Simon Fraser University (SFU) will lead iMicroSeq and ChùNet eDNA surveillance projects to help shape evidence-based public policy and drive faster responses to major public health and environmental threats in remote, northern, and Indigenous communities.
More than $2.8 million in funding from Genome Canada, Genome BC and industry and academic partners is aimed at closing the gaps in eDNA surveillance through wastewater monitoring, SFU announced.
The $1.7 million iMicroSeq project aims to connect eDNA initiatives across Canada by developing unified data standards and integrating datasets into a Canadian-hosted open-access portal.
Co-led by Fiona Brinkman, professor of molecular biology and biochemistry at SFU, and Emma Griffiths, SFU health sciences university research associate, iMicroSeq will make water monitoring more efficient and cost-effective at a time when national coordination is considered critical.
“This project takes an integrated, unifying approach to water monitoring a ‘One Ecosystem’ concept using a uniquely Canadian approach that will ultimately lead to faster, more cost-effective responses to health threats,” Brinkman says in a statement from the university.
Beyond tracking microbes and infectious diseases, iMicroSeq will also coordinate with eDNA research in areas such as animal-based monitoring.
“There are a lot of different projects across Canada, and they’re not necessarily all talking to each other,” says Griffiths. “Everything is a bit siloed right now. This is an opportunity to break down silos, share protocols and methodologies, better integrate data across the country, and improve community and ecosystem health.”
Working with the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, the research team will adapt and expand the VirusSeq Data Portal developed during the COVID-19 pandemic, and use SFU’s Cedar Supercomputing Centre for data analysis. The resulting iMicroSeq portal will be hosted at McGill University, with SFU Cloud cataloguing ongoing projects.
While iMicroSeq focuses on national standards, the $1.2 million ChùNet project takes a regional approach. It serves as a case study in community empowerment, aiming to build a made-in-Canada solution for expanding eDNA monitoring in small communities, while aiming to respect First Nations rights and sovereignty.
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The project will begin by engaging northern, rural, remote, and Indigenous communities to understand their needs and interests in eDNA monitoring. It will then develop a customizable training package for community-led eDNA sampling and analysis.
Communities will collect their own samples and receive results contextualized to their local challenges.
ChùNet is the first Genome Canada/Genome BC-funded project led by a faculty research associate. Erin Gill of SFU’s Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, will partner with community member Mathieya Alatini, a Southern Tutchone matriarch, Kluane First Nation member, and CEO of One Yukon Coalition.
“Concerns in Indigenous communities go beyond pathogens,” says Gill. “They include changes in fish populations used for subsistence harvest or shifts in local biodiversity. Indigenous peoples have a rich oral history and deep knowledge of their land. When combined with genomics, we can create a more complete picture to guide evidence-based decision-making.”
