WI-KNAW
Westerdijk Fungal Biodiversity Institute
The Westerdijk Fungal Biodiversity Institute (WI-KNAW) is part of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) and is situated in Utrecht. It maintains a world-renowned microbial Biobank of 110000 cultures of filamentous fungi, yeasts and bacteria. It is a centre of expertise for mycology, and does research in evolutionary biology, taxonomy and biodiversity of fungi and yeasts. It applies molecular biochemical, genomics and microscopy methods to study functional aspects of fungal biology and ecology. The institute generates and shares scientific knowledge and addresses key societal questions in collaboration with other scientific institutions, social partners and industries
Infrastructure and User Services
- The Westerdijk Institute is a fully operational microbiology laboratory, equipped with high-end light microscopes, a scanning electron microscope, analytical instruments for mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF) and liquid chromatography (HPLC), and platforms for DNA sequencing using Sanger and next generation technologies (MinIon and IonTorrent sequencers). Microorganisms in the CBS and NCCB collections are preserved using state-of-art equipment for lyophilization (freeze-drying) and cryopreservation. A small part is also maintained actively on agar media by periodic transfer. Besides the living cultures, WI-KNAW also preserves a DNA Bank of genomic extracts. WI-KNAW is qualified for work with human/animal pathogens of riskgroup 2 and 3, genetically modified microbes, and quarantine organisms. The collections and related databases are also ISO 9001 Certified.
- The institute provides fungal, yeast and bacterial cultures and associated data (including, morphological, biochemical, genetic, genomic and transcriptomic data) to stakeholders for research ranging from environmental microbiology to medicine, and in industrial and applied research, and for the production of food and pharmaceuticals. As such it facilitates the advancement of life sciences, and biotechnological and bio-economic development.
The WI-KNAW maintains a large number of open access databases, ranging from taxonomy to molecular identification of fungi, and provides services for fungal identification, secured storage of fungi and bacteria, and provides microbes to solve issues of sustainably, climate changes and biodiversity, and courses on Fungal identification, Indoor fungi and fungal biodiversity.
WI-KNAW is ready to act as the Dutch national node for MIRRI-ERIC.
Examples/description of the type of research
The Westerdijk Institute facilitates and conducts research in three themes, namely agriculture, health and industry. In agriculture groups focus on combating fungal pathogens in food and fibre crops to enhance trade, as well as food spoilage. In health the focus is on rapid clinical fungal diagnostics, microbial resistance and epidemiology of pathogenic fungi (Netherlands Centre for One Health). In industry groups focus on fungi in building materials, novel fungal products, antibiotics and antimitotics, fungal enzymes, metabolites, and the bioeconomy. Research projects are generally in collaboration with universities, institutes, companies and international partners. Using taxonomic expertise on strains and available associated data, curators and expert in the institute also support external users of the biobanks. For example in determining the best possible selection of CBS and NCCB strains for their intended research and development purposes. This frequently leads to commercial licensing agreements, assuring that part of the revenues from successful commercialisation flows back to the infrastructure, and even results in the start of new collaborations.
How to access the infrastructure?
- Physical Access: strain orders (45%); training Visting scientists, PhD students (15%)
- Virtual (digital) access: database (25%)
- Remote access: software usage / data analysis (15%)