Collections
The Blue Biotechnology and Ecotoxicology Culture Collection (LEGE-CC) is a center for biological resources stationed at Centro Interdisciplinar de Investigação Marinha e Ambiental (CIIMAR), that contains more than 1100 strains of different microalgae and cyanobacteria obtained since 1991.
A LEGE-CC é membro da World Federation for Culture Collections (WFCC) e European Culture Collections Organisation (ECCO), fazendo também parte da infraestrutura de investigação EMBRC.PT.
LEGE-CC makes available several services, namely the supply of initial cultures for scientific, academic and industrial ends. Isolation and Identification of organisms, the strain deposit, as well as consulting and training actions.
The CCMAR collection is housed at the Algarve Marine Science Centre (CCMAR), one of the leading marine science research centers in Portugal and a benchmark institution at the European level.
The CCMAR Biobank is dedicated to the conservation and characterization of marine biological resources, maintaining collections of macroalgae and microorganisms associated with marine organisms. The Biobank brings together strains of various macroalgae species from different regions of the world.
In addition to the ex situ conservation of marine biodiversity, the Biobank supports research and provides biological resources and specialized services for research, sustainable aquaculture, habitat restoration, and blue biotechnology.
The CIIMAR Microbial Culture Collection (CM2C) is a biobank located at the Interdisciplinary Center for Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR), created with the aim of gathering marine microbial strains with different biotechnological applications. This biobank includes approximately 400 microbial strains, composed of bacteria and fungi, from marine environments.
CM2C acts as a supplier of marine biological resources for researchers in academia and industry. CM2C strains are being studied for their various applications and bioactivities, including bioprospecting for new bioactive compounds with medical or industrial applications and the degradation of organic pollutants (hydrocarbons, pesticides, and pharmaceuticals).
The MicroEcoEvo Bacterial Culture Collection (MicroEcoEvoCC) is a microbiological resource maintained by founders and curators Rodrigo Costa and Tina Keller-Costa at the Biological Sciences Research Group (BSRG) of the Institute of Bioengineering and Biosciences (iBB), Instituto Superior Técnico (IST), University of Lisbon.
The MicroEcoEvoCC was designed in 2010 to serve as a platform aimed at promoting knowledge about marine symbioses. The collection includes a total of 1,806 bacterial strains taxonomically classified by 16S rRNA gene sequencing, of which 102 strains with complete genomic sequences are available for collaborative research.
The DEEP-BioBank, located at the Interdisciplinary Centre for Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR), in Porto, Portugal, has a vast collection of deep-sea benthic fauna, namely samples of sponges and corals (phyla Porifera and Cnidaria), obtained mainly in the Atlantic Ocean as bycatch from fishing.
The objective of the DEEP-BioBank is the collection, preservation, characterization, digitization, and storage of deep-sea benthic fauna. The services provided include sampling (biomass, DNA extracts, biomaterials) and high-resolution identification/characterization (morphological and molecular) to support research and technological development in the blue biotechnology sector.
A coleção do Biobanco S2AQUA inclui bactérias patogénicas isoladas de diferentes organismos marinhos, utilizadas no desenvolvimento de protocolos de identificação molecular e bioquímica para diagnósticos mais rápidos, bem como em ensaios de desafio patogénico para estudar estratégias de mitigação de surtos de doenças e apoiar o desenvolvimento de ferramentas preventivas, como vacinas.
Inclui ainda linhas celulares derivadas de peixes, com elevado potencial biotecnológico para investigação in vitro e descoberta de novos bioativos, contribuindo para a redução da experimentação in vivo, e macroalgas recolhidas ao longo da costa portuguesa, com aplicações em biorremediação, sistemas de aquacultura multitrófica integrada (IMTA) e no desenvolvimento de protocolos de identificação molecular para promover o desenvolvimento tecnológico das empresas.
The Blue Biobank (UA) is based in the living library of CEPAM-ECOMARE, with its life support systems and greenhouses located at the University of Aveiro. It maintains macroalgae, as well as various marine invertebrates, with a special focus on colonies of soft and hard corals, sea anemones, and sea slugs.
The Blue Biobank (UA) collaborates with national and international biobanks to promote the discovery of chemodiversity in the marine environment and overcome barriers to research and business development in the marine domain. At the Blue Biobank (UA), it is also possible to carry out in toto and ex situ aquaculture, through the cultivation of the marine host organism and its associated microbiome under controlled and replicable conditions, essential for the subsequent stages of the biodiscovery process.
A Coleção de Culturas de Leveduras IST (IST-Yeasts CC) é um recurso microbiológico localizado no Grupo de Investigação em Ciências Biológicas (BSRG) do Instituto de Bioengenharia e Biociências (iBB), Instituto Superior Técnico (IST ou Técnico), Universidade de Lisboa (ULisboa).
Esta coleção de culturas de leveduras azuis inclui estirpes isoladas e é composta por 115 estirpes de leveduras não convencionais.
A maioria das estirpes das leveduras reunidas na IST-Yeasts CC tem potencial para a (co)produção de bioprodutos de valor acrescentado. Produzem probióticos promissores em aquacultura e são muito atrativas como fábricas de células microbianas no âmbito de uma bioeconomia circular sustentável.
IBAB
The main goal of the Industrial Biotechnology Algal Bank (IBAB) is to function as a strain deposit biobank and a backup plan for the company's algae production. Its focus is on facilitating and optimising production process and scale-up, reducing the typical restart time for an industrial production reactor from 2–3 months to just one week.
In addition to preserving these strains, the biobank supports research activities in strain improvement, algae bioprocesses, and contaminant control. Since its creation, IBAB has safeguarded more than 80 strains from different companies and generated more than 200 improved strains, and has also played a relevant role in several research projects and networks.