RATS AS BIOSENSORS Employing African giant pouched as scent detectors Dr. Miriam Schneider, Senior Researcher, APOPO RATS AS BIOSENSORS WHO WE ARE AND WHAT WE DO

◼ Who we are and what we do

APOPO is a Belgium non-profit organization with headquarter in that trains African giant pouched rats (Cricetomys ansorgei) to save lives by sniffing out landmines and (TB) RATS AS BIOSENSORS WHERE WE WORK RATS AS BIOSENSORS HOW WE DO IT – MINE DETECTION

◼ Unlike metal detectors, mine detection rats ignore scrap metal and only detect the scent of explosives.

◼ A mine detection can search the area of a tennis court in < 30 minutes. This can take a human with a metal detector up to 4 days. RATS AS BIOSENSORS APOPO IMPACT – MINE DETECTION

138,480

Total landmines and UXO destroyed

23,623,426 m2 M2

Land released for local communities RATS AS BIOSENSORS HOW WE DO IT -TB

◼ The rats are detecting the scent of tuberculosis in sputum samples.

◼ Rats as efficient second-line screening tool: A trained rat can check 100 samples in 20 minutes. This could take a lab technician up to four days.

◼ Suspect samples are then re- checked using WHO endorsed confirmation tests. RATS AS BIOSENSORS HOW WE DO IT -TB RATS AS BIOSENSORS APOPO IMPACT - TB

15,679

Additional TB patients found

591,878

Total number of samples evaluated

APOPO’s research has raised the case detection rate of partner clinics by 40% RATS AS BIOSENSORS WHY GIANT POUCHED RATS

◼ Highly developed sense of smell

Nocturnal animals; live in underground burrows; blurry, monochromatic vision

Ewer, 1966; Peichl et al. 1998

 Sense of smell important for navigation, social skills and detection and choice of foodsources RATS AS BIOSENSORS WHY GIANT POUCHED RATS

◼ Highly developed sense of smell ◼ Intelligent and easy to train ◼ Cheap to feed, breed, maintain and transport ◼ Although sociable - easily transferable between trainers ◼ Live up to 10 years

◼ Indigenous to sub-Saharan Africa and therefore resistant to most tropical diseases and familiar with the climate RATS AS BIOSENSORS WILDLIFE DETECTION

◼ Employing giant rats for detection of contraband wildlife products ?

◼ APOPO is a Belgium non-profit organization ◼ Integrated approach to with headquarter in Tanzania that trains employ rats as additional African giant pouched rats (Cricetomys and synergistic tools to ansorgei) to save lives by sniffing out existing technologies landmines and tuberculosis (TB)

◼ Potential new application: detection of contraband wildlife products RATS AS BIOSENSORS WILDLIFE DETECTION

◼ Proof-of-concept: Detection of contraband wildlife products

Ground Pangolin African hardwood RATS AS BIOSENSORS WILDLIFE DETECTION

◼ Proof-of-concept: Detection of contraband wildlife products

Target samples

Pangolin scales seized African hardwood (Smutsia temminckii) (Dalbergia melanoxylon)

Non-Targets: Common masking agents RATS AS BIOSENSORS WILDLIFE DETECTION

◼ STAGE 1: Are the rats able to find wildlife targets and ignore non-targets?

Pangolin HITs

% % Samples of Hardwood HITs False alarms RATS AS BIOSENSORS WILDLIFE DETECTION

◼ STAGE 2: How well are the rats able to