Pacific Center for Molecular Biodiversity
Pacific Center for Molecular Biodiversity
The Pacific Center for Molecular Biodiversity (PCMB) is a fully genomics research lab and cryorepository set to meet the needs of modern museum biodiversity research. We have one of the few clean room spaces in the Pacific available for ancient DNA work and the resources of PCMB allow our staff to offer a range of wildlife forensics and DNA based research into biodiversity discovery and analysis, conservation, resource management, and disease ecology that informs action and policy for state, federal and non-governmental agencies in Hawai’i and across the Pacific.
To request consultation for project planning or for pricing inquiries, please contact Dr. Kenneth Hayes, Director of PCMB.
PCMB, the primary cryorepository for the museum, and one of the only cryorepositories dedicated to non-human specimens in the state, houses more than 90,000 tissue and genomic DNA and RNA samples from specimens representing marine, terrestrial, and aquatic organisms found throughout the Pacific. Our -20 °C, -96 °C, and liquid nitrogen freezers have capacity for 200,000 samples, providing room for the collection growth as we aim to have at a representative of all species found in Hawaiʻi, focusing heavily on those taxa most threatened with extinction. These samples will allow us to safeguard the genetic material from these taxa for conservation research and preservation for future generations.
All cataloged tissues, genomic samples, and cultures are entered in the PCMB database and linked back to the original specimens housed in other museum collections where appropriate. Once fully inventoried and linked to specimen data our genetic resources can be made available through the Global Genome Biodiversity Network, the Barcode of Life Databases, PILSBRy, and other online repositories that provide access to the community.
Kenneth A. Hayes, Ph.D.
Director PCMB
Curator of Aquatic Mollusks
808-847-8217
kenneth.hayes@bishopmuseum.org, hayes.ken@gmail.com
Samantha H. Shizuru, MS
Collections Manager, PCMB
808-847-8217
samantha.shizuru@bishopmuseum.org, shizurus@hawaii.edu
The Pacific Center for Molecular Biodiversity (PCMB) is the primary cryopreservation facility for Pacific-wide biodiversity, and the only facility for actively vouchering genomic resources for all species in Hawaiʻi and across the Pacific. The PCMB collection includes more than 90,000 tissue and genomic samples from marine, terrestrial, and freshwater plants, animals, microbial communities throughout the tropical Pacific, many of which represent threatened, endangered, or extinct species. The center promotes and facilitates biodiversity research and conservation using modern genomic approaches to expand the knowledge and understanding of the natural and cultural history of Hawai‘i and the Pacific region broadly. The laboratory is an integral component of the Museum’s knowledge core and aims to enhance scientific and public understanding of biodiversity research, and foster stewardship and conservation of Hawaiian biological and cultural heritage.
PCMB staff and research affiliates collaborate with scientific, educational, and cultural partners and programs throughout Hawaiʻi, including the University of Hawaiʻi, Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources, Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture, Pacific Rim Conservation, Aloha Pu‘u Kukui, Mālama Learning Center, United States Department of Agriculture, and United States Fish and Wildlife Services. PCMB in conjunction with the Hawaii Biological Survey (HBS) plays a key role in research, documentation, and conservation of Hawaiian species. The Hawaiʻi Barcode of Life aims to develop a DNA barcode for all species in Hawaiʻi to complement the extensive vouchered collections available for research at the museum. PCMB aids and enhances the more than 22 million natural history specimens by using molecular-based techniques to more fully identify and document Hawaiian biodiversity.
In addition to serving as the primary biorepository of cryopreserved tissues, PCMB staff carry out a diverse array of studies spanning wildlife forensics, conservation and population genetics of rare and endangered species, biosecurity analysis, wildlife parentage studies, parasite and pathogen detection and identification, and evolutionary research. The Center uses modern genomics approaches to inform the identity and origin of unknown species, employs DNA barcode-assisted taxonomy of plants, animals, and microbes, and determines the diversity and origins of “canoe species” in relation to the migration of Polynesians to Hawaiʻi—an example of molecular bio-anthropology. PCMB leverages next generation sequencing approaches to assess biodiversity across habitats and to more fully understand the complex interactions that occur in diverse ecosystems.
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