Beyond Cryopreservation: iPSC and Organoid Platforms as Next-Generation Biobanking and Disease Modelling Tools for East African Freshwater Fish Genetic Resources

East Africa's inland aquatic ecosystems sustain millions of small-scale fishers and underpin regional food security. Indigenous fish populations particularly Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) and Nile perch (Lates niloticus) harbor irreplaceable adaptive genetic variation shaped by co-evolution with local thermal regimes, pathogens, and nutrient environments. Climate-driven lake temperature shifts, habitat degradation, invasive species pressure, and aquaculture-driven genetic introgression are eroding this diversity at rates that outpace existing conservation responses.

Conventional cryopreservation of sperm, oocytes, and somatic tissue remains the dominant ex situ conservation tool for inland fish genetic resources across Africa, yet stored somatic cells retain limited differentiation potential and no published protocol has established induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) lines or organoid platforms from any indigenous East African fish species. This gap means the full genomic complement of locally adapted populations cannot be preserved in a form permitting re-differentiation, germline reconstitution, or physiologically relevant in vitro modelling of disease susceptibility and nutritional physiology. Implementation will follow three phases. First, primary cell lines will be established from fin clips and intestinal mucosal scrapings collected at Lake Victoria and Lake Turkana landing sites and cryopreserved in a certified biobank. Second, iPSC reprogramming will be optimized using parallel integrative and non-integrative delivery systems, with pluripotency confirmed by immunofluorescence and embryoid body formation assays. Third, intestinal organoids will be derived, characterized by bulk RNA sequencing, and challenged with relevant fish pathogens to validate disease modelling utility. Throughout, a Digital Sequence Information governance framework compliant with the CBD Nagoya Protocol will ensure genomic data remain in-country and are shared equitably with source fishing communities. This agenda positions next-generation cellular biobanking as a strategic pillar of climate-resilient Blue Economy governance in East Africa, bridging biotechnology, conservation genomics, and bioethics to safeguard aquatic genetic heritage for future generations.