Frequently Asked Questions

The Australian Human Microbiome Biobank (AHMB) is a curated repository of microbial isolates derived from consented human donors, operated by Centre for Microbiome Research (CMR) at Queensland University of Technology. It stores and distributes microbial isolates for research and commercial use.

The AHMB is based at the Translational Research Institute (TRI) in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Material must be collected from this site by an approved courier.

The AHMB distributes:

• Microbial isolates derived from human donor samples (stool, skin, oral and vaginal swabs)
• Deidentified associated data, including characterisation and metadata linked to each isolate
• A Certificate of Analysis and Product Information Sheet with every distribution

The AHMB does not distribute primary human samples (e.g. raw stool or swab material) under any circumstances. This is an absolute restriction and cannot be waived.

No. All material distributed by the AHMB is linked to deidentified participant IDs only. Requestors do not receive, and the AHMB does not provide, any information that could be used to identify individual donors.

Enquiries can be emailed to admin@ahmb.com.au or through our contact form on our website.

Access is open to established institutions and organisations. You must be affiliated with a recognised:

• Academic institution or university
• Research organisation
• Government agency
• Healthcare facility
• Commercial entity

All applications require institutional endorsement confirming your affiliation and the organisation's oversight of the use of biological materials.

Unaffiliated private individuals are not eligible to receive AHMB isolates. You must be associated with a recognised institution or organisation that can provide oversight and assume responsibility for appropriate use.

Yes, absolutely! Students enrolled in a Higher Degree by Research (HDR) programme may apply with institutional endorsement from their university confirming supervision and organisational oversight of the research.

Yes. Researchers at international institutions are eligible. You will need to demonstrate institutional affiliation and ensure all import permits and receiving country authorisations are in place before material can be collected.

The AHMB provides access for two broad purposes:

• Research access — for non-commercial scientific research, publication, teaching and education
• Commercial or licensing access — for product development, licensing, or any activity intended to generate commercial revenue

If you are unsure which applies to you, contact admin@ahmb.com.au before applying. We are happy to discuss your needs and identify the right pathway.

Research use means non-commercial scientific research, publication, teaching and education. It expressly excludes development or manufacture of commercial products, licensing to third parties, patent filings based on the biological material, and any activity intended to generate commercial revenue, without prior written QUT/AHMB approval.

No. Material accessed for research purposes may not be used commercially without submitting a new application. Commercial use requires a separate Access Committee review and a negotiated commercial agreement with QUT. Contact admin@ahmb.com.au to discuss next steps.

Yes! The AHMB collection is available for commercial and licensing purposes. You would need to submit an Isolate Access Application Form (Form 050) — available at ahmb.com.au — and your application would go through an Access Committee review before a commercial agreement is negotiated with QUT. If you would like to discuss your project before applying, please reach out to admin@ahmb.com.au.

Of course! Contact admin@ahmb.com.au and describe your research area or intended application. We can assist with identifying relevant isolates from the collection catalogue before you submit a formal application.

Each isolate in the catalogue includes a disease status field indicating whether the donor reported a health condition at the time of sample donation. This is recorded as either None (no condition reported) or Present (a condition was reported).

Disease status is based entirely on donor self-report via a health questionnaire and has not been clinically verified. No specific diagnoses or condition details are disclosed in the catalogue. All donor data is fully deidentified in accordance with our ethics approval and participant consent.

All isolates in the AHMB catalogue are classified using the Genome Taxonomy Database (GTDB), release 226 (r226). Taxonomy is assigned using the GTDB-Tk toolkit against the GTDB r226 reference tree and taxonomy.

GTDB taxonomy can differ substantially from NCBI taxonomy, particularly at the genus and species level. If an isolate name looks unfamiliar, it is likely that the lineage has been reclassified under GTDB nomenclature. The catalogue taxonomy reflects GTDB r226 as published and will not be retroactively updated. We recommend cross-referencing against the GTDB browser at gtdb.ecogenomic.org if you need to reconcile names between frameworks.

All applications must be submitted using the current AHMB Isolate Access Application Form (Form 050), available on the AHMB website. Applications submitted on outdated form versions or without required supporting documentation will be returned without review.

