Welcome to Canadian Phycological Culture Centre

Announcements:

Happy Holidays 2025!

• The CPCC will be closed from Wednesday, December 24 to Sunday, January 4, inclusive.
• The deadline for us to receive Canadian and U.S. orders to be shipped before the holidays is Monday, December 8, assuming that the orders are for small volumes of quick-growing algae. The deadline for us to receive other International orders to be shipped before the holidays is Monday, December 1, assuming that the orders are for small volumes of quick-growing algae. Larger volumes and/or slower-growing algae will be shipped as soon as possible in January 2026.
• Our last day for shipping most Canadian orders this year is Tuesday, December 16. If your facility is open until Wednesday, December 24, an exception may be granted, in which case, your order may be shipped on Monday, December 22.
• Our last day for shipping most U.S. orders this year is Tuesday, December 16. If your facility is open until Wednesday, December 24, an exception may be granted for some U.S. customers, in which case, your order may be shipped on Monday, December 22.
• Our last day for shipping all other International orders this year is Monday, December 8. If your facility is open until Wednesday, December 24, an exception may be granted for some European customers, in which case, your order may be shipped on Monday, December 15.
• An attempt will be made to process orders received by Monday, December 15 prior to facility closure so that they are ready to be shipped as soon as possible in January 2026.
• The first shipping date in 2026 is Monday, January 5.

Have a safe and happy holiday!

Welcome to the Canadian Phycological Culture Centre (CPCC), formerly known as the University of Toronto Culture Collection of Algae and Cyanobacteria (UTCC). Founded in 1987, the CPCC provides research quality cultures, culture medium, and other related services to educational institutions, government and commercial laboratories worldwide.

Housed at the University of Waterloo in the Department of Biology, the CPCC is internationally recognized as a major service collection of living freshwater algal, cyanobacterial and Lemna spp. (duckweed) cultures. Strains are often used for environmental research and biotechnology applications including:

• a potential source of biofuels and natural novel products
• carbon sequestration
• bioremediation
• bio-control and toxic effects of cyanobacteria
• toxin detection methods
• algal bloom studies
• ecotoxicity testing
• physiology and molecular basis of metal toxicity and tolerance in algae
• the impact of ultra-violet radiation on algae
• taxonomic identification of algae by DNA barcoding
• taste and odour problems in drinking water
• aesthetic landscaping (i.e., algae gardens)

Last updated: January, 2025.

Logo designed by Daniel Hsia; photos provided courtesy of Judy Acreman, Daniel Hsia, and Mary Olaveson. Images are subject to copyright; please do not copy or reproduce them without permission.