Catalogue of services
Based on its partner organisations’ state-of-the-art facilities/equipments and top-level expertise, MIRRI makes available for its users a vast, diverse portfolio of high-quality services. These range from general services to more application-specific ones – including pipelines of integrated, product-oriented services made available as tailor-made, turnkey solutions.
MIRRI’s services and expertise can help researchers and bioindustries delivering the maximum value and impacts from their projects, technologies and products.
An overview of the services made available by MIRRI is provided on the lists below.
General services
- Public Deposit
- Patent Deposit
- Safe Deposit
- Isolation and purification of strains
- Freeze-drying
- Optimisation of preservation conditions (including consortia and microbiomes)
- Optimisation of cultivation/fermentation
- Microbial counting/titer (phages, viable cells, spores, MPN…)
- Identification from pure cultures
- Virus diagnostics
- Cell line authentication
- MALDI-TOF MS
- Image analysis (optical, fluorescent, CLSM, TEM and SEM microscopies)
- Biochemical tests (classical or miniaturized i.e. API, Biolog …)
- Analysis of the cellular fatty acid composition
- Analysis of cell wall sugars
- Analysis of peptidoglycan structure
- Analysis of polysaccharide degrading enzymes
- Analysis of the cellular polar lipid composition
- Analysis of volatile metabolites
- Analysis of ligninolytic enzymes
- Analysis of mycolic acids
- Analysis of respiratory quinones
- Immunochemical analysis
- Gene sequencing and analysis (housekeeping/rRNA/virulence/drug-resistance genes, MLSA/MLST…)
- PCR-typing (RAPD, DGGE, TTGE, AFLP, Microsatellites, rep-PCR, Inter-LTR)
- RFLP (genomic, mt-RFLP, ARDRA, ribotyping…)
- MALDI-TOF MS
- Karyotyping
- Determination of ploidy
- Plasmid profile analysis
- Draft/complete genome sequencing and analysis (assembly, annotation, G+C…)
- Overall genome relatedness index (ANI, DDH…)
- Metagenomic analysis
- Growth promoting / antimicrobial bioassays
- Screening (targets depend on the provider mBRC)
- Characterisation of technology abilities
- Characterisation of bioproducts (analytical, pharmaceutical)
- Analysis of adhesive activity
- Analysis of biosurfactant-producing activity
- Analysis of hydrocarbon-oxidizing activity
- Quality control and sterility testing of raw materials and products
- Material resistance testing
- Assessment of Virus presence within fungal cultures
- Cell sorting applications (Flow cytometry)
- Construction of interspecific hybrids
- Determination O2 consumption / CO2 production
- DNA extraction
- Down-streaming processing (metabolite purification)
- House fungi diagnostic (e.g. Serpula)
- Mycoplasma testing
- Mycotoxin analysis
- Plasmid copy number quantification (Droplet digital PCR)
- Preparation of competent cells
- Provision of inactivated strains
- Safety assessment of strains for food and feed
- Virus resistance assays
- MycoBank
- YeastIP
- FungalDC
- Yeast-ID
- Phylosearch
- Consultancy (taxonomy, handling and preservation of strains)
- Consultancy (topics related to the mBRC expertise, including legal and safety issues)
- Training courses (content depends on the provider mBRC)
- Contract Research (content depends on the provider mBRC)
Application-specific and integrated services
▪ Bacterial and fungal pathogens detection, isolation, characterisation and preservation under controlled conditions
▪ Selection of reference pathogenic strains for bioassays and diagnostics
▪ Bacterial genome scanning for investigation of virulence factors and antimicrobial resistance
▪ Identification of taxonomically related Streptomyces strains with antimicrobial activity using mass spectrometry profiles
▪ Scanning of fungal genomes, identification of pathways for synthesis of biomolecules with pharmaceutical interest and heterologous expression of silent fungal gene clusters for bioactive compounds production
▪ In vitro screening of anti-inflammatory and anti-infectious activities (antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal and antiparasitic) of newly isolated strains or strains preserved in mBRCs (including archaea, bacteria, cyanobacteria, yeasts and fungi isolated from untapped environments)
▪ Preparation of inactivated strains to be used for the development of vaccines
▪ In vitro screening of phages for phage therapy as alternative to antimicrobials
▪ In vitro screening for health-promoting properties i.e. production of organic acids, vitamins, aminoacids, GABA
▪ Isolation and/or selection of strain with probiotic activity, screening of probiotic potential and analysis of resistance to gastrointestinal conditions
▪ Food microbiome: metagenomic & culturomic analysis, fungal/yeasts/bacterial species isolation and identification
▪ In vitro screening of food preservation activities: antifungal, antibacterial
▪ Analysis of relevant metabolites for food production (e.g. exopolysaccharide, esters, superior alcohols, volatile compounds in wine production)
▪ Microalgae strain selection and mass culture optimization for aquaculture feed and food ingredients production
▪ Food-waste products recycling: isolation, identification and characterisation of degrading strains
▪ Genome analysis for food safety strain requirements i.e. antimicrobial resistance (AMR), antimicrobial production, toxigenicity and pathogenicity
▪ Food safety assessment based on genomic information (according to EFSA)
▪ Analysis of mycotoxin profiles
▪ Investigation of food contamination and identification of bacteria and fungi applying an integrated polyphasic approach (e.g. identification of Alicyclobacillus sp., frequent spoiler of fruit juices)
▪ Selection and characterisation of Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi strains for application in agricultural and horticultural crops
▪ Biofertilizers: identification and quantification for registry purposes
▪ Biocontrol agents: identification and characterisation of strains used as biocontrol agents (e.g. Trichoderma harzianum)
▪ Investigation of microbial activities with impact in soil nutrients (e.g. siderophore production, phosphate solubilization)
▪ Compositional and functional characterisation of microbiomes from metal contaminated sites, strain isolation (cyanobacteria, bacteria, fungi, yeasts, microalgae) and taxonomic characterisation. Screening of tolerances to heavy metals
▪ Screening of existing microbial resources (cyanobacteria, bacteria, fungi, yeasts, microalgae) for biotransformation of organic pollutants (e.g. phthalates, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons)
▪ Characterisation of microbial communities, isolation of autochthonous strains or selection of strains in mBRC (bacteria, cyanobacteria, fungi, microalgae) for application in wastewater treatment processes
▪ Assessment from genome annotation of specific enzymatic activities for biofuel production (e.g. hydrolytic activities) and in vitro validation in bacteria
▪ Characterisation of microbial communities and/or screening and isolation of autochthonous strains for enzymatic activities aimed at biomass degradation and waste-to-energy valorisation
▪ Microalgae strain selection, ecophysiology, growth and mass culture for biofuel production
▪ Bioplastics: production of polyhydroalkanoates
▪ Self-healing concrete: strain for microbial calcium carbonate deposition and counseling for processes development
▪ Analysis of relevant enzymatic activities with environmental and industrial interest (alginase, chitinase, lignolytic activity, agarase, amylase, β-glucanase, protease…)
▪ Counseling for microbial bioprocesses: growth and productivity, Screening of tolerances under technological conditions, Analysis of biotechnological relevant behaviour (e.g. flocculation, foaming)