NCIMB shares ecotox test development experience with next generation of soil ecotoxicologists

Our consultant Microbiologist Dr Carol Devine has been visiting the University of Lyon this week for the second training event of the ARISTO project – the European Industry-Academia network with a focus on assessing the microbial toxicity of pesticides. The network aims to develop tools and methods to enable robust testing of toxicity. In the past, risk assessment for pesticides has focused on aquatic organisms and terrestrial macro-organisms, while assessment of pesticide toxicity in relation to soil microorganisms has lagged behind. Microbial life is crucial for soil health, and the wider ecosystem, …

How best to approach ecotoxicity testing for offshore oil and gas sector decommissioning?

Our Analytical Services Manager Michelle Robertson is looking forward to presenting at the 3rd International Conference on the Decommissioning of Offshore & Subsea Structures on 22 February. She will be talking about NCIMB’s MARA and LumiMARA ecotoxicity tests and their potential for use during the decommissioning process.Environmental impact assessment is an important consideration with respect to decommissioning of offshore production facilities, and a risk-based whole effluent assessment (WEA) approach would be well suited to this purpose, as offshore structures often contain accumulations of historical waste that are a complex mix of …

NCIMB achieves living wage accreditation

NCIMB is now an accredited as a living wage employer. The real Living Wage is calculated according to the costs of living and provides a voluntary benchmark for employers that wish to ensure their staff earn a wage they can live on. It seems like now it is more important than ever to support this initiative, which benefits businesses as well as their employees.

NCIMB is delighted to be a sponsor of the Microbiology Society Annual Conference

NCIMB is delighted to be a sponsor of the Microbiology Society Annual Conference 2022. The event will return to an in-person format this year and will be held in Belfast at the International Convention Centre from 4 – 7 April. More information about the conference programme, and what the organisers are doing to make it as safe as possible can be found here: https://microbiologysociety.org/event/annual-conference/annual-conference-2022.html

Comparing and differentiating closely related strains of bacteria

Strain comparison and differentiation can be valuable in a range of circumstances. NCIMB’s Identification Services Manager, Vikki Warren takes a look at recent developments in the methods available for doing this and why whole genome sequencing is NCIMB’s preferred approach. Environmental monitoring is an important part of quality control in pharmaceutical manufacturing environments. When it comes to investigating incursions or process contaminants, comparing them to previous isolates and tracing their source, strain comparison and differentiation can provide valuable information over and above species level identification. If several different strains are …

Vacancy: Molecular Scientist

We are recruiting a molecular scientist to join our busy sequencing team, which provides a cGMP microbial identification and next generation sequencing service to external clients. The ideal candidate will be educated to BSc or MSc level in microbiology or another biological discipline, with some laboratory experience in a commercial setting. Experience of DNA extraction, PCR, sequencing and bioinformatics would be an advantage, as would experience of working in an ISO9001 or cGMP environment. Responsibilities and duties of the post include: Co-operating in the efficient running of the identification service …