The Microbes in Wastewater Symposium 2025, proudly sponsored by Zymo Research, convened over 200 experts from government, industry, and academia to examine the intersection of wastewater research, public health insights, and climate change. With keynote talks, panel discussions, and cutting-edge research presentations from a range of stakeholder perspectives, the event highlighted both the challenges and opportunities in this evolving field.
Current Challenges Facing the Wastewater Research Community
Researchers and public health officials are increasingly turning to wastewater-based epidemiology for insights into disease trends and environmental health. However, the field faces several key challenges:
- Lack of Standardization: Variability in sample collection, processing, and data analysis limits comparability across studies.
- Exploring NGS Methods: While PCR has been widely used for pathogen detection, researchers are exploring non-targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS) approaches to gain deeper insights into wastewater microbiomics.
- Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Analysis: Linking AMR genes to their host is critical for assessing AMR risks in the context of public health, and remains challenging without labor-intensive culture methods.
- Climate Change and Wastewater: Rising temperatures and shifting water flows intensify wastewater challenges—for example, by increasing greenhouse gas emissions and antibiotic pollution in watersheds.
- Beyond Microbial Identification: Researchers are shifting from merely identifying microbes, to understanding their functionality and ecological roles.
Inside the Symposium: Zymo Research’s Vision for the Future
During the symposium, Dr. Keith Booher from Zymo Research took the stage to discuss the company’s pivotal role in advancing wastewater surveillance. His presentation highlighted Zymo Research’s commitment to standardization, innovation, and accessibility in wastewater microbiome research. Missed the event? Catch the full presentation here:
Zymo Research’s Role in Wastewater Innovation
Zymo Research has been at the forefront of microbiome research for years, applying their expertise to wastewater analysis during the COVID-19 pandemic. As a company, Zymo Research has consistently championed workflow standardization—a crucial step toward improving wastewater surveillance.
To support researchers, Zymo Research offers industry-leading solutions, including:
- Quick-DNA/RNA™ Water Kit: Extracts and purifies total DNA/RNA from large volume water samples, concentrating viruses and low-abundance targets while removing inhibitors, including from raw influent wastewater.
- Wastewater Sample Collection Bottle: Features a stabilization buffer that preserves sample integrity for up to 7 days at ambient temperatures, inactivating pathogens, and simplifying transportation and storage.
- Integrated NGS Workflows: Microbiome Sequencing Services has streamlined sequencing and bioinformatics analysis, improving efficiency in wastewater microbiome research.
Zymo Research also provides a fully integrated workflow for wastewater microbiome studies, from nucleic acid extraction to sequencing and advanced bioinformatics analysis. Our solutions are designed to maximize accuracy, reproducibility, and ease of use, to empower scientists, public health officials and all other stakeholders with the tools and data they need to advance wastewater-based epidemiology and environmental health research.
Shaping the Future of Wastewater Surveillance
Moving forward, Zymo Research and the broader scientific community are working toward:
- Establishing standardized protocols for sample collection and processing.
- Advancing bioinformatics solutions for NGS data processing, AMR, and functional analysis—exemplified by collaborations with the Aladdin Bioinformatics Foundation.
- Facilitating NGS adoption through streamlined workflows and accessible sequencing services.
As a key contributor to wastewater research, Zymo Research remains committed to advancing innovation, supporting standardization, and enabling scientists to unlock critical insights from wastewater. Stay tuned for the 2026 Microbes in Wastewater Symposium, where we continue to explore and support cutting-edge solutions for public health and environmental sustainability.