Brighton researchers to pioneer DNA-based tool for tracking water pollution
Scientists in the University’s Centre for Environment and Society are leading a £950,000 national project, funded by the National Environment Research Council (NERC), to develop a new “forensic” diagnostic tool that can pinpoint human sources of pollution in water. The project will bring together an interdisciplinary team of experts from across the country to create and test a first-of-its-kind technology capable of tracing pollution in UK rivers, ensuring cleaner, safer water for swimming and drinking.
Using advanced DNA sequencing methods, researchers will search water samples for bacteriophages – naturally occurring viruses found in the human gut and shed in our faeces. The portable tool will allow samples to be collected and analysed both in the field and the laboratory, making it a major improvement on existing lab-based technologies, which are slow and unreliable as indicators of human contamination. The work comes at a critical time. Under the Water Framework Directive, the internationally recognised standard for water quality, no river in England meets the criteria for “good chemical status” and only 16% are classed as having “good ecological status”.
Dr Sarah Purnell, Principal Lecturer and Project Lead, based in the School of Applied Sciences, said:
“This project aims to significantly improve how we monitor water quality. By using advanced DNA sequencing and bacteriophage diagnostics, we aim to deliver a tool that can quickly and accurately identify human faecal pollution. This will help regulators and communities make decisions to protect water resources and public health.”
Brighton researchers to pioneer DNA-based tool for tracking water pollution
University of Brighton leads river pollution project | The Argus
