Leibniz Institute DSMZ

What Leibniz Institute DSMZ does

The Leibniz Institute DSMZ (legal name: Leibniz-Institut DSMZ-Deutsche Sammlung von Mikroorganismen und Zellkulturen GmbH) is a German non-university research institute and biological resource centre founded in 1969 and headquartered on the Science Campus Braunschweig-Süd. It is a member of the Leibniz Association and operates one of the world's most diverse bioresource collections, holding more than 55,000 items including over 41,000 bacterial strains, 800 archaeal strains, 10,500 fungal and yeast strains, 1,500 bacteriophages, 1,000 plant viruses, 180 cyanobacteria and protists, 250 plasmids, and more than 990 human and animal cell lines — including the world's largest collection of leukemia and lymphoma cell lines. The institute also runs authoritative digital resources (BacDive, TYGS, LPSN, StrainInfo, DSMZCellDive, STR Profile Search) and offers fee-based services in identification, characterization, mycoplasma detection and elimination, virus testing, biochemical analysis, and bioinformatic phylogenomics.

DSMZ operates a sales-led, web-based go-to-market model: customers — academic and industry researchers worldwide — place orders through webshop.dsmz.de and receive biological materials globally, with compliance documentation supplied for Nagoya Protocol-regulated resources. Pricing is per-unit: frozen cell cultures start at €320 and growing cultures reach €2,080 per vial, DNA from €320 to €1,300, with separate price lists for microorganisms, phages, plasmids, plant viruses, and services. Additional revenue streams include Budapest Treaty patent deposits, safe-deposit storage, identification and characterization services, and reference-material supply. As Europe's first Registered Collection under EU Regulation 511/2014 (registration code 01-DE-2018) and a Leibniz Association member, DSMZ blends commercial sales with publicly funded baseline support and competitive grants, serving as a regulated, compliance-bearing infrastructure for life-science research globally.

The institute's strategic positioning rests on three reinforcing assets: regulatory designations (Nagoya Registered Collection, Budapest Treaty patent depository), scientific authority (two Clarivate Most Cited Researchers and active taxonomy publications such as the February 2026 Chloracidobacterium validum validation), and embeddedness in international research-infrastructure networks (ECCO, WFCC, CORBEL, Leibniz Infections, WiLDSI, DSI Scientific Network). Recent moves — sequencing 100 leukemia/lymphoma cell lines, full breast cancer cell line characterization, and expansion into phage therapy — indicate a deliberate broadening of the commercial and scientific footprint beyond traditional culture-collection demand.

Name

Leibniz Institute DSMZ

Legal name

Leibniz-Institut DSMZ-Deutsche Sammlung von Mikroorganismen und Zellkulturen GmbH

Website

https://dsmz.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Leibniz Institute DSMZ is a German Leibniz Association biological resource centre that maintains one of the world's most diverse collections of microorganisms, cell lines, and plant viruses, supplying authenticated reference materials and bioinformatic services to academic and industry researchers worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Biological Resource Services

NAICS

Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171), Medical Laboratories (621511), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Services-Medical Laboratories (8071), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Microbiome & Metagenomics Services (HLAGANAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Microbiology & Infectious Disease Diagnostics (Culture/ID/AST) (HLAHAAAC), Microbiome Analytics, Sequencing & Bioinformatics Platforms (HLAAAFAI), Microbiology & Infectious Disease Testing Laboratories (HLAFAMAD)

Keywords

• Biological resource center
• Microbial culture collection
• Cell line authentication
• Taxonomic identification services
• Bioinformatics databases

Headquarters

HQ city

Braunschweig

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Biological Material Sales: Sale of bioresources including microorganisms (bacteria, archaea, fungi, yeasts), cell lines, bacteriophages, plasmids, cyanobacteria, protists, and plant viruses through an online shop
2. Service Fees: Comprehensive services including identification, characterization, specific analyses, mycoplasma detection/elimination, virus testing, biochemical analyses, bioinformatic services, and microbiological analysis
3. Patent Deposit: Deposit of biological material for patent purposes under Budapest Treaty provisions
4. Safe Deposit: Secure storage of biological materials for depositors with restricted access

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Leibniz Institute DSMZ is a biological resource center that acquires, authenticates, preserves, and distributes microorganisms (bacteria, archaea, fungi, yeasts, bacteriophages, plasmids), human and animal cell lines, and plant viruses to researchers worldwide. It also provides identification, characterization, quality control, bioinformatics, and Nagoya Protocol compliance services, alongside public digital databases (BacDive, TYGS, LPSN) supporting microbial taxonomy and biodiversity research.

