The Story behind the Science: ATCC at 100 years

In 2025, ATCC celebrated its 100th anniversary, a longevity achieved by only a few organizations, and not too many individuals. During that century, ATCC grew from a small, donor-dependent collection of fewer than 200 microorganisms into the independent global biological resource center it is today. ATCC would not have been created and likely not have survived its early years without the involvement of ASM, the parent organization of ATCC. The scientists who founded ATCC, and those who followed, recognized the value of ATCC through its provision of reference standards as the essential tools and reagents required for the replication of experimental results. In this publication, we recognize ASM’s key role in the formal establishment of ATCC in 1925 and its sustained support of ATCC’s continuity. We begin with ATCC’s founding and early development, followed by the struggle to establish and maintain ATCC’s physical independence, and conclude with key aspects of ATCC’s global activities.