微生物培养收集中心（CCM）为真核微生物，蓝藻和小型水生无脊椎动物的活培养物的维护提供设备和合格的技术人员。该中心的“核心”由圣彼得堡国立大学通过许多知名专家和研究团队多年的努力创建的三个大型文化集合组成：

•收集蓝藻，藻类和藻类寄生虫的培养物（CALU，列宁格勒大学藻类收集），在微生物学实验室创建（约1500株）;
•收集单细胞生物Kariology实验室的含共生体的培养物（约4500株）;
•快速发展的无脊椎动物学系异养原生生物培养物收集（约400个菌群）。
•微生物培养收集中心（CCM）的异养原生生物（约400个菌株）。

目前计划利用收集中心的能力，维持6个较小规模的收藏品（总共约有1000个不同原生生物组的菌株），并能够将当前收集库存扩大30%。计划建立一个充气微型水族馆系统，用于维持原生生物和小型无脊椎动物，从而使科学家能够为长期研究和维护来自偏远栖息地的样本创造微观世界。微生物培养中心有望成为东欧最大的微生物培养物收集中心。

该资源中心的设计借鉴了世界领先菌种收藏的经验，如CCAP（英国藻类和原生动物的培养物收藏）和ATCC（美国类型文化收藏品）。CCM技术设施包括六个用于培养物储存的恒温室，可以对温度、湿度和照明模式进行个性化编程。这些房间的功能稳定性由双重备份保护系统保证：如果任何设备发生故障，六个房间中不超过两个将停止工作，从而实现对收藏品的安全存储。CCM实验室配备了所有维护，重新播种，喂养，清洁和其他必要的程序设施，以维持真核微生物培养物。该设备包括层流箱，通风柜，局部气候柜，冷柜，高品质徕卡M125C立体显微镜，尼康TMS100倒置显微镜和具有相差和Nomarsky对比光学元件的徕卡DM2500直立显微镜，振动器孵化单元和不同种类的离心机。

在处理微生物时可能遇到的主要挑战之一是，难以将它们运送到实验室和其他资源中心进一步研究。因此，CCM研究生命物质时使用的技术设施主要是光学显微镜。这些设施包括高品质徕卡M205C立体显微镜（256х放大倍率，变焦镜头，反射和透射光），具有相衬和集成调制对比度光学元件的倒置徕卡DMI3000显微镜（“培养皿中的Nomarsky”）以及配备荧光模块和高光圈透镜的徕卡DMI 2500显微镜。所有设备均配备徕卡DFC490数码相机，可在各种状态下实现高质量的图像。这些相机由徕卡应用套件软件提供服务，该软件具有一套丰富的模块，用于研究和记录图像。CCM还包括一个用于细胞化学研究的特殊房间，用于电子显微镜的材料制备以及一个用于基础分子研究的房间（DNA和RNA纯化，PCR，PCR产物的分析和纯化，核酸杂交，扩增子和DNA探针的干燥）。有用于存储DNA集合的速冻冰箱，液氮可用于培养物的冷冻保存和临时冷冻保存。

可靠地保护材料、工作环境和工人免受污染和侵蚀性影响是任何最新实验室的关键组成部分。CCM配备了SafeFAST精英微生物安全柜，这是Faster生产的尖端层流箱，F LabPro FM烟柜是安全廉价的俄罗斯产品和泛林系统的PCR箱，广泛用于分子研究。

The Centre for Culture Collection of Microorganisms (CCM) provides equipment and skilled staff for maintenance of living cultures of eukaryotic microorganisms, cyanobacteria and small aquatic invertebrates. The "core" of the centre is three large collections of cultures formed at St. Petersburg University and maintained for many years by distinguished experts and research teams:

• the Collection of Algae of Leningrad University (CALU) created at the Microbiology Laboratory (about 1500 strains);
• the collection of ciliates and their symbionts of the Karyology Laboratory (about 4500 strains);
• the rapidly growing collection of amoebae, heliozoa and other heterotrophic protists (about 400 strains);
• the Collection of the heterotrophic protists of the Resource Centre "Culture Collection of Microorganisms" (CCM) (about 400 strains).
The resource centre capacities allow maintenance of six additional collections (the total of about 1000 strains of various groups of protists) and suggest potential expansion of the current collection stock by 30%. It is planned to organise a system of aerated microaquaria for maintenance of the protists and small invertebrates, thus enabling the scientists to create microcosms for long-term research and maintenance of samples originating from remote habitats. The Centre for Culture Collection of Microorganism potentially is expected to become the largest culture collection of microorganisms in Eastern Europe.

The resource centre has been designed following the experience of the leading world culture collections such as CCAP (Culture Collection of Algae and Protozoa, UK) and ATCC (American Type Culture Collection). The CCM technical facilities include six isolated rooms for culture storing, each fitted with individual programmable climate control. Controlled parameters include temperature, humidity and lighting. The stability of functioning of these rooms is guaranteed by a double backup protection system: in case of failure of any of the devices, not more than two out of the six rooms will stop working, thus enabling a safe storage of the collections. The CCM laboratory rooms are equipped with all facilities for maintenance, passage, feeding, cleaning and other procedures necessary to maintain cultures of eukaryotic microooganisms. This equipment includes laminar boxes, fume cupboards, local climate cabinets, cold cabinets, high-quality Leica M125C stereomicroscopes, Nikon TMS100 inverted microscopes and Leica DM2500 upright ones with phase contrast and Nomarsky contrast optics, shaker hatching units and different kinds of centrifuges.

One of the major challenges one may come across when working with microorganisms is the difficulty of their transportation for further research at labs and other resource centres. That is why CCM offers technical facilities for live material research using the main methods of light microscopy. These facilities include a highquality Leica M205C stereomicroscope (256х magnification, zoom lens, reflected and transmitted light), an inverted Leica DMI3000 microscope with phase contrast and integrated modulation contrast optics («Nomarsky in Petri dishes») as well as a Leica DMI 2500 microscope equipped with a fluorescent module and high-aperture lenses. All the devices are equipped with Leica DFC490 digital cameras enabling highquality images in various regimes. The cameras are served by the Leica Application Suite software with a rich set of modules for research and documenting of images. CCM also includes a special room for cytochemical research, material preparation for electrone microscopy as well as a room for basic molecular research (DNA and RNA purification, PCR, analysis and purification of PCR products, nucleic acid hybridisation, drying of amplicons and DNA probes). There are deep-freeze refrigerators for storing DNA collections and liquid nitrogen can be used for cryoconservation and temporal cryostorage of cultures.

The reliable protection of materials, working environment and workers from contamination and aggressive influences is a key constituent of any up-to-date lab. CCM is equipped with SafeFAST Elite Microbiological Safety Cabinets which are the cutting-edge laminar boxes produced by Faster, F LabPro FM fume cupboards which are safe and inexpensive Russian products and LamSystems PCR boxes widely used for molecular research.