Professor Suzana Williams hopes that she does not have to spend her days analyzing tube samples. It is a dirty job. But someone should do this.
Biological diversity diminishes rapidly, with a decrease in the numbers of wildlife On average 73 % Between 1970 and 2020, for Lilliams, her small team at Oxford University in the United Kingdom, animal stools contain answers that can help conservative specialists better monitor wildlife, and perhaps even restore the residents.
Williams, professor of fertility and reproductive health, when animals are covered, they get rid of living cells from their intestine, and can be found outside of dung.
Live cells contain DNA and genetics, which can help researchers understand the diversity of species and can reach reproductive programs or conservation efforts.
Wild animals usually need to be arrested and anesthetized to take a sample of tissues, such as a small skin biopsy, which takes a long time, as well as stressful for the animal, says Williams. In addition, many laws prohibit samples for research purposes: in the United Kingdom and Europe, tissue samples are organized significantly, unless they directly benefit the health of the individual animal, which makes collecting large amounts of data on genetic diversity difficult.
For this reason, the so -called “Bo Zoo”, which was established in October 2024, started funding from the Revive and Restore. The project depends on Previous research Williams says that the cells conducted by scientists in Japan, which have beenolated live cells in mouse stools, although the cells were low quality and pollution with fecal bacteria.
By improving and improving cell insulation methods, Williams hopes to improve the cell quality and supply specialists to maintain a non-invasive method to collect live cell samples-which can contribute in the long run in the field of biomedic transport and genetic material warehous
“It is not the case that he makes a better sample (from tissues), and this is definitely not the case. But I cannot walk to a snowy tiger in the wild.” “If you discover their whereabouts, you can put the camera trap and go to collect samples, while there is no way to collect a sample of those animals otherwise.”
“Street perimeter”
Starting with the mouse tube, which was easily accessible to the university laboratory, the team tried different ways to reduce and connect SCat to get the “clean as much as possible” cells as quickly as possible, to keep the freshness.
After improving mice technology, the Po Garden put its attention on a greater goal: the elephant dung. While Williams was keen to work on a type often essential for preservation efforts, its size provides some major problems.
“With Mouse POO, you have a little dry pellet. With an elephant, you have an enormous shine that maintains it mainly with my hand. It’s huge. How do you work with that, and turn them into some cells in a tube without becoming a circumference of the stool and liquid?” Williams explains.
The researcher, Dr. Rianon Bolton, faced this challenge in the field of biological design in partnership with Chester ZooWhich provided access to fresh elephant stools.
Cyster garden bridal samples of analysis, to collect information about animal health, such as hormones and pregnancy. Chester Zoo
“In the zoo, they do a lot of stool analysis, is that looking at the microbium (microorganisms) or hormones inside the stool,” says Bolton, who can help animal owners to monitor pregnancy or fertility on animals.
Bolton, who ranges from washing the entire bit to take small external passengers: “Improving this technique-which is tightly kept under the winding until it is published in a paper that the pendants-was” experience and a very wrong. “
“At first, there was still a lot of debris, and now we get much less in our samples,” she added.
There are other non -invasive ways to collect samples, such as hair traps, which are used by pheromones to attract wild animals and glue to collect hair samples. The researchers have already used this method of study MammalAlthough Bolton says hair samples may provide less cells vulnerable to environmental conditions, while stool provides a reliable source of cells.
She adds: “The unique protocols that we developed are clear and costly effective, and therefore can be brought up easily.”
Williams says that the team has now managed to isolate live elephant cells several times, indicating the reliability of their technology. Often memorization specialists path Animals are through the effects of feet, fur and stool, which can provide an opportunity to collect in the wild.
“The only restriction, I think, will be the freshness of the sample,” says Williams. Since all the dung they worked with comes from the environment under the zoo, it specifies that weather conditions may affect the dryness of the dung, and thus the sample. “If it is in the sun, it may not be the best, so you may want to make sure it is in the shade.”
Stool to offspring?
Genetic analysis is just one of the possible uses of POO Zoo: There is also a possibility to extract cells from stool that can be used to create artificial insemination fetuses.
In 2006, the Japanese scientist Shinya Yamanaka discovered that some cells can be reprogrammed into other cells, such as sperm and eggs, which he won. 2012 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Scientists have used these reprocessible cells, known as Multilateral stimulating stem cells or IPSCS, to Successfully creating healthy miceAnd now explore other types.
However, there are many obstacles that must be overcome before the isolated cells of a tube can be useful in biological banking, as Williams says: “The biggest challenge was, which was always and will always be, is to make sure that the samples are clean. Collect cells from such an incredibly dirty environment and bacteria bacteria.”
Dr. Thomas Hildbrandt, a professor of reproduction department at the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Life Research in Germany, is one of the largest vital facilities in Europe. Hildbrandt is not associated with the POO Zoo, but it has worked with Williams in previous projects, including one on a single -century fertility.
“I think this type of technology will provide you with important information regarding the genetic pattern of this animal, and perhaps even the health condition,” says Hildbrendt. However, it is skeptical that the cell quality will be clean enough for the IPSC and anxiety that the proper pollution may change. “Lagini file– When environmental factors change how genes work. When creating fetuses, he adds: “We must start with the best cells.”
Currently, most vital sales deposits are collected from captive animals, says Hildbrandt. Veterinarians take blood samples regularly when animals are fine, which can be used in the field of biomas. Although the blood is “more difficult” to extract cells from the skin biopsy, it is simple compared to stools, adding that Legal papers The use of these samples is often a barrier than the extraction process itself.
While the assembly of wild animals can add to the diversity of the biological sale group, Hildbrandt says there are many unknown people, including diseases, which can make samples inappropriate.
Despite his doubts, Hildbrandt hopes to result from the project. “I think science can provide new solutions, and sometimes the solution is not very clear,” he says.
Roth diversity
Elephants are one of the Chester Zoo regularly that regularly collects Berizel samples, which are used to better understand their health. Chester Zoo
Although the use of these cells in the vital classification is still far, Bolton and Williams believe that the POO Zoo can provide a low -cost solution to collect genetic data in both zoos and land gardens, and they now explore more types to improve their methodology.
“We lose biological diversity at an anxious and very terrifying rate, and the species will not survive unless they are genetically varied,” says Bolton. “The presence of a non -surgical option can expand this range. It can ensure more cells, and more diversity is saved.”
Sometimes the current rapid loss of wildlife and ecosystems are indicated as “Sixth collective extinction“When the smaller population becomes and isolated from other groups, this is likely to happen. Least For threats such as disease and climate change, and increases the possibility of negative features.
accident Paining analysis He showed that genetic diversity decreased across Hundred Of the species, which affects the two -thirds of the wildlife that has been analyzed. last TicketThat used statistical analysis instead of DNA samples, found that 58 % of the species in their research rally did not have large groups enough to maintain genetic diversity.
“More genetic diversity makes animal population more powerful,” says Williams. “It is able to better resist diseases,” says Williams.
Williams see technology applications in all types, where extinction occurs frequently.
“I would never have to do any of this work, and for the world to be a beautiful place, as animals are not at risk and people do not chase them,” says Williams. “If this is an option for doing this, I will stop there. But this is not. So we do this type of work that I think is very important.”
For more CNN news and newsletters, create an account on Cnn.com
