A portable DNA testing device for conservation

该项目的目标是开发一种负担得起(每次化验不到1.00加元)且简单易用的纸质设备，能够在现场实时从生物样本中提取和识别DNA。该设备可供未经培训的用户使用，无需进入实验室设施，并具有重要应用，包括分析生物样本(粪便、皮肤和粘液)以进行实时野生动物检测，例如从野生动物遗骸中识别物种以协助监测活动，以及检测非法贩运野生动物部分(特别是在不允许出口生物样本的地区)。我们将与我们的合作伙伴加拿大油砂创新联盟(COSIA)合作，为加拿大濒危物种驯鹿开发这种设备，因为它的粪便颗粒通常与其他有蹄类物种的粪便颗粒难以区分。然而，这种方法很容易转移到其他难以捉摸的野生动物物种的识别上。该设备将为研究人员、环境管理人员、土著社区和公民科学家提供一种成本效益高的工具，能够产生物种的实时存在/缺席数据，而不需要复杂的分析过程。这将对国家和全球的保护科学领域做出重大贡献，并将对受威胁物种的有针对性的监测非常有用。

The goal of this project is to develop an affordable (less than CAN$1.00 per assay) and simple-to-use paper-based device capable of extracting and identifying DNA from biological samples, in the field, in real time. The device can be employed by non-trained users without the need for access to laboratory facilities and has important applications, including the analysis of biological samples (feces, skin and mucus) for real-time wildlife detection, e.g. identifying species from remains in the wild to assist in monitoring activities, and detecting the illegal trafficking of wildlife parts (particularly in regions where the exportation of biological samples is not permitted). Working together with our partners, the Canadian Oil Sands Innovation Alliance (COSIA), we will develop the device for caribou, a Species at Risk in Canada, whose fecal pellets are often indistinguishable from those of other ungulate species. The approach is, however, easily transferrable to the identification of other species of elusive wildlife. The device will provide researchers, environmental managers, Indigenous communities and citizen scientists with a cost-effective tool capable of producing real-time presence/absence data for species, without the need for complex analytical processes. This stands to make a substantial contribution to the field of conservation science, both nationally and globally, and will be highly useful for targeted monitoring of threatened species.