Installation in Colombia of the first mobile environmental DNA laboratory

A new step has been taken in the development of the Global Life Observatory – Vigilife, with the installation in Colombia of the first mobile environmental DNA laboratory at the headquarters of INVEMAR, the Colombian Institute of Marine and Coastal Research.

This transfer of technology and skills is the culmination of a scientific collaboration initiated several years ago between INVEMAR and members of Vigilife (ETHZ / WSL, University of Montpellier, SPYGEN, etc.). It has been supported by the French government in the framework of bilateral cooperation between France and Colombia, through a FASEP funding (Fund for studies and aid to the private sector); the first FASEP to be set up in the biodiversity sector. Thanks to this laboratory, environmental DNA extractions can now be performed directly in the country.

This “plug and play” laboratory prototype, developed by SPYGEN and IMEBIO, has been specially designed for rapid deployment of eDNA technologies in partner countries and to perform environmental DNA extractions according to the highest quality standards, while limiting the risks of contamination of samples, the environment, or handlers by pathogenic organisms that may be present in the samples analyzed.

The mobile laboratory was inaugurated in July 2022 in the presence of Mr Frédéric Doré, French Ambassador to Colombia, Mr Francisco Arias-Isaza, Director General of Invemar, as well as delegations from several Colombian institutions: the Government of Magdalena, the Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies (IDEAM), the SINCHI institute, the NGO Envol Vert, the Jorge Tadeo Lozano University and the University of Magdalena.

For Frédéric Doré, “this laboratory of the French company SPYGEN, in cooperation with INVEMAR, is a further sign of cooperation between France and Colombia on an issue of the utmost importance, because it is an issue linked to the future of Colombia, France and the planet”. INVEMAR scientists are currently being trained by SPYGEN teams to carry out eDNA analysis. The continuation of the collaboration will allow Colombia to master the entire analysis procedure, from field sampling to bioinformatics.

This innovative method will allow strengthening the national strategy for biodiversity in Colombia, particularly for marine protected areas, and aims to improve the preservation of the natural resources of the country, one of the richest in the world in terms of number of species.