St. John’s-based DNA sequencing startup eDNAtec has won an award from the Newfoundland and Labrador Environmental Industry Association recognizing its contribution to protecting the marine environment.
The Cleantech Innovation Award, announced Thursday, was created to recognize a company that has the potential to “mitigate effects to, protect, or enhance the environment.”
EDNAtec’s product uses DNA sequencing to identify the organisms present in marine environments. CEO Steve Barrett said in an interview that the technology is particularly useful for government agencies, as well as for energy companies conducting environmental impact assessments.
“The award is quite timely for Atlantic Canada because it really helps us to position ourselves as unique in the world, in terms of the ocean economy,” he said. “And part of going forward as an ocean economy region is really understanding environmental stewardship.”
Marine organisms leave traces of DNA behind when they pass through water, which remain for 24 to 48 hours. Barrett’s company uses water samples collected from boats or shorelines to sequence the DNA and identify which organisms are present in a given region.
The technique works on organisms ranging in size from bacteria to whales. The range of the samples -- that is, how close an organism needs to have been to a sample location in order to be detected – is not yet clear. But Barrett said eDNAtec is currently conducting experiments to find out. The strength and direction of currents may be factors.
The company was founded in 2015. In 2017, it established its Centre for Environmental Genomics Applications, which is the lab that it uses for its DNA testing.
Barrett said he believes the centre to be the only dedicated “environmental genomics” laboratory in the world. “We think we’re putting Atlantic Canada on the map as a centre of excellence and expertise in the field.”
The company was funded partly with money from Texas oil giant ExxonMobil, as well as Newfoundland’s Hibernia oil platform -- a joint project between Exxon, Chevron and several other companies.
Exxon is also an eDNAtec customer, as is the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. And multiple aquaculture companies have reached out to Barrett’s team to explore the possibility of deploying the technology around fish farms.
The company currently has 17 staff, and Barrett foresees adding as many as five to 10 more employees within the next year, if his plans for the business stay on track. Despite aggressive expansion plans, he does not expect to seek venture capital financing in the foreseeable future.
Though COVID-19 is forcing many staff to work from home, Barrett said eDNAtec’s business is proving resilient.
The announcement from the Newfoundland and Labrador Environmental Industry Association also included three other awards:
- The Environmental Industry Business Excellence Award – This award “recognizes a significant initiative, project, or achievement of a business engaged in Newfoundland and Labrador’s green economy.” This year’s winner was smart thermostat manufacturer Mysa, which aims to improve buildings’ energy efficiency.
- The Cleantech International Business Award – This award “recognizes a significant initiative or achievement of Newfoundland and Labrador business engaged in international business activities relating to cleantech or environmental services.” This year, it was won by Compusult, which sells software related to geospacial awareness.
- The Environmental Industry Champion Award -- This award “recognizes the contribution of an individual to the growth of Newfoundland and Labrador’s environmental industry.” It was awarded to Glenn Sharp, a professional engineer and the owner of Sharp Management Inc., which provides consulting services to oil and gas companies, such as the Hibernia oil rig. He was the first person in Newfoundland to sell carbon offset credits, which were based on using wetlands to treat municipal wastewater.
