LAMP
This week’s discussion on LAMP technology and its applications to eDNA was super foreign to me! I’d heard of this technology once before, I think in a COVID testing sense, but I had never really thought of it in terms of use in eDNA research/ my own research interests. Specifically, the aspect about involving community scientists/ using it for community outreach and involvement is awesome! The lack of need for a thermocylcer and the ease of use are appealing. On the other hand, I did have some apprehensions about this technology. Specifically, the cost of running it compared to traditional PCR and the complexity of the primer design/ implementation. I think that this method has great perks and uses that are superior to traditional PCR, but its application in a broader sense I feel is a bit limited since you need the expertise to design 4-6 primers and have the funds to buy those and your master mix.
Overall, I think that the use of this technology could revolutionize how we monitor species, conduct field work, test for disease, and many other things. As we discussed in class, the applications to in field use for quick testing of presence/ absence of a species is so valuable and could revolutionize the time and effort needed for picking field sites and doing specific sampling to find your species/ habitat of interest. Super cool conversation and I’m excited to learn more about other eDNA innovations/emerging methods (thinking of you, microfluidic chips)!