Ms Lillian Brancalion1
1Elizabeth Macarthur Agricultural Institute (EMAI), Menangle, Australia
Biography:
Lillian is a molecular biologist from the Elizabeth Macarthur Agricultural Institute within NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD). During her employment within DPIRD, she has worked on a number of R&D and diagnostic projects in the field biosecurity and surveillance, including but not limited to qPCR, DNA barcoding and metabarcoding work on aquatic animal and plant tissues as well as eDNA from water filters and settlement arrays. This presentation summarises this work and the some of the services currently offered by NSW DPIRD at EMAI in the field of eDNA for biosecurity monitoring.
Abstract:
Environmental DNA (eDNA) technology has emerged as a powerful instrument in the biosecurity and surveillance toolkit, revolutionizing monitoring practices within the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (NSW DPIRD). Over the past two years, in collaboration with a range of divisions within NSW DPIRD, the Biotechnology Laboratory at the Elizabeth Macarthur Agricultural Institute (EMAI) have introduced a range of eDNA services to enhance ecosystem and biosecurity monitoring across freshwater, marine and terrestrial environments. This presentation will briefly outline the Department’s applications of eDNA technology across diverse ecosystem monitoring and surveillance initiatives.
Current services include established and robust metabarcoding protocols for the detection of fish and vertebrate species from water and water filter samples, as well as species-specific screening for a range of livestock and domestic pet species from a range of eDNA and non-eDNA sample types. In collaboration with Aquatic Biosecurity (NSW DPIRD), EMAI have also established species-specific screening for over twenty species of priority and secondary marine pests and are expanding our capabilities to include priority and secondary freshwater fish species. Research and development into eDNA applications in biosecurity are ongoing, with current work focusing on the identification of bacterial and viral targets, particularly zoonotic pathogens.
Our aim is to continually expand the scope of eDNA technology to offer comprehensive and effective monitoring and surveillance services for ecosystem management and biosecurity, ensuring the protection and sustainability of our natural and agricultural environments. We welcome collaborations and research partnerships to further this work.