by Dr Samantha Law, Curator, NCIMB One of the reasons that I love being the curator of a microbial culture collection is the potential that exists within it. Microbial strains are at the heart of innovations with so many societal benefits – from foodstuffs to fuels, medicines and sustainable chemical production, we are really only just beginning to understand how microorganisms can benefit mankind. For companies and research groups working with microorganisms, years of research and development may have gone into strain selection and process optimisation, making microorganisms highly valuable, …
Preserve and protect your important strains with our new academic storage package
NCIMB has launched a new storage service specifically tailored to the needs of scientists working on grant funded projects. An off-site back up of strains should be a key part of any risk management and disaster recovery plan for organisations using microbes that cannot be easily replaced. Fire, natural disasters, power failure, equipment malfunction, and human error can all result in devastating set-backs for R&D projects, and the loss or delay of publication and potential future commercialisation opportunities. As curators of a national culture collection, and a recognised depository for …
Do I know you? NCIMB’s guide to the maintenance of microorganisms
When you start a new job, or employ a new member of staff, checks are carried out. Employers usually ask for references, and evidence of qualifications. New recruits may even be asked to show their passport of driving license. All these checks are carried out to ensure that new recruits are who they say they are and that they are qualified to do the job that they have been appointed to. So why should you be any less careful about the strains that you work with in the laboratory? After …
Is your research at risk? Best practice in maintenance, preservation and storage
Best practice in maintenance, preservation and storage should be a central part of any research project that involves the use of microbial cultures that would be difficult to replace, but this is not always the case. Contamination of cultures and genetic drift can easily occur, especially when strains are being used for long-term programmes of work – it is all too easy to lose track of how many times your strain has been cultured since it was originally isolated. It’s not just contamination and strain drift that can cause issues …