The hereditary material and molecular constituents of living species are increasingly used in the development of new drugs. It has been shown that specific adaptations often found only in a limited number of individuals within a species are usable in the development of new drugs. It is plausible that threatened species from this part of the world contain molecular constituents that can be exploited for medical purposes. ColdGene will enable such use without further endangering threatened species, since material will be available from ColdGene and further collection of live material should thus not be necessary.