HABSSED: Harmful Algal Bloom Surveillance by Sequencing of Environmental DNA

Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) pose a significant and increasing risk, both to human health and to the Blue Economy. ‘Omics approaches to early detection promise to help mitigate these risks. We propose to develop HABSSED (HAB Surveillance by Sequencing of Environmental DNA) a portable, reliable, rapid, low-cost pipeline for detecting HABs in the field using 3rd generation sequencing with the Oxford Nanopore MinION device. We propose to demonstrate the efficacy of our approach by sequencing existing samples collected by our collaborators at James Madison University from a NOAA GLERL on Lake Erie. We will sequence eDNA from samples drawn before, during, and after a Microcystis bloom, and estimate the abundance of HAB-associated taxa. We hope to show that this approach will allow for more efficient detection of HABs when compared to conventional approaches. Results from our pilot sequencing runs in Phase I will be used to optimize and streamline the extraction, sequencing, and analysis processes for the development of HABBSED in Phase II. Our team includes expert bioinformaticians, data scientists, MinION sequencing experts, and HAB SMEs, and is uniquely suited to develop and deliver this product to assist NOAA in mitigating this threat to the Blue Economy.