- Learning from Water and the life it carries*
- Supporting collaboration and engagement, addressing national silos in data monitoring
- Saving lives, supporting food security, reducing costs
- Empowering One Health. Empowering communities. Empowering innovation.
A view from ƛ̓éxətəm Regional Park, by Fiona Brinkman, showing water with mixed environments including flood plains and mountains.
Water is essential for all life and holds valuable information about the health of our communities and the environment. Environmental DNA (and RNA) methods (collectively “eDNA”) have been developed to monitor water (including wastewater), and can now detect multiple pathogens and evaluate ecosystem health. The challenge is that these monitoring efforts are scattered, as different regions and scientific disciplines often work separately with disparate methods, leading to gaps in our understanding. This monitoring is becoming increasingly important as climate change and other societal changes impacts water security and persistence of disease after extreme weather events. At a time when economic efficiencies and productivity are important, coordinated eDNA-based water monitoring provides cost-effective, comprehensive, and rapid support for responses to threats – bolstering sectors as diverse as public health, agriculture, aquaculture, and mining.
Aims for this initial two year project:
1. Develop collaborative communication workspaces and perform a Needs Assessment, to ensure appropriate resource development.
2. Create environmental sequence data specifications and an initial core iMicroSeq database, structured to support a future federated framework.
This resource will fill key gaps in the Canadian eDNA surveillance landscape. iMicroSeq will complement and build upon initiatives including SAFEGUARD, the Climate-Smart Agri-Food Initiative, the VirusSeq Data Portal, iTrackDNA, eDNA Explorer Canada, and strengthen existing partnerships with different communities and Industries. iMicroSeq will also extend Canadian-led, internationally recognized data specifications – developing the framework for a made-in-Canada solution for federated database development that respects Indigenous rights and sovereignty.
We thank our funders for their critical support and partnership
* We are grateful for conversations with Kimberly Huyser (UBC) and her CIEDAR team, which led to us forming with them the concept of “Learning from Water and the Microbial Life it Carries”