You will generally need to provide:

• Contact details and institutional affiliation
• Co-investigator details (where applicable)
• Project title and description
• AHMB accession numbers for the isolates requested
• Intended use (research or commercial)
• For commercial applications: a brief proposal outlining your intended application and business case

The AHMB aims to notify you of an eligibility outcome within 5 working days of receiving a complete application. Commercial applications involve an additional Access Committee review, with a target of 20 working days from a complete submission. Further time will be required for agreement negotiation through QUT. Incomplete applications or missing documentation will be returned, and processing times will restart once a complete submission is received.

If the Biobank Coordinator requires additional information to complete the eligibility check, you will be notified in writing with a clear description of what is needed. You have 20 working days to respond. Requests that lapse beyond this period without response will be closed, and you will need to submit a new application.

You will be notified in writing within 5 working days, with reasons provided. You may request clarification, submit a revised application (for incomplete information issues), or lodge a formal appeal within 20 working days on substantive grounds.

All requestors are required to sign a combined Material Transfer Agreement (MTA) and Approved User Acknowledgment (AUA). This document governs the transfer of biological material from QUT/AHMB to your organisation and sets out the permitted use, handling and containment requirements, reporting obligations, attribution requirements, intellectual property terms, liability, and the prohibition on onward transfer without prior QUT written consent. The MTA/AUA must be signed by authorised representatives of both your organisation and QUT before any material is released.

Access fees are charged to recover costs associated with quality control, preparation, storage and distribution. The fee schedule is reviewed annually.

• Research access: $528.00 per isolate (AUD, ex GST), invoiced via QUT Finance
• Commercial or licensing access: negotiated on a case-by-case basis; may include upfront fees, milestones, royalties or equity

Contact admin@ahmb.com.au for the current fee schedule or a cost estimate.

Each distribution includes a Certificate of Analysis (CoA) confirming the quality release status of the material, and a Product Information Sheet providing isolate-specific technical information including growth conditions, recommended media, atmospheric requirements and optimal temperature.

For international distributions, you are responsible for arranging courier collection from the AHMB at the Translational Research Institute in Brisbane. The AHMB will prepare and package the material ready for collection but will not arrange or pay for courier services. If you are a domestic user, the AHMB can help arrange couriers — this can be discussed at the time of purchase.

Before the AHMB will release material to a courier, you must provide written confirmation that:

• All import permits and receiving-country authorisations are in place
• Your nominated courier is appropriately certified to transport biological material under IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations
• Any additional documentation required by the destination country (e.g. customs declarations) has been arranged

The AHMB will not release material without this written confirmation.

Material is packaged in accordance with IATA Packing Instruction P650 (UN3373 Biological Substance, Category B), or as otherwise required by the biosafety classification of the specific material.

The AHMB is responsible for ensuring that all Australian export obligations — including any DAFF/AQIS permits and OGTR requirements — are satisfied before handover. The recipient accepts full responsibility for the material from the point of collection.

Possibly — this is your responsibility to determine. Receipt of AHMB material does not confer ethics approval on you for your downstream research. You are solely responsible for obtaining any ethics approval required by your own institution or applicable legislation, and for ensuring your use of the material is consistent with your institutional ethics framework.

No. Onward transfer or sub-licensing of AHMB material to any third party is prohibited without prior written consent from QUT/AHMB. This applies regardless of whether the other party is within your own institution.

Yes. All publications, presentations and outputs arising from use of AHMB material must include the following statement:

"The [description of material/data] was sourced from the Australian Human Microbiome Biobank operated by Queensland University of Technology, see https://ahmb.com.au/."

You must also notify the AHMB of any publications arising from use of AHMB material within 30 days of submission.

The AHMB may withdraw access and suspend further distributions to your organisation, and may pursue any other remedies available under the agreement or applicable law.

Access may be withdrawn if:

• Material is used in breach of the AUA, MTA or AHMB policy
• You provided false or misleading information in your application
• Required reporting obligations are not met
• A legal or regulatory compliance concern arises

You may appeal in writing within 20 working days of receiving the decision, providing clear grounds for the appeal. A panel will review the appeal within 30 working days. Their decision is final at the Biobank level; you retain any rights available under QUT's broader complaints and appeals procedures.

You can submit feedback at any time via:

• Email: admin@ahmb.com.au
• Web form: ahmb.com.au

You will also receive a post-distribution satisfaction survey approximately 30 days after your material is distributed. We welcome and act on all feedback — it directly informs our service improvement processes.

The AHMB aims to acknowledge feedback within 2 working days and resolve complaints within 10 working days.