Biotoxin metrology

Part of our Metrology Research Centre, the biotoxin metrology team carries out research activities related to the analysis of toxins produced naturally by marine and freshwater algae.

The team provides a range of algal and cyanobacterial toxin certified reference materials (CRMs) to help manage safety issues for seafood and freshwater.

Our expertise

The biotoxin metrology team has expertise in the following areas:

• Algal culturing, production of biomass for CRMs and other algae related research activities
• Isolation, identification characterization of known and novel biotoxins
• Development and validation of chemical analytical methods
• Production of SI-traceable CRMs for development, validation and ongoing quality control of methods for the monitoring of algal and cyanobacterial toxins

Our latest research

The team's recent research has focused on 2 main areas:

• The identification of the algal toxins that cause ciguatera poisoning, an issue that affects more than 500,000 people globally each year
• The development of a reference material for multiple classes of cyanobacterial toxins, with funding from the US National Institutes of Health

Success stories

Learn more about our significant milestones and accomplishments in the field of biotoxin metrology:

• Food safety news: NRC unearths novel seafood toxin - National Research Council Canada
• Measuring toxins produced by cyanobacteria to protect our waters - National Research Council Canada
• Sleuthing for toxins keeps Canada's seafood supply safe - National Research Council Canada

Image gallery