Jekielek_Week 9 Reflection
This week we discussed the tool isothermal loop mediated amplification (LAMP). My group picked this emerging technology to discuss for this week. However, I now know that this is not really an emerging technology but more of an evolving technology. It was developed in the early 2000’s and has been evolving ever since. It has proven to be a powerful tool in virology and pathogen detection in human, plant, and animal systems. We wouldn’t be where we are today in these areas without LAMP, I believe. For example, LAMP is the processed used in the Covid-19 rapid tests that are used during this pandemic and throughout the world.
However, it is not without its downsides. While it’s goal is still to amplify DNA, it is still unclear how LAMP compares to other detection tools like PCR or qPCR. A lot of the discussion this week revolved around this specifically. I like the idea that LAMP can be used as a tool for rapid detection of a specific species of interest. Then, in combination with another tool, like eDNA/qPCR we can dig deeper into quantification and dynamics. I’m obviously not an expert, but I could see applying this method in my work to inform other sampling. For example, I’m interested in detecting spawning events and or larval transport dynamics. I could intensely sample an area using lamp for a period of time and, when potential larvae or gametes are detected, I could then increase the sampling effort using eDNA tools.