| BIOTEC opens Microbe Bank to provide micro-organisms for research and commercial applications | | | |
• Pushing Thailand as a regional centre for tropical microbiology
• World class microbe bank stores microbes collected over more than ten years with the most diverse selection of insect-pathogenic fungi in the world
• More than 100 researchers are available to consult and transfer knowledge to the private sector
• Commercially applicable results can reduce R&D time and costs
Bangkok (28 September 2007) – BIOTEC/NSTDA are supporting Thailand’s quest to become a biotechnology leader by launching a new service of providing samples of many different strains of micro-organisms collected in a Microbe Bank. Experts will transfer technology to the private sector, helping strengthen Thai industries and increase Thailand’s competitiveness in global markets.
Prof. Dr. Morakot Tanhcharoen, Executive Director of the National Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Center, or BIOTEC, under the National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), said, “To support the widespread application of biotechnology BIOTEC has now opened a Microbe Bank for students, researchers, and companies that want to obtain micro-organisms for research or for commercial applications. This service will give people a reliable source of high quality samples and will reduce the time spent on searching for and studying microbes so that people can obtain the existing strains and put them to use more quickly. We want Thailand to be the regional centre for tropical microbiology research.”
“Thanks to the diversity of our geography, Thailand is a very rich source of more than 200,000 kinds of algae, bacteria, fungi and yeasts. Researchers as BIOTEC have been collecting and storing samples of these micro-organisms for over ten years so BIOTEC’s Microbe Bank has a more diverse collection of microbes than any other in the region, especially our collection of fungi that cause diseases in insects. It is the most diverse collection in the world. There are more than 400 types of fungi that can destroy insects that were found in Thailand and we have isolated and keep active cultures of over 4,000 strains at the Microbe Bank,” said Dr. Somsak Sivichai, a researcher.
Wanchern Potacharoen, Manager of the Microbe Bank, said that the bank was ready to provide services with a large amount and diverse range of quality microbe samples. They are arranged, stored, and managed under the same standards as those of microbe banks in the USA, Europe and Japan.
Researchers at BIOTEC have studied these diverse strains of microbes and tested them for different applications in medicine, agriculture, the food industry and environmental management to reduce dependence on chemicals and imports of medicine and other products as well as to improve agricultural products and create added value so that Thai products can better compete in the world market.
The Microbe Bank manager said, “BIOTEC wants to support broad collaboration in the study of microbiology so we are providing storage services and sample services. Some of the services are free and for others we charge a modest fee that is 5-10 times cheaper than at other microbe banks in Europe or America. We also created a cooperative network with two other national agencies that maintain microbe cultures: the Agriculture Department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives (MoAC) and the Medical Science Department under the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH). BIOTEC is the secretary of the network. The purpose is to exchange knowledge and research results.”
She continued, “BIOTEC employs more than 100 researchers who are working to find ways to apply microbiology in industry, agriculture, environmental management and medicine. They are available to provide advice and training and to collaborate in research with people from the private sector in order to produce marketable products. Some examples are using microbes to speed up the production process for making fermented sausage or fish sauce, or using microbes to convert the cellulose in agricultural by-products like rice bran and sugar cane fibre to make alcohol for a fuel source.”
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sakarindr Bhumiratana, Director of the NSTDA, said, “The Microbe Bank and the microbiology network will help BIOTEC and other agencies make use of the R&D work that has been going on in order to produce really practical applications for industry, agriculture and medicine. This will lead to more innovations and patents in Thailand to help the nation meet the goals set in the “Fast Forward” plan. It will make Thailand more competitive in discovering and inventing new innovations to create an advantage in production. Greater application of science and technology will lead to a stronger and more sustainable economy.”
BIOTEC’s Microbe Bank has more than 20,000 types of microbes available. They are stored frozen in liquid nitrogen or in vacuum tubes under a system that meets the ISO 9001 standard. Microbiology experts set the storage method and steps in order to insure samples that are viable, true to form and uncontaminated.
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