Microbial Resource Centers Contribute to Bioprospecting of Bacteria and Filamentous Microfungi

Abstract

The immense diversity of microorganisms has remained largely untapped, especially with regard to bioprospecting. Through their isolation, microbes attain a substantial monetary value which microbial domain Biological Resource Centers (mBRCs) preserve in a highly cost-effective manner. Typically, mBRCs are publicly funded in order to provide quality-controlled, and well-characterized microbial resources and data, at low cost to researchers. The present chapter outlines the preconditions and scenarios for mBRCs to expand their traditional tasks and enter the field of bioprospecting. It appears most promising to generate information on the biosynthetic potential of novel types of microorganisms through extended characterization, metabolic profiling, and genome analyses. Particular challenges are an improved access to the vast uncharted microbial biodiversity, the compliance with new legal requirements, and the efficient linking to private industry as a novel stakeholder. A business plan is developed herein that proposes to join the expertise of different mBRCs to create a platform that provides a “one-stop-shop” with restricted access to a large number of well-characterized, pre-screened microbial resources in a legally compliant manner. As a typical and inherent weakness, the limited public funding of mBRCs often will not permit an expansion of tasks through the existing funding alone. Revenues generated from sales of even high value microbial resources to bioindustry rarely will cover costs. Therefore, alternative funding could be sought from the government agencies in charge of the bioeconomy that traditionally are not stakeholders of mBRC, and through the participation of mBRCs in dedicated funding programs for bioprospecting.