Numerous scientific advances have come from the study of fungi, and scientists continue to find new areas to explore. The field of mycology has made an enormous impact on human welfare, from the development of cholesterol-lowering drugs and the discovery of life-saving antibiotics to the role of fungi as reference standards in determining drug efficacy. The latter application has been vital to the production of novel therapies aimed at slowing the rise tide of dangerous pathogens such as multidrug-resistant organisms.

Fungi, specifically yeasts, are also frequently used as model organisms in research, where scientists harness yeast’s rapid growth and eukaryotic nature to study DNA, epigenetics, and protein synthesis. The uses for fungi (often through genetic modification) have even extended to commercial and environmental applications in the form of biofuel production, biocontrol (killing pests and weeds), and bioremediation (breaking down waste and toxic chemicals in the environment). 

ATCC supports all of this research and more by housing and providing scientists with a diverse assortment of filamentous fungi and yeasts representing over 7,600 species. The collection offers more than 32,000 yeast genetic strains, including the historic Yeast Genetic Stock Center (YGSC) strains, the open reading frame (ORF) deletion strains of the Saccharomyces Genome Deletion Project (SGDP), and a collection of Cryptococcus neoformans ORF deletion strains.

Explore our immense collection of fully characterized and authenticated fungi to further your research today.