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The CABI fungal collection...

...an untapped source of valuable new molecules

Microorganisms are increasingly being used by scientists in many different fields.

They can be used as new sources of enzymes, foods, and vitamins; for biofuel production; and as a source of novel molecules for drug development. In the past, many organisations have turned to synthetic chemical development, but this approach has not delivered the leads anticipated. Increasingly, companies are recognising that microorganisms present a rich and untapped source of chemical diversity for deriving natural products, with great potential and proven successes.

  

Our collection

For over 80 years, CABI has been collecting naturally occurring microorganisms and in particular, fungi. We house and manage one of the world’s largest genetic resource collections and since 1947 we have held the UK’s National Collection of Fungus Cultures - including Fleming’s original penicillin producing isolate.

  • Our diverse and long established collection consists of over 28,000 live organisms collected from 142 countries around the world

  • Over 90% of our fungal strains are unique to CABI – we  can offer you novel and diverse authenticated organisms

  • Nearly 50% of small molecular weight cancer drugs originate from natural products

 

Our team of experts includes: mycologists, molecular biologists, bacteriologists, ecologists and systematists.

 

As an inter-governmental not-for-profit organisation we work within the terms of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and are dedicated to improving people's lives worldwide through the application of scientific expertise.

  

Penicillium Expansum

What we can do:

Through our collection and our expertise in identifying, understanding and manipulating microorganisms, we provide pharmaceutical, agricultural biotech companies and related industries with ways of utilising and developing natural products.

We …

  • select organisms with properties that meet your needs
  • offer a molecular approach to help target potential leads
  • provide extracts for screening
  • screen for new sources of fatty acids, enzymes and antimicrobials
  • manipulate organisms to enhance potential and expose metabolic uniqueness
  • provide extensive information on microbes through our abstract database of over 5 million records

Through our unique combination of resources, knowledge and expertise we can significantly increase the chance of a lead and ultimately the prospect of a product reaching the market.

Our expertise and the diversity of our collection mean that CABI is incomparable with any other organisation in the world.

 

In partnership

Through partnering with CABI we can supply your organisation with thousands of targeted strains from our collection. By screening the microorganisms for products, your scientists may be able to develop new sources of vitamins or discover drugs for improving health and combatting diseases such MRSA and cancers.

 

Some of our current partners:

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, who are chemically fingerprinting and screening fungal endophyte extracts against insects and selected fungi and bacteria.

Royal Holloway, University of London, who possess specialised equipment and expertise to help with the biochemical characterisation and analysis of our microorganisms and extracts.

PharmaLinks, which brings together the scientific and clinical expertise of the University of Glasgow and the University of Strathclyde, have 30 developed screens and have a strong track record in providing industry with a wealth of new ideas for therapeutic targets, drug candidates and drug delivery.

British Antarctic Survey (BAS), who’s collection we taking into CABI’s care and jointly exploring for natural products.

 

a case study

CABI undertook a two year project working with local scientists in South America. They isolated endophyte fungi from the tropical forests and CABI helped them set up facilities, train staff and set up a collection.  In total they isolated 2492 cultures belonging to 64 fungal morphotaxa from 12 tree species.

Over 2,800 extracts from 332 fungal isolates were supplied through the project. These were screened for biological activity against insects, bacteria and fungi. 84 of these isolates yielded active extracts and currently opportunities for commercialisation are being explored.

In all the project has so far yielded three potential chemicals for commercialisation and the work is still continuing. 256 endophytic fungal cultures were established within the CABI collection and so far work on them is proving very promising: From the first 50 cultures, 17 demonstrated potent activity in antimicrobial and anti insect screens.

To find out how we can help your business, please contact us on: 01491 829016 or by emailing: microbiologicalservices@cabi.org.

 

Our collection is:

• a member collection of the United Kingdom Culture Collection (UKNCC)

• a UNESCO Microbial Resource Centre (MIRCEN)

• an International Depository Authority (IDA) within the Budapest Treaty (1977)

 

We operate to the World Federation for Culture Collection (WFCC) Guidelines for the Establishment and Operation of Culture Collections; the UKNCC Quality Management System; the Common Access to Biotechnological Resources Information (CABRI) Guidelines; OECD Best Practice Guidelines for Biological Resource Centres; and in the spirit of the Convention on Biological Diversity. Strains of organisms are supplied with traceability, conforming to national and international regulatory requirements, and are preserved in such a way as to retain their full potential.