SPYGEN

SPYGEN is a French biotechnology company specializing in the monitoring of aquatic and terrestrial biodiversity using environmental DNA (eDNA), DNA that can be extracted from environmental samples, such as water, soil or feces, without prior isolation of target organisms. For its eDNA analysis, the company operates a 200 sq m analysis platform with five laboratory rooms.

The company is a spin-off from the Laboratoire d'Ecologie Alpine (LECA), a developer of biodiversity monitoring methods based on eDNA. As of August 2023, SPYGEN and LECA had secured six patents and published more than 50 scientific papers on eDNA.

SPYGEN uses VigiDNA technologies to detect the presence of a target species in an aquatic ecosystem (VigiDNA S: eDNA barcoding proposed for the monitoring of nine aquatic species) or all species of a target group (VigiDNA M: eDNA metabarcoding for four target taxonomic groups including amphibians, fish, mammals, and bivalves) from samples. As of August 2023, the VigiDNA technologies were under development. In 2015, SPYGEN introduced a sampling method that uses a sterile filtration capsule (VigiDNA SW kit) to avoid the use of ethanol and increase the amount of DNA collected from the medium (20 fully filtered 100 ml water samples).

Key customers and partnerships

In April 2023, SPYGEN partnered with Envol Vert, an NGO carrying out forest protection and biodiversity projects, and Biodiversité Amazonienne, a French deforestation and preservation association, to collect and analyze DNA from 12 aquatic sites, such as rivers, lagoons, and peat bogs.