The device will raise awareness of the extent of the illegal wildlife trade.

Leicester team wins prize for proposal

A University of Leicester team has been awarded a $10,000 prize for an innovation that uses DNA barcodes to combat wildlife trafficking.  

Dr Jon Wetton from the University’s Department of Genetics entered the Wildlife Crime Tech Challenge with the MinION, a portable DNA sequencing device.

The device, developed by Oxford Nanopore Technologies, combats the wildlife trafficking trade by identifying species of origin of animal derivatives.

In combination with VoITRAX, an on-site sample preparation device, the team intend to fully automate DNA analysis.

The two devices provide a cheap and rapid test that can be used by law enforcement and customs, producing results about one hour from collecting a sample.

Samples could include bloodstains from machetes, bushmeat and the use of protected species in the caviar trade.

In collaboration with field organisations such as the Kenya Wildlife Service and Panthera, the device will also raise awareness of the extent of the illegal trade.

Dr Wetton said: “We hope to demonstrate proof of concept within a year. This initial grant will help demonstrate how the test could be used to detect traces of elephant and rhino blood in poaching cases.”

The Wildlife Tech Challenge is an initiative of the U.S Agency for International Development.

There were 16 winners, from 300 creators, each with the opportunity to bid for a further $500,000 award in implement solutions that tackle the global illegal wildlife trafficking trade crisis, expected to be worth $20 billion.

Image (C) University of Leicester