Cultivarium is a non-profit bioengineering firm that announced a three-year project to develop advanced tools for life scientists studying fungi and archaea. With $10 million in funding from global charitable foundation Wellcome, Cultivarium looks to create a thriving ecosystem of biologists equipped with cutting-edge technologies to study and engineer these enigmatic organisms for human health, sustainability, and biotechnology applications.
The limited number of model species and insufficient research tools have severely hindered research progress on fungi and archaea. Wellcome is investing over £50 million to help researchers explore the crucial roles of fungi in human health and climate solutions.
Since its founding in 2021, Cultivarium has established itself as a leader in developing tools for working with exotic microbes. The organization has created a comprehensive suite of technologies that enable scientists to grow, manipulate, and study these “non-model” microbes that are difficult or impossible to work with in the lab.
This support expands Cultivarium’s capabilities to tackle fungi and archaea specifically, which have distinct biological properties that require specialized approaches.
Utilizing Cultivarium’s unique strength in handling non-model microbes, the program will focus on three core areas: developing improved cultivation methods, creating genetic engineering tools specifically designed for diverse fungi and archaea, and strengthening the global network of researchers by sharing knowledge and resources.
Cultivarium has already implemented its platform to develop genetic tools in over 300 different non-model microbes in its laboratory, generating thousands of growth profiles and protocols for DNA delivery and engineering across the microbial tree of life. And these efforts will significantly expand the scope of organisms available for discovery and innovation in medicine, sustainable agriculture and biomanufacturing.
KEY QUOTES:
“This is an incredibly exciting initiative. Cultivarium is uniquely positioned to advance technologies with the focus and speed required to help us better understand fungi and archaea. By developing foundational tools, we can empower researchers to make new discoveries that make a meaningful impact on improving people’s health around the world.”
Viv Goosens, Research Manager at Wellcome
“We’re incredibly grateful for Wellcome’s generous support and excited to build a community of researchers who will have access to new, customized tools to tackle urgent global challenges. The tools we’re developing will dramatically improve the accessibility of these organisms for the global scientific community. Our vision is to give researchers the ability to explore the full microbial universe, and this collaboration marks a crucial step to realizing that goal.”
Henry Lee, co-founder and chief executive officer of Cultivarium
“Fungi and archaea represent an extraordinary untapped resource for scientific discovery and biotechnology innovation, yet most species remain inaccessible to scientists. Wellcome’s support will enable us to work deeply with fungal and archaeal scientists to develop the precise technologies they need to advance their research.”
Nili Ostrov, co-founder and chief scientific officer of Cultivarium
“Cultivarium’s rapid progress to make non-model microbes genetically tractable in the laboratory exemplifies our FRO vision in action. Wellcome’s support highlights the potential of their impactful work in priority research areas such as fungi and archaea. Convergent Research was founded to help organizations like this turn bold scientific hunches into practical tools that unlock new frontiers.”
Anastasia Gamick, co‑founder and Chief Operating Officer at Convergent
