Visit our stand at the Pharmig Annual Conference!

NCIMB will be exhibiting at the Pharmig Conference, at the Delta Hotel Nottingham Belfry on 28th & 29th November. This annual event is focused on hot topics in pharmaceutical microbiology, with presentations from leading industry experts. It is always informative and enjoyable and provides a great opportunity for us to catch up with some of our pharma sector customers and introduce ourselves to new faces! NCIMB’s identification services manager will be on the stand to to answer any questions about how the microbial identification services, and quality control products we …

Identification Methods for Bacteria and Fungi

Vikki Warren, Identification Services Manager The revised Annex 1 came into force on 25 August 2023. These guidelines apply to sterile medicinal product manufacture, and aim to ensure that microbial, particulate and endotoxin/pyrogen contamination is prevented in the final product. This is obviously an essential goal when it comes to sterile medicinal products, so the application of the guidelines to create an effective contamination control strategy is of paramount importance. With respect to the identification of microorganisms as part of the environmental monitoring programme, Annex 1 states that microorganisms detected in …

Need to identify Bacillus isolates as part of your environmental monitoring programme? Whole gene 16S sequencing can provide fast and accurate results

by Vikki Warren, NCIMB Identification Services Manager Identification of bacterial isolates provides vital information for pharmaceutical microbiologists undertaking environmental monitoring programmes within GMP production facilities, but some genera and species can be more tricky to identify than others. A commonly encountered example is identification of Bacillus species. Why 16S sequencing? At NCIMB we use 16S sequencing and the MicroSeq database to identify environmental isolates for our customers, because it has the potential to offer an unambiguous result – ultimately it is the DNA that defines the species. But what exactly …

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 …

NCIMB introduces services to support sustainable manufacturing at the High Value Biorenewables Network Event

NCIMB’s Business Development Manager Dr Jude Huggan introduced delegates at the High Value Biorenewables Network 2020 event: “Discovery, development and production of high value bio-based products” to the services that NCIMB offers to support sustainable manufacturing. NCIMB offers a broad range of services to support companies working in this important and exciting field and Jude’s presentation gave attendees an introduction to how we can support sustainable manufacturing throughout the process from discovery and development to manufacturing and quality control. NCIMB’s culture collection represents a unique resource when it comes to …