The eDNA platform

This technical platform has been set up to allow ecologists to perform large-scale analysis of environmental DNA via a metabarcoding approach. DNA metabarcoding refers to high throughput DNA-based identification of multiple species from environmental DNA. The main applications consist in diet analysis from feces, in biodiversity assessment using soil or water samples, and in palaeo-environment reconstruction using lake sediments and permafrost samples.

The eDNA platform is composed of three pre-PCR extraction rooms dedicated to feces, soil, and ancient DNA, and to several post-PCR rooms dedicated to the purification and the titration of PCR products. The next generation sequencing on Illumina platforms (HiSeq or MiSeq) is outsourced.