AllGenetics is a member of the ISO technical committee 190 in which a «General guidance on the use of DNA barcoding in ecotoxicological testing» is being discussed.
The head of our Analytics division, Dr. Verónica Rojo, is in Paris (France) this week attending the annual meeting of the ISO technical committee 190. The meeting is hosted by the Association Française de Normalisation (AFNOR). AllGenetics is representing the Asociación Española de Normalización (AENOR).
Since 2015 AllGenetics is leading the project ISO/NP 21286 (General guidance on the use of DNA barcoding in ecotoxicological testing). This project aims to standardise a protocol for the utilisation of DNA barcoding as a quality assurance measure in Ecotoxicology testing.
To date, ecotoxicological test species have usually been identified based on morphology. Since test species may differ in their response to toxic substances, accurate identification of test organisms is critical for the reliability and correct interpretation of ecotoxicological results. Therefore, there is a growing interest in implementing DNA barcoding as a quality assurance measure in ecotoxicological testing. AllGenetics, as a leader in the verification of test species, is doing its utmost to develop the ISO standard, which should be approved in 2017.