The accelerating biodiversity crisis, compounded by emerging infectious diseases like African swine fever (ASF), necessitate innovative conservation and disease management. ASF susceptibility varies wildly across species, from near-100% mortality in Asian suids to asymptomatic carriage in African forest species. We report the first successful derivation of integration-free induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from four phylogenetically distinct species: wild boar ( Sus scrofa ), Bornean bearded pig ( Sus barbatus ), Babirusa ( Babyrousa babyrussa ), and Red river hog ( Potamochoerus porcus ). Using Sendai virus-mediated reprogramming, we achieved efficiencies between 0.003% and 0.26%. These iPSCs were successfully differentiated into CD14⁺CD11b⁺ monocytes - the primary target cells for the ASF virus - establishing a renewable, comparative research platform. This system enables host-pathogen studies previously hindered by ethical and logistical constraints of wildlife sampling. Beyond disease research, these iPSC lines serve as vital genetic repositories for endangered suids. Our methodology provides a replicable framework for extending stem cell technology to other conservation-priority taxa, demonstrating how high-tech cellular tools can advance both fundamental research and biodiversity preservation against emerging pathogen threats.

Induced pluripotent stem cells have revolutionized biomedical research - yet the vast majority of life on Earth remains beyond their reach. Non-model species lack the annotated genomes, validated reagents, and species-specific culture infrastructure that make iPSC technology routine in humans and mice, and this infrastructure deficit, rather than any fundamental biological barrier, is what has kept the field narrow. The core pluripotency network is conserved across vertebrates; reprogramming is, in principle, achievable in any somatic cell from any species. This review consolidates current progress and future potential of iPSC technology across five domains: technical reprogramming challenges and advances; conservation applications including genetic rescue, in vitro gametogenesis, and de-extinction; medical applications within a one medicine framework; agricultural applications spanning disease resistance, climate resilience, and cultured meat; and species-specific iPSC-derived systems in ecotoxicology. Throughout, we distinguish what has been demonstrated from what remains aspirational and identify the priorities that will determine whether the iPSC revolution can be extended - rigorously and at scale - beyond model organism research.

The accelerating biodiversity crisis demands urgent and systematic biobanking of biological materials to preserve the genetic and cellular foundations of life before they are lost. Zoos remain essential centers for engagement, education, research, and species survival, yet their demographic and spatial limitations mean they cannot serve as the sole custodians of biodiversity. To secure a lasting legacy, zoos must integrate biobanking into their core activities, linking living populations with frozen repositories so that the animals they house today also safeguard the genetic potential of tomorrow. This review surveys the current landscape and emerging promise of wildlife biobanking, emphasizing its role in genetic rescue, disease resilience, and the recovery of lost traits. We argue that prioritization strategies should extend beyond IUCN status to encompass genetic metrics, ecological importance, and evolutionary distinctiveness, ensuring that biobanks capture not only threatened species but also irreplaceable evolutionary lineages. Looking ahead, we highlight the future potential of biobanked materials in enabling advanced interventions, including genome editing and other frontier technologies. By coupling frozen repositories with living populations, conservation can overcome the constraints of space and time, transforming biobanks into engines of resilience, restoration, and innovation. In an era of accelerating biodiversity loss, biobanking should not be viewed as a last‐resort measure. Instead, it should be planned proactively and actively incorporated into the One Plan Approach to species conservation, alongside habitat protection, wild population management, zoo‐based conservation, captive breeding, reintroduction, and genetic management, ensuring that the genetic options necessary for future recovery and adaptation are preserved today.

Induced pluripotent stem cells have revolutionized biomedical research—yet the vast majority of life on Earth remains beyond their reach. Non-model species lack the annotated genomes, validated reagents, and species-specific culture infrastructure that make iPSC technology routine in humans and mice, and this infrastructure deficit, compounded by genuine biological differences in pluripotency network architecture across taxa, is what has kept the field narrow. The deep conservation of the core pluripotency network across vertebrates suggests that reprogramming may, in principle, be achievable across a far broader range of species than currently demonstrated—though the extent to which this holds across more divergent taxa remains to be established. This review consolidates current progress and future potential of iPSC technology across five domains: technical reprogramming challenges and advances; conservation applications including genetic rescue, in vitro gametogenesis, and de-extinction; medical applications within a one medicine framework; agricultural applications spanning disease resistance, climate resilience, and cultured meat; and species-specific iPSC-derived systems in ecotoxicology. Throughout, we distinguish what has been demonstrated from what remains aspirational and identify the priorities that will determine whether the iPSC revolution can be extended—rigorously and at scale—beyond model organism research.