M-SCI
The Microbiomics Standards and Controls Initiative
- Receive free standards and controls.
- Improve accuracy and data reproducibility.
- Help the field of Microbiomics incorporate controls and standards in every experiment.
Why Give Away Free Standards & Controls?
Good Science Requires Controls
Leaders in the field of microbiomics have recognized that the lack of well-defined microbial standards and controls has held back research progress. Zymo Research is passionate about data quality and reproducibility so, in an effort to make well-defined standards and controls available to all researchers, the ZymoBIOMICS Microbial Standards and Spike-in Controls will be offered to all free of charge!
How to Receive Free Microbiome Standards & Controls
Provide some details about your project.
Zymo Research will send you free standards and controls.*
Use these controls for accurate and reproducible data.
Worldwide Consortia and Leaders in the Field are Calling for Standards
It is an exciting time for the field of metagenomics and the microbiome. However, the limited ability to compare between different research studies greatly hinders the progress of the research.
- Christopher E. Mason, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Weill Cornell Medicine
Before we can make correlations of microorganisms with a condition, we need to know that the microbiome we have is reflective of reality.
- Raul Cano Ph.D.
Chief Scientific Officer, BioCollective
What are Microbiome Standards & Controls?
Microbiome standards are mixed cell communities or isolated DNA composed in known concentrations allowing for accurate data interpretation. Read more about the standards
Types of Standards & Controls
- Mock Microbial Communities for general workflow assessment and positive controls.
- Isolated DNA Standards to benchmark library prep and bioinformatics.
- Spike-in Controls for absolute quantification and in situ quality control.
- Reference Material as a positive control using real life samples.
The ZymoBIOMICS Portfolio of Standards & Controls
| ZymoBIOMICS Standards | Microbial Community Standard | Microbial Community Standard II | Spike-in Control | HMW DNA Standard | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Formats | Microbial Cell | DNA | Microbial Cell | DNA | High Microbial Load | Low Microbial Load | DNA |
| Detect Bias In: | Complete Workflow | Library prep & Bioinformatics | Complete Workflow | Library Prep & Bioinformatics | Complete Workflow | Complete Workflow | Long-read Sequencing |
| Recommended Use | General benchmarking and microbiome profiling control | Assess detection limit and sensitivity | Absolute quantification of high bacterial-load samples (e.g., feces) | Absolute quantification of low bacterial-load samples (e.g., sputum) | General benchmarking and microbiome profiling control for long-read sequencing | ||
Cited by Leaders in the Field:
- From the Loman Lab. Ultra-deep, long-read nanopore sequencing of mock microbial community standards.
- From the Mason and Chiu Labs: Single-molecule sequencing detection of N6-methyladenine in microbial reference materials.
- From the Knight Lab: High-Throughput Miniaturized 16S rRNA Amplicon Library Preparation Reduces Costs while Preserving Microbiome Integrity.
