The NYU Abu Dhabi iGEM Team understands the great responsibility participating in the development of solutions for global problems takes. Our project idea meets UN's 15th Sustainable Development Goal [SDG], which is "Life on Land". We believe that Chytritect ensures accurate diagnosis of Chytridiomycosis in timely, flexible, scalable, and cost efficient manner, which is essential in order to control the spread of infectious disease that has a dreadful impact not only on amphibian biodiversity but biodiversity as a whole. It is our responsibility and honor to make a step towards creating a diagnostic tool that would serve as a surveillance tool, adequate enough to address critical needs of Environmental Land Life Control. This solution aims to meet one of the issues life on land is facing by implementing economical and environmental approach to eradicate the disease by allowing appropriate administration of treatment due to proper diagnosis. Therefore, we have been in contact with Dr. Penner, a research Scientist at the Wildlife Ecology department at the University of Freiburg, who reached out to us about creating a point-of-care field diagnostic device and has been eager to use synthetic biology as potential solution that contributes to saving thousands of amphibians. Additionally, we met with Dr. Hudson from the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust and Dr. Chris Durrant from the Royal Veterinary College in London who were similarly enthusiastic about a portable diagnostic device primarily being designed to detect the disease-causing Chytrid fungi. While there have been several rapid diagnostic devices invented recently, few to none have been developed with conservation in mind. Thus, under the UN's 15th SDG, we are specifically focusing on SDG 15.5 [Protect Biodiversity and Natural Habitats], 15.8 [Prevent Invasive Alien Species on Land and in Water Ecosystems], and 15A [Increase Financial Resources to Conserve and Sustainably Use Ecosystems and Biodiversity]:
SDG 15.5: Protect Biodiversity and Natural Habitats
We are fulfilling SDG 15.5 because the focus of our project and the development of Chytritect is to preserve amphibian species subject to the disease Chytridiomycosis. We plan on doing this by distributing our device for research institutions, NGOs, ports of trade, and zoos to use in the field to detect the disease rapidly. With rapid detection, amphibians known to be infected could be taken back and treated, while those that are not could be left behind without unnecessarily being taken out of its habitat and undergoing treatment.
SDG 15.8: Prevent Invasive Alien Species on Land and in Water Ecosystems
Chytridiomycosis is essentially a disease caused by two pathogenic Chytrid fungi: Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis and Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans. Any species that is not native to an ecosystem and causes harm is considered an invasive species, and these fungi, which were initially spread due to amphibian traide, are devastating amphibian populations all across the world. Detecting these pathogens are key to mitigative the spread of the disease.
SDG 15A: Increase Financial Resources to Conserve and Sustainably Use Ecosystems and Biodiversity
Our diagnostic device, Chytritect, is tailorable to detect any pathogen, bacterial, fungal, or viral. We intend to use the flexibility of our device as an avenue to cater to the greater market of diagnostics as a whole to help increase financial resources into the detection and isolation of Chytridiomycosis to slow down this excessive loss of biodiversity.
We are proud to make a step toward change, toward saving lives that deserve another chance.
