{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"246: Inside ATCC: From Biological Materials to the Bench","description":"Many microbiology professionals are familiar with ATCC strains used for quality control, validation, and verification\u2014but what happens before those biological materials reach the laboratory? ATCC, the American Type Culture Collection, maintains biological materials used by scientists and laboratories around the world. In this episode of Let\u2019s Talk Micro, Luis is joined by Dr. Shahin Ali, Senior Scientist at ATCC, to take a closer look at the work behind biological reference materials. Dr. Ali discusses how ATCC identifies and acquires microorganisms, what characteristics are considered when adding them to the collection, and how materials are authenticated, characterized, preserved, and maintained over time. The conversation also explores expert curation and complete provenance, why authenticated reference materials are important for laboratory quality and reproducibility, and how individual strains of the same species can have meaningful differences. Luis and Dr. Ali also discuss antimicrobial resistance, the growing importance of genomic and metadata quality, and how curated biological collections may support AI-driven research in the future. And, as always, stay until the end to hear Dr. Ali\u2019s favorite microorganism\u2014and the personal connection behind his answer. Resources Learn more about ATCC: https:\/\/www.atcc.org\/ Stay connected with Let\u2019s Talk Micro: Website: letstalkmicro.com Questions or feedback? Email me at letstalkmicro@outlook.com Interested in being a guest on Let\u2019s Talk Micro? Fill out the form here: https:\/\/forms.gle\/V2fT3asjfyusmqyi8 Support the podcast: Venmo Buy me a Ko-fi   ","author_name":"Let's Talk Micro","author_url":"https:\/\/asm.org\/LetsTalkMicro","html":"