New Developments

Rapid technological developments are continually expanding the potential of eDNA methods for detecting aquatic species more quickly and efficiently. On-site PCR technologies, autonomous sampling devices, broad-scale sampling and mapping programs, and other advances are changing the way we design, implement, analyze, interpret, and use eDNA detection. Keep an eye on this page for news about significant technological advances in eDNA methods, equipment, and applications. 

SHERLOCK Platform
The SHERLOCK tool is a CRISPR-based platform for rapid species identification developed by the Genomic Variation Laboratory at UC Davis. With a swab of mucous from the side of a fish, SHERLOCK can detect a species’ DNA in less than an hour in the field, without DNA extraction or PCR. Read more ->

Biomeme Onsite PCR Platform
The Biomeme device is a real-time qPCR thermocycler that attaches to an iPhone and enables you to perform DNA or RNA analysis in the field. Additionally, kits to extract eDNA filter samples in the field are available. Read more ->

MinION Portable Sequencing Device
MinION is a portable real-time device for DNA and RNA sequencing. Each consumable flow cell can now generate 10–20 Gb of DNA sequence data. Ultra-long read lengths are possible (hundreds of kb) as you can choose your fragment length.  Read more ->

MBARI Environmental Sample Processor
The MBARI Environmental Sample Processor—the ESP—provides on-site (in situ) collection and analysis of water samples from the ocean, identifying the presence of organisms and/or biological toxins. Read more ->

eDNA Sampler
The eDNA Sampler system is designed for filtering larger volumes of water compared to current methods, reducing risk of contamination among sampling sites, and expediting sampling duration. Read more ->