A Leicester University team has won a prize for a project to crack down on wildlife crime using a portable DNA device.
The DNA sequencing device – the MinION – can read the ‘barcode genes’ of animals affected by illegal trafficking.
The Leicester team will collaborate with organisations working in the field such as the Kenya Wildlife Service and Panthera, a charitable organization devoted to preserving big cats and their ecosystems around the globe.
The method, proposed by Dr Jon Wetton from the university’s genetics department, uses DNA barcode genes to identify animal species in real time.
The MinION could be used to test blood stains on the machete of a poacher, identify bushmeat from endangered animals such as chimpanzees at local markets – and even detect the frequent illegal substitution of products derived from protected species in the caviar trade.
Wildlife trafficking is a global crisis – $20 billion of animal parts are illegally traded each year, fuelling criminal networks that spread insecurity, devastate species, and destroy livelihoods.
The Wildlife Crime Tech Challenge, an initiative of the U.S. Agency for International Development, sourced innovative science and technology solutions to combat the problem.
The university has been awarded $10,000 and an opportunity to bid for a larger award of up to $500,000 to help implement their solutions in the real wild world.
The team of Leicester will use the MinION, a portable USB-powered DNA sequencer developed by Oxford Nanopore Technologies, and will also explore the use of VolTRAX, a sample preparation device designed to allow non-scientists to prepare samples outside a laboratory environment.
Dr Wetton said: “This project builds upon research carried out in 2003 when I led the Forensic Science Service team responsible for introducing species identification by DNA into UK casework.
“Our method then was costly, as it required more than a day’s work in a well-equipped laboratory, but by using the MinION device we hope to achieve the same results about one hour from collecting a sample.
“We hope to demonstrate proof of concept within a year, with a view to working on it further so that the method is more broadly useful in the field.
“This initial grant will help demonstrate how the test could be used to detect traces of elephant and rhino blood in poaching cases once the device is fully developed.”
A cheap and rapid test will allow law enforcement officers to carry out the testing in developing countries, or allow rapid testing of goods in transit at customs posts.
Source: Leicester Mercury
