ISO 20309:2025

International
Standard
ISO 20309
First edition
Biotechnology — Biobanking
2025-12
— Requirements for deep-sea
biological material
Biotechnologie — Biobanking — Exigences relatives aux
matériaux biologiques d'eau profonde
Reference number
© ISO 2025
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ii
Contents Page
Foreword .iv
Introduction .v
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions . 1
4 General requirements . 2
5 Collection and processing of deep-sea biological material on a marine vessel . 3
5.1 General .3
5.2 Deep-sea biological material collection plan .3
5.3 Preparation of deep-sea biological material processing .4
5.4 Deep-sea biological material collection .4
5.5 Deep-sea biological material processing on a marine vessel .4
5.6 Traceability of deep-sea biological material and associated data .5
6 Preservation of deep-sea biological material on a marine vessel . 5
6.1 General .5
6.2 Preservation methods for downstream applications .5
6.2.1 General .5
6.2.2 Treatment methods for different deep-sea biological material .5
7 Transport . . 5
7.1 General .5
7.2 Packaging and transport .6
8 Storage . 6
8.1 General .6
8.2 Storage conditions .6
8.3 Monitoring .6
9 Information collection . 6
Annex A (informative) Examples of collection tools for different deep-sea biological material . 8
Annex B (informative) Examples of preservation methods for different downstream
applications . 9
Annex C (informative) Examples of packaging methods and transport conditions for deep-sea
biological material from different sources.11
Bibliography .12

iii
Foreword
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This document was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 276, Biotechnology.
Any feedback or questions on this document should be directed to the user’s national standards body. A
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iv
Introduction
The collection and accession management of deep-sea biological material is concerned with the scientific
research of deep-sea genetic resources. Organisms living in deep-sea environments are commonly reported
as extremophiles that inhabit deep-sea extreme conditions and play an important role in both research and
industry. In addition to exploring the biological origin and evolution of these organisms, this work has led
to innovations in material science, pharmacology, and energy generation. Deep-sea biological materials
have many distinctive characteristics encompassing a wide variety of organisms and complex living
environments.
The collection of deep-sea biological material requires the use of special pressure-resistant deep-sea
equipment. Such equipment is usually deployed into the deep-sea through a variety of platforms such as
landers, and human-occupied or unoccupied submersibles. The procedure of material collection varies
depending on the nature of the deep-sea biological material. In some cases, deep-sea biological material
is collected using special equipment such as pushcores and slurp guns, where the deep-sea biological
material remains in the equipment. In other cases, deep-sea biological material is collected directly using a
manipulator and placed properly in equipment such as a biobox for temporary storage. The processing and
preservation of deep-sea biological material is carried out when the platform and equipment are recovered
to the research vessel.
Deep-sea biological material can be associated with water, sediments, rocks, living organisms and
complex habitats. Collection techniques, processing, transportation, and storage methods and needs for
these deep-sea biological materials vary greatly according to their types and uses. Biological collections
can include frozen deep-sea biological material, deep-sea biological material preserved in liquid (such as
cetyltrimethylammonium bromide, ethanol or other preservatives), or extracted biomolecules. Standardized
biological material processing and storage approaches are needed to maintain high-quality collections and
ensure fit-for-purpose deep-sea biological material and associated data.
The implementation of this document will improve the quality and utilization of deep-sea biological material
for biomolecular analysis and accelerate the related scientific research and industry use.

v
International Standard ISO 20309:2025(en)
Biotechnology — Biobanking — Requirements for deep-sea
biological material
1 Scope
This document specifies requirements for the biobanking of deep-sea biological material including the
collection, processing, transportation and storage of deep-sea biological material.
This document is applicable only to deep-sea biological material that can be used for biomolecular
processing, e.g. nucleic acids, proteins, and metabolites.
This document is applicable to all organizations performing research and development on deep-sea
biological material.
This document does not apply to the collection of deep-sea biological material intended for environmental
impact assessment for sea floor mining.
NOTE International, national or regional regulations or requirements or a multiple of these can also apply to
specific topics covered in this document.
2 Normative references
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content constitutes
requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references,
the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
ISO 19493, Water quality — Guidance on marine biological surveys of hard-substrate communities
ISO 20387, Biotechnology — Biobanking — General requirements for biobanking
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in ISO 19493, ISO 20387 and the following
apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminology databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at https:// www .iso .org/ obp
— IEC Electropedia: available at https:// www .electropedia .org/
3.1
deep-sea
deep sea
ocean area with the water depth equal to or greater than 200 m
3.2
deep-sea biological material
any substance that is derived or in part obtained from an organic entity from the deep-sea (3.1) such as
animals, fungi, prokaryotes (archaea and bacteria), protists, acellular organisms, and viruses
EXAMPLE Macroscopic organism (3.3), microorganisms or any part or derivative thereof.

3.3
macroscopic organism
biological entity that is visible without magnification equipment (≥1 mm)
3.4
marine sediment
substances under the action of crustal surface geology, where the original products such as weathered
rocks, metamorphic rocks and pre-existing sedimentary rocks of the parent rocks (i.e. magmatic rocks,
metamorphic rocks and sedimentary rocks (3.6)) are transported, settled or precipitated by biogenic,
volcanic and cosmic phenomena as loose unconsolidated deposits on the sea floor
[SOURCE: ISO 23040:2021, 3.1]
3.5
risk
effect of uncertainty on objectives
Note 1 to entry: An effect is a deviation from the expected — positive and/or negative.
Note 2 to entry: Objectives can have different aspects (such as financial, health and safety, and environmental goals)
and can apply at different levels (such as strategic, organization-wide, project, product and process).
Note 3 to entry: Risk is often characterized by reference to potential events and consequences, or a combination of
these.
Note 4 to entry: Risk is often expressed in terms of a combination of the consequences of an event (including changes
in circumstances) and the associated likelihood of occurrence.
Note 5 to entry: Uncertainty is the state, even partial, of deficiency of information related to, understanding or
knowledge of an event, its consequence, or likelihood.
Note 6 to entry: Risk can include the potential for dual-use research of concern (DURC) describes research that is
intended to provide a clear benefit, but which could easily be misapplied to do harm.
[SOURCE: ISO Guide 73:2009, 1.1, modified — Note 6 to entry added.]
3.6
sedimentary rock
one of the three major types of rocks that make up the lithosphere (the other two are magmatic rocks and
metamorphic rocks), which are formed from the weathering products of a parent rock (or any pre-formed
rock), biogenic materials, volcanic material, cosmic material and other original material, and sedimentation
after the formation of rock diagenesis
[SOURCE: ISO 23040:2021, 3.2]
4 General requirements
ISO 20387 shall be followed. The collection of deep-sea biological material should be conducted in accordance
with relevant guidance such as ISO 22787.
[10]
The biobank shall ensure that biorisk management procedures (e.g. ISO 35001, WHO guidance ) for
collecting deep-sea biological material are established, documented, implemented and maintained, as
appropriate.
The personnel for collecting, sampling and processing deep-sea biological material shall be competent and
have the necessary professional qualifications.

5 Collection and processing of deep-sea biological material on a marine vessel
5.1 General
Deep-sea biological material collection and processing shall be based on a documented plan that specifies
the quality and quantities to meet the intended use.
The collection plan shall address the risks related to each deep-sea biological material collection procedure.
The collection plan shall state appropriate and feasible measures to reduce relevant risks in accordance
with the likelihood of their occurrence and their potential impact.
NOTE The risk context can include, but is not limited to: cultural, social, political, legal, regulatory, financial,
technological, economic, natural, competitive and environmental components in either international, national,
regional or local context.
The sequence of processing different deep-sea biological material shall be planned in advance.
The equipment and tools required shall be selected and prepared before deep-sea biological material
collection, processing, and storage. All tools shall be thoroughly cleaned before being re-used on another
(deep-sea) biological material to avoid cross-contamination. The cleaned tools shall be sterilized, if
applicable.
5.2 Deep-sea biological material collection plan
5.2.1 The purpose and principle(s) shall be determined and documented when planning deep-sea
biological material collection. The purpose sets the basis to determine
...