Combined capabilities will enhance the accuracy and range of microbial identification for pharmaceutical, food, veterinary labs.

ATCC, the premier global biological materials resource and standards organization, and bioMérieux, a world leader in the field of in vitro diagnostics, announced today their collaboration to expand and solidify the bioMérieux VITEK® MS microbial identification database for the industrial market. Recently, ATCC acquired the bioMérieux VITEK® MS system to make this innovative MALDI TOF technology a fundamental component of their authentication and quality control processes.

Strengthening the database with additional strains continues to increase the robustness of the VITEK® MS micro-organisms library while increasing the size and enhancing the utility for customers as a solid quality assurance tool.

The integration of the bioMérieux VITEK® MS into ATCC’s quality development process will enable ATCC to generate a large pathogen knowledgebase, which will then be incorporated into the VITEK® MS database. The newly expanded database will improve the accuracy and range of microbial identification of the bioMérieux VITEK® MS, a powerful pathogen identification solution for large industrial labs.

“For more than eight decades, Microbiology laboratories worldwide have looked to ATCC to provide well characterized microbial reference strains with the highest level of quality assurance,” stated Kristina Peterman, Senior Director Compliance, Quality Assurance and Laboratory Testing Services/Chief Compliance Officer. “Utilizing the MALDI technology through the bioMérieux VITEK® MS system demonstrates our commitment to advancement, quality and innovation. The solution will also provide traceability and reduced testing time while reducing consumable costs in our extensive quality control process.”

“We are delighted to partner with ATCC, the recognized expert in industrial microbial identifications, said Pierre-Louis Thiney, Executive Director US Industry for bioMérieux. The partnership exemplifies both companies commitment to quality standards for our food, pharmaceutical and veterinary customers. It truly is a testament to the strong added value of our VITEK® MS solution.”