Developing the dunnart as a marsupial model for conservation research

2020年的澳大利亚森林大火危机对我们独特的野生动物造成了巨大的损失。由于全球气温上升的趋势看不到尽头，预计更多极端天气事件的频率和严重程度将会增加。我们现在必须采取行动，保护澳大利亚独特的本土哺乳动物，防止物种丧失和基因多样性不可逆转的下降。该项目将开发从我们最濒危和最脆弱的有袋动物物种中产生和保存干细胞的方法。这些细胞不仅使我们能够“储存”物种和遗传多样性，而且还提供了实现遗传操作的途径，为有袋动物的保护生物学开辟了一个全新的生态位。

The Australian bushfire crisis of 2020 has taken an enormous toll on our unique wildlife. With no halt in sight to rising global temperatures, more extreme weather events are predicted to increase in frequency and severity. We simply must act now to preserve our unique native mammals in Australia and safeguard against species loss and irreversible declines in genetic diversity. This project will develop methods for the generation and preservation of stem cells from a range of our most endangered and vulnerable marsupial species. These cells not only allow us to ‘bank’ species and genetic diversity but also provide a route to enabling genetic manipulation, opening up a completely new niche for conservation biology in marsupials.