The 7th Annual Meeting of The eDNA Society

Sponsored Seminar

December 2 2024, 12:15 ~ 13:15, Multi-purpose Hall
Sponsored Seminar 1:
Transforming Ecosystem Monitoring and Conservation with eDNA Metabarcoding


Sponsor : Illumina K.K.

 Genomics is transforming our understanding of ecosystems, providing powerful tools for environmental monitoring and conservation. By extracting and sequencing DNA from environmental samples (e.g., water, soil), researchers can rapidly and comprehensively identify and quantify diverse taxa within ecosystems. The approaches, such as DNA metabarcoding using Illumina’s DNA sequencing technology, are less invasive, more cost-effective, more scalable and capable of detecting rare or cryptic species offer significant advantages over traditional monitoring methods.

 This presentation will explore the potential applications of eDNA metabarcoding in various environmental contexts. We will discuss how Illumina’s sequencing technology can be used to assess biodiversity, track invasive species, monitor ecosystem health, and inform conservation management decisions. Additionally, we will share updates on advancements in Illumina’s sequencing technology, supporting environmental genomics applications.

 By harnessing the power of Illumina's genomics sequencing technology, eDNA metabarcoding has the potential to transform our understanding of ecosystems and inform effective conservation strategies. This presentation aims to highlight the current state of the field and future directions for research and application.

◎Speaker

Senior Specialist, Cell Molecular Biology and Agrigenomics, Illumina
 Kenta Naka

※Lunch boxes will be provided to participants by Illumina KK. You must apply in advance to receive the lunch box. Information on how to apply will be provided at a later date.

 


December 3 2024, 11:45 ~ 12:45, Multi-purpose Hall
Sponsored Seminar 2 :
The potential of environmental DNA technology towards the challenges to build the case of "Nature Positive" under the compatibility of science and business


Sponsor : Sunlit Seedlings Ltd.

 At this seminar, we will give a presentation on the technology and business from a Kyoto University startup company, and introduce some examples of how biodiversity can be analyzed, evaluated and reconstructed at the field level in various industry-academia-government initiatives aimed at achieving nature-positive policy. After that, we would like to discuss with the participants the points where environmental DNA analysis technology can contribute to nature-positive initiatives, as well as future prospects.

 Our technology is based on the research results of the Toju Hirokazu’s Laboratory at Kyoto University, and is a technology that fuses three different interdisciplinary fields: ecology, genomics, and information science. The core technology is “ecosystem visualization technology”. In the fields of agriculture, forestry, fisheries and other environmental projects, there are always living organisms that form the basis of the project. The environment is diverse, including soil and water, and there are thousands to millions of species, from invisible microorganisms to animals and plants, each with their own biological functions, and they all interact with each other to shape the environment.

 For example, in agriculture, the performance of crop production is greatly affected by the interaction between soil microorganisms and plants, in the fisheries, the yield is greatly affected by the interaction between microorganisms in the aquatic environment and farmed fish and shellfish, and in forestry, the speed of reforestation is greatly affected by the interaction between soil microorganisms and forest vegetation. For this reason, knowing the content of the ecosystems and biodiversity at the foot of various industrial sites will become an important technological element in the future.

 We have built and systematized the technical assets necessary to gain knowledge of ecosystems and biodiversity, including fieldwork, GIS data analysis, environmental DNA analysis, and network analysis of interactions between organisms, and we are engaged in a business that provides optimized technical assets for solving issues related to biodiversity and ecosystems in business domains including agriculture, forestry, fisheries, construction and real estate industry, and so on. Our business model includes the digitization of biodiversity information through commissioned surveys and analysis, technical support and joint development related to the search for useful biological resources and the commercialization of materials, and consulting on the planning and implementation of nature-positive business plans. We have experience working with private companies on new business development and R&D, as well as with local governments, administrative bodies and cooperatives.


※Lunch boxes will be provided to participants by Sunlit Seedlings Ltd. You must apply in advance to receive the lunch box. Information on how to apply will be provided at a later date.

◆Note
  •  Most presenters are assumed to use Japanese in the oral sessions, although speakers are encouraged to include English on their slides. 
  • Lectures will be streamed to the session participants via Zoom meeting so that they can apply the translated caption function to the talk. Participants can connect to the Zoom meeting via the venue's Wi-Fi.