Biotechnology Research Institute‐Biochemistry Division and in particular John Ndichu for ensuring regular refilling of stabilate storage dewars with liquid nitrogen.
