State Microbiological Depository Centre
The Institute and the Centre are located in AbovianCity, the vicinity of Yerevan, the capital of Armenia. The campus of institutions occupies 17 acres, including administrative, research and technological buildings with working space of about 15000 sq. m.
The priority areas are microbiology and biotechnology: ecology, systematics and basic metabolism of microorganisms, microbial catalysis and transformations, culture collections and databases, microbial deterioration and insecticides, chemoautotrophy and extremophily. The pilot-scale installations and technological facilities for process-engineering and production of microbial preparations are available.
Main fields of activity.
Actually the RCDM represents the National Culture Collection of Armenia for non-pathogenic microorganisms aimed to collect, to study and to maintain microbial strains of scientific and industrial importance. The Centre is considering as the basis for creation of the Centre of National Biological Resources included plant and animal tissues and cells.
Main results. Based on detailed study and characteristics of microorganisms the well-established Culture Collection with Databases have been created.
The Centre currently holds around 10000 strains of bacteria, fungi, yeasts and streptomycetes. Most part of them are the strains originally isolated, identified and studied in Armenia. The strains are kept under fresh conditions, mineral oil, freeze-dried and in liquid nitrogen. The qualified personnel with long-term experience are engaged in the activity of the Centre.
The Collection comprises:
– over 5000 strains of aerobic sporeforming bacteria, including about 3000 strains of entomopathogenous bacilli,
– over 2000 strains of non-sporeforming bacteria, including phytopathogens, nitrogen-fixers and lithochemoautotrophs,
– about 1000 strains of fungi, including synthetic polymer deteriorating cultures,
– 700 strains of yeasts and lactobacilli,
– 300 strains of streptomycetes and related organisms.
The Collection includes a lot of well defined extremophilic forms having important biotechnological potential and practical application for microbiological transformations and production of different biologically active substances. They have been isolated from soil, water and various natural substrates of different ecological and geographical regions all over the world.
Special attention is paid to enzymatic characteristics of strains with emphasis to their use for biocatalytic reactions. Biocatalytic specialized Data Bank serves for this aim.
The research activity of the Centre comprises the screening and identification of new isolates, the development of the methods for long-term maintenance and conservation of their viability and stability of industrially valuable properties and to search new practical applications for microbial cultures kept. The Centre is the successor of long-term R&D for development of an integrated evaluation of microbial deterioration/degradation of synthetic polymers and prediction of their biostability. It is actively engaged in realization of national programs in biotechnology in Armenia.
Address: 378510, Abovian city, Republic of Armenia
Founded in 1993. Acronym – RCDM.
Phone/fax: (37422) 23240; e-mail: microbio@pnas.sci.am or afrikian2002@yahoo.com
Web site: www.rcdm.am
Head: Member of NAS, Dr. Evrik G.Afrikian
Specialisation: microbiology, biotechnology
