Vancouver, BC — On World Environment Day, Genome British Columbia (Genome BC) is proud to announce significant new investments that will expand Canada’s capacity for environmental DNA or RNA (collectively called ‘eDNA’) monitoring. These investments highlight leadership within British Columbia in leveraging genomics to address pressing environmental and health challenges, particularly in remote and Indigenous communities.
Nature’s Fingerprints: eDNA is a New Tool that Reveals What’s Living Around Us
eDNA is a powerful tool that uses trace genetic material left behind in water, air and soil to detect pathogens, assess ecosystem health and support environmental decision-making. eDNA allows scientists and communities to detect and track species without needing to see them directly, offering a more efficient way to study ecosystems. eDNA can also track health and ecological signals without relying on invasive testing.
This technology was widely used during the COVID-19 pandemic to monitor virus levels in wastewater and is now being expanded to keep people safe, protect biodiversity and help with climate resilience. The projects announced today focus on ensuring these tools are not just scientifically robust, but also community-driven and accessible — especially for regions with limited existing monitoring infrastructure.
“eDNA allows us to monitor and connect with the land in real time to understand the health of ecosystems and communities without intrusion. These investments show how genomics can support Indigenous leadership and empower remote communities, making science more accessible, inclusive, and responsive to local needs,” said Federica Di Palma, Chief Scientific Officer and Vice President, Research and Innovation at Genome BC.
Three Projects Expanding eDNA Use and Data Sharing
The ChùNet and iMicroSeq projects are BC-based projects awarded through Genome Canada’s eDNA Surveillance program, which includes a $11.3 million investment in 12 projects across the country aimed at building the scientific, technical and community capacity needed to scale eDNA surveillance. The eDNA Explorer Canada project is a separate initiative funded by Genome BC, though all three projects will coordinate their efforts.
ChùNet: Enabling a knowledge sharing network — learning from water and the life it carries
Led by: Erin Gill (Simon Fraser University) and Math’ieya Alatini (One Yukon Coalition)
This project will establish a community-focused network to share data and knowledge about water-based eDNA monitoring in northern, rural, remote and Indigenous communities in BC and the Yukon. Co-led by academic and community partners, ChùNet will create tailored training resources and deploy a demonstration monitoring project while respecting OCAP® principles. The aim is to build a wholistic foundation for integrating environmental and public health surveillance that builds local priorities into decision making.
iMicroSeq: Integrated, inclusive resources supporting environmental sequence data
Led by: Fiona Brinkman and Emma Griffiths (Simon Fraser University)
This project will develop a national data portal and communications platform that brings together researchers, Indigenous communities, public health officials and other in industry to support more coordinated, integrated microbial eDNA monitoring for wastewater and other water data. iMicroSeq will enhance data sharing, respect Indigenous data sovereignty (CARE and OCAP® Principles), and link human, agricultural and environmental health through a One Health lens. The platform will empower both community and industry innovation in economic, water-based pathogen detection and climate resilience.
eDNA Explorer Canada: Upscaling eDNA Explorer to Enable Effective Biodiversity Monitoring in Canada
Led by: Caren Helbing (University of Victoria) and Rachel Meyer (University of California Santa Cruz & Chief Scientific Officer at eDNA Explorer)
(* Read the UC Santa Cruz announcement here)
This project leverages the eDNA Explorer platform developed in California to create eDNA Explorer Canada. This powerful, easy-to-use portal will allow anyone to understand, evaluate and share eDNA data gathered in Canadian ecosystems, focusing on biodiversity monitoring, conservation and restoration. eDNA Explorer Canada is tailored to meet Canadian environmental standards and sovereignty needs, ensuring data is reliable and legally compliant. It aims to turn raw data into actionable insights that drive environmental protection efforts, building on existing relationships with Indigenous and government agencies established through the iTrackDNA project, which in 2021 and 2023 established Canada’s national eDNA standards (learn more about those standards here).
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Contact: A.G. Klei, Senior Communications Manager, Genome BC
