€1.2 million international partnership to revolutionise fish health monitoring through eRNA technology
Prof Anne Parle-McDermott, from Dublin City University’s Life Sciences Institute and Water Institute, in partnership with researchers from Queens University Belfast (QUB) and University of Maine (UMaine) has been awarded funding under the US-Ireland Research and Development Partnership 2024 Research Call.
The total tripartite award of €1.2 million supports the project ‘Environmental RNA-based Assessment of Fish Health (eRNA-Fish)’ which focuses on developing an environmental RNA monitoring system for fish health in aquaculture.
The award is supported by a global collaboration of funders, including the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) in the US and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) in Northern Ireland. In Ireland, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) has awarded €349,500 specifically to Prof Parle-McDermott to lead this research.
The team, including Prof Parle-McDermott, Profs Michael Kinnison and Erin Grey (UMaine), and Prof Paulo Prodohol (Queen’s), aims to create rapid, non-invasive tests as an early warning system to detect stress and disease in aquaculture salmonid farms by analysing water samples. Disease in salmon farming causes significant economic damage, with costs running into hundreds of millions annually.
Unlike standard environmental DNA (eDNA) which primarily detects the presence of a pathogen, environmental RNA (eRNA) is more dynamic. It can indicate how fish are reacting to their environment. This allows farmers to detect physiological stress before physical symptoms appear, allowing for earlier interventions before a health crisis occurs. By applying CRISPR-Cas diagnostic technology, this will allow the researchers to develop rapid test kits for on-demand use.
Commenting on the award, Prof Anne Parle-McDermott said:
“This funding is a testament to the power of interdisciplinary research. By combining our molecular expertise with the knowledge and expertise at UMaine and QUB, we are uniquely positioned to tackle one of aquaculture’s biggest challenges.
“While traditional eDNA tells us which organisms are present, our focus on environmental RNA (eRNA) allows us to capture the physiological 'signals' fish release into their surroundings. Leveraging CRISPR-Cas technology will enable us to transform a simple water sample into a high-tech diagnostic tool, moving the industry away from invasive testing toward a more sustainable, proactive model of animal welfare."
Michael Kinnison, Professor of Evolutionary Applications Director of the Maine Center for Genetics in the Environment at UMaine said:
“This eRNA technology is really at the developmental stage, but we believe in its potential as a tool for monitoring Atlantic salmon as well as other organisms. The range of expertise this project brings together is essential to realising this potential and developing tools that improve the aquaculture industry.”
Erin Grey, Associate Professor of Ecological Informatics at UMaine said:
“We are going to start simple with a controlled system and a pilot study. As this technology is established, we plan to work with stakeholders to understand their needs and test this technology in more open systems.”
Professor Paulo Prodöhl, Professor of Population and Evolutionary Genetics from the School of Biological Sciences at Queen’s University Belfast, said:
“Environmental RNA technology is still at an early stage of development, but its potential is significant. At Queen’s, we will apply advanced genomics and bioinformatics approaches to identify the molecular signatures of stress and disease in salmon. By working closely with colleagues at DCU and UMaine, we aim to ensure that this technology moves from proof-of-concept to practical application for the aquaculture industry.”
ENDS
About the US-Ireland Award
The US-Ireland Research and Development Partnership is a tri-jurisdictional alliance between Ireland, Northern Ireland and the US, which was officially launched in 2006.
The project was approved after a challenging application process and is funded by multiple organisations including the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine (DAFM) in Ireland, the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), within the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA), Northern Ireland.