The Untapped Potential of ATCC's Mycology Collection

As a leading developer and supplier of authenticated biological materials, ATCC provides the scientific community with access to an expansive collection of credible materials needed to support research and development applications. ATCC has more than thirty thousand fungal strains encompassing greater than 1,850 different genera that can be utilized in various industrial applications. We have recently initiated a project to further characterize the utility of our mycology collection including providing in-depth sequencing of the genomes. We have fungi with reported activities across a wide range of commercially important areas such as biocontrol, bioremediation, biofuel, biocatalysis, and natural colorants. For instance, we have identified over 130 fungal strains with potential bioremediation ability of various pollutant like heavy metals, petroleum products and xenobiotics. This presentation will highlight the diversity and importance of the collection and provide examples of the utilization of this collection as a valuable resource for the present and future generations of scientists.