Grants and Contributions:

Grant or Award spanning more than one fiscal year (2017-2018 to 2020-2021).

The United States Coast Guard (USCG) recently introduced stringent regulations for the treatment of ballastx000D
water to minimize or eliminate the risk of the introduction of aquatic invasive species via ballast waterx000D
transport. Ultra-violet (UV) light irradiation is a useful technology in ballast water treatment systems (BWTSs)x000D
for eliminating aquatic species which could be invasive and harmful to humans and the environment. UVx000D
damages DNA and prevents cellular replication, but the vital stain methods mandated in the USCG protocolx000D
may not detect UV damage in phytoplankton. Alternative culture-based measures of reproductive capacity arex000D
yet to be approved due to concerns over culture-based species biases (i.e., not all species may grow). Rapid andx000D
accurate assays to identify cells that are UV damaged beyond recovery are critical for the acceptance ofx000D
UV-based BWTSs for phytoplankton. Hence we propose to develop high-throughput phytoplankton culturex000D
technologies and combine them with genomic/transcriptomic approaches to quantify DNA damage and thex000D
associated disruption of gene transcription at key functional gene loci across a range of gene function classes inx000D
the phytoplankton community typically found in ballast water.x000D
Trojan Technologies (Trojan), headquartered in London, Ontario, Canada is one of the world's leading waterx000D
treatment companies. The products and services provided by Trojan companies play vital roles in makingx000D
various stages of the water treatment process more effective, efficient and sustainable, ranging from residentialx000D
to industrial, municipal and marine applications. The application of UV sterilization technology to BWTSsx000D
represents a potential global market of >$15 billion (USD). We will partner with Trojan to develop thex000D
high-throughput culture protocols in concert with advanced meta-genomic and meta-transcriptomic technologyx000D
to validate UV sterilization for BWTSs and thus expand Trojan's market on a global scale and provide thex000D
shipping industry with a practical, safe and cost-effective ballast water sterilization option.