Microbiome Cultivation Unit
We aim to facilitate functional microbiome research by providing access to FAIR collections of intestinal bacteria. All isolates are deposited at culture collections (e.g. DSMZ, JCM, KCTC, etc.), which should remain the primary source of high-quality stocks of bacterial strains. However, our biobank also includes unpublished strains, and it can be used as a foundation for scientific collaborations. Therefore, stakeholders at academic institutions and in industry interested in using the strains can contact us by sending a request via the form on this webpage (below).
We provide strains as a non-profit service, but we must charge a fee per strain to partly cover the direct costs of maintaining the biobank. A signed MTA is also required for regulatory purposes. Academic partners involved in collaborative projects that are already funded (e.g., collaborative research centres, priority programs) are asked to submit a request for traceability, but they may be exempt from some subsequent steps. Strains will be provided on dry ice as single-use, cryo-aliquots (500-1000 µl) in buffered glycerol solution prepared under anaerobic conditions. Shipment costs are covered by the recipients.
The strains from our collections can be searched for here:
Requests for a large number of strains, or for defined communities containing multiple strains, may be considered a collaborative project. Please direct your inquiry to Prof. Thomas Clavel.
