Developing the BEESOCOSM - a modular, multi-species bee cage for laboratory experiments (NEC05913)

开发 BEESOCOSM - 用于实验室实验的模块化、多品种蜂笼 (NEC05913)

• 批准号: NE/P008844/1
• 负责人: Matthew Heard
• 金额: $ 1.88万
• 依托单位: NERC CEH (Up to 30.11.2019)
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2016
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2016 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=NE%2FP008844%2F1
• 关键词: Developing; BEESOCOSM; modular; multi; species

Testing the impact of chemicals on pollinators in a laboratory is a key step to understand the impacts they may have in the environment. Currently standard toxicity testing on bees is limited to the honey bee, although there have been calls for more routine tests in other species. Standardised tests suggest that test cages to hold groups of bees are "easy to clean [and] well ventilated" and that that the size is "appropriate to the number of bees". One problem is that there is currently no stipulation for the type of cage that experiments are performed in and there is no commercially available product that delivers this. In a series of workshops held by COLOSS (an international research network composed of >300 partners from >60 countries) it was determined that an improved method for maintaining honey bees in cages was required. In addition there is a widening recognition that experiments should be longer than the standard 48 hours to better mimic the real world. It is important that bees are tested fairly under similar conditions for results to be fully comparable. We have developed a prototype cage that is designed specifically to allow testing in multiple bee species and overcomes problems with handling and stress. The funding will allow us to refine our prototype cage design and evaluate its efficacy in simple trials to provide proof of commerciality. We will capture the design specification and produce a detailed description of its components and potential uses. Following this we will explore the opportunities for patent and design registration using a patent attorney. Simultaneously we will explore the potential (in confidence) with a number of stakeholders, including other researchers, designer and regulatory/testing authorities. Both investigators have well developed contacts in these areas (e.g. in chemical and bio-pesticide registration). If feedback is positive we will have brief, preliminary discussions with a commercial designer to scope out the next steps for the project and develop a commercial business plan with consultants. These activities will provide us with the data and ideas to help develop a follow-on proposal.

在实验室中测试化学品对传粉媒介的影响是了解它们对环境可能产生的影响的关键一步。目前对蜜蜂的标准毒性测试仅限于蜜蜂，尽管有人呼吁对其他物种进行更多常规测试。标准化测试表明，容纳蜜蜂群的测试笼“易于清洁[且]通风良好”，并且尺寸“适合蜜蜂的数量”。一个问题是，目前对进行实验的笼子类型没有规定，也没有商用产品可以实现这一点。 COLOSS（一个由来自 60 多个国家的 300 多个合作伙伴组成的国际研究网络）举办的一系列研讨会确定，需要一种改进的方法来将蜜蜂饲养在笼子里。此外，人们越来越认识到，为了更好地模拟现实世界，实验时间应该长于标准的 48 小时。重要的是，在相似的条件下对蜜蜂进行公平的测试，以使结果具有完全可比性。我们开发了一种原型笼，专门设计用于在多种蜜蜂物种中进行测试，并克服了处理和压力问题。这笔资金将使我们能够改进我们的原型笼设计，并在简单的试验中评估其功效，以提供商业性证明。我们将捕获设计规范并对其组件和潜在用途进行详细描述。接下来，我们将探索使用专利律师进行专利和设计注册的机会。同时，我们将与许多利益相关者（包括其他研究人员、设计师和监管/测试机构）一起（秘密地）探索潜力。两位调查员在这些领域（例如化学和生物农药注册）都有良好的联系。如果反馈是积极的，我们将与商业设计师进行简短的初步讨论，以确定项目的后续步骤，并与顾问一起制定商业商业计划。这些活动将为我们提供数据和想法，帮助我们制定后续提案。