Abstract
This paper presents a microfluidic device capable of performing genetic analysis on dung samples to identify White Rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum). The development of a microfluidic device, which can be used in the field, offers a portable and cost‐effective solution for DNA analysis and species identification to aid conservation efforts. Optimization of the DNA extraction processes produced equivalent yields compared to conventional kit‐based methods within just 5 minutes. The use of a color‐changing loop‐mediated isothermal amplification reaction for simultaneous detection of the cytochrome B sequence of C. simum enabled positive results to be obtained within as little as 30 minutes. Field testing was performed at Knowsley Safari to demonstrate real‐world applicability of the microfluidic device for testing of biological samples.
Highlights
Microfluidics describes the use of systems which enable the manipulation of small amounts of fluids in channels in the micron range (Whitesides, 2006)
This paper presents a microfluidic device capable of performing genetic analysis on dung samples to identify White Rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum)
The development of a microfluidic device, which can be used in the field, offers a portable and costeffective solution for DNA analysis and species identification to aid conservation efforts
Summary
Microfluidics describes the use of systems which enable the manipulation of small amounts of fluids in channels in the micron range (Whitesides, 2006). The vast wealth of literature is reviewed in a number of more tailored articles on point-of-care testing for detection of infectious diseases (Zhang et al, 2017), bacterial pathogens (Lui et al, 2009), forensic analysis (Bruijns et al, 2016), and cancer diagnostics (Newport et al, 2006) Such systems would be advantageous in conservation and species management settings, for example, where field-based testing could overcome problems with securing export permits for biological samples, or offering the potential for in situ genetic testing in locations where conventional laboratories may not be available. We demonstrate a microfluidic device which is capable of processing animal dung samples, from DNA extraction through to loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP), to produce a “yes/ no” result for species identification. Optimization of the DNA extraction and LAMP steps is demonstrated, alongside field testing of the integrated system
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