Product overview

The Leibniz Institute DSMZ operates as a biological resource center offering a comprehensive portfolio of bioresources and research services. The core offerings include: (1) Microorganisms Collection - bacteria, archaea, fungi, yeasts, cyanobacteria and protists; (2) Human and Animal Cell Lines - over 990 cell lines including the world's largest leukemia and lymphoma collection; (3) Plant Viruses and Antisera - approximately 1,000 viruses; (4) Bacteriophages - approximately 1,500 phages; and (5) Plasmids - approximately 250 plasmids. Digital resources include BacDive (bacterial diversity metadatabase), TYGS (genome-based taxonomic classification), LPSN (prokaryotic nomenclature database), StrainInfo (DOI registration), DSMZCellDive (cell line analysis tool), and STR Profile Search (cell line authentication). Services encompass microbial identification/characterization, biochemical analysis, bioinformatics, cell line quality control, plant virus diagnostics, and Nagoya Protocol compliance management. The institute operates as Germany's registered collection under EU Regulation 511/2014.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Microorganisms Collection

Quantifiable outcome

• Maintains >750 cancer cell lines including world's largest leukemia/lymphoma collection
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• European Virus Archive (EVA)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2020Co-hosted DSI workshop with WiLDSI project and EVA institutes including DSMZ, National institute for Public Health and Environment (RVIM, Netherlands) and Pasteur Institute (France).
• IPK GaterslebencoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2019Co-leads the WiLDSI (Wissenschaftsbasierte Lösungsansätze für Digitale Sequenzinformation) project with DSMZ, researching DSI policy options and implications for the Convention on Biological Diversity. Funded by German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).
• ECCO (European Culture Collections' Organisation)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of European Culture Collections' Organisation, collaborating on best practices and standards for biological resource centres.
• WFCC (World Federation for Culture Collections)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of World Federation for Culture Collections, contributing to global standards and practices for culture collections worldwide.
• CORBEL (Coordinated Research Infrastructures Building Enduring Life-science Services)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of CORBEL project building enduring life-science services across European research infrastructures.
• Leibniz AssociationcoreOthersPart of the Leibniz Association, a German research association of non-university research institutes. Contributes to Leibniz Infections initiative and Science Campus Braunschweig.
• DSI Scientific NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCreated in 2020 to give the global scientific community a voice in ongoing DSI policy negotiations. Network brings together experts to share information about DSI use and ensure frameworks don't compromise scientific research.
• ActinoBaseminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStreptomyces Community Wiki, a collaborative platform for actinomycete research knowledge sharing.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• ATCC (American Type Culture Collection): The leading global biological resource center and culture collection, offering authenticated cell lines, microorganisms, and related services to researchers. Directly competes with DSMZ across cell lines, bacteria, and bioinformatics, with a stronger U.S. commercial footprint.
• BCCM (Belgian Coordinated Collections of Microorganisms): Belgian consortium of coordinated microbial culture collections offering authenticated microorganisms and associated services. Directly comparable to DSMZ in mission, scale, and academic/government customer base.
• CIP (Collection de l'Institut Pasteur): Institut Pasteur's culture collection specializing in bacteria, particularly pathogenic species. Closely comparable to DSMZ for bacterial strain supply, identification services, and patent deposit capabilities.
• NCIMB (National Collection of Industrial, Food and Marine Bacteria): U.K.-based culture collection supplying industrial, food, and marine bacteria plus patent and safe deposit services. Direct peer for microbial supply and Budapest Treaty deposit functions.
• CCUG (Culture Collection University of Gothenburg): Swedish university-based culture collection providing authenticated bacterial strains and identification services. Comparable in mission and academic customer base to DSMZ's microorganism collection.
• KCTC (Korean Collection for Type Cultures): Korean national culture collection offering microorganisms and cell lines for research. Comparable to DSMZ as a national-level culture collection providing authenticated reference materials and patent deposit services.

Broad incumbents

• Thermo Fisher Scientific: Global life sciences tools and services leader offering cell culture media, microbial identification systems, and authenticated reference materials. Overlaps with DSMZ in microbiology and cell biology but serves customers across a much broader portfolio.
• Merck KGaA (Life Science / Sigma-Aldrich): Major life science supplier offering microbial strains, cell lines, and reference materials alongside a much broader reagents and consumables catalog. Competes indirectly with DSMZ in authenticated biological materials.
• Bio-Rad Laboratories: Life science and clinical diagnostics company offering microbiology identification and quality control products. Overlaps with DSMZ's microbial identification and cell line QC services as part of a broader diagnostics portfolio.
• Charles River Laboratories: Global CRO and biological products supplier offering authenticated cell lines, microbial products, and QC services to pharma and academia. Comparable to DSMZ on authenticated cell line and microbial service lines, though within a much larger CRO business.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCc5qoMxkXVkqK4_3wNtsJJw
• Facebookfacebook.com/Leibniz.DSMZ
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dsmz
• Instagraminstagram.com/dsmz_leibniz

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Leibniz Institute DSMZ