Leibniz Institute DSMZ
| Abbreviation | DSMZ |
|---|---|
| Predecessor | Collection of Microorganisms Göttingen (SMG) German Collection of Microorganisms (DSM) |
| Formation | 1969 |
| Type | Independent, non-profit organization |
| Purpose | National culture collection |
| Location | |
| Fields | Microbiology, Cell Biology |
| Leader | Jörg Overmann (scientific director), Bettina Fischer (administrative director) |
| Affiliations | Leibniz Association |
| Staff | 192 (status: December 2020) |
| Website | www |
The Leibniz Institute DSMZ - German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures GmbH (German: Leibniz-Institut DSMZ-Deutsche Sammlung von Mikroorganismen und Zellkulturen GmbH), located in Braunschweig, is a research infrastructure in the Leibniz Association. Originally a culture collection for microbes (DSM), the DSMZ has expanded to provide cell cultures, online bioinformatic services, and offline analysis services. It also hosts research projects.
As of 2021, DSMZ is the world's most diverse collection of bioresources with 75,000 different accessions. These include microorganisms (including more than 32,000 bacterial strains, 690 archaeal strains, 7,000 strains of yeasts and fungi) as well as more than 840 human and animal cell cultures, over 1,500 plant viruses, over 940 bacteriophages, and 250 plasmids (status 2021).
Since 2010, the scientific director of the Leibniz Institute DSMZ has been Jörg Overmann, a microbiologist with a PhD from the University of Konstanz. He holds a professorship in microbiology at the Technical University of Braunschweig. Since August 2018, he has led the institute with leadership with Bettina Fischer as administrative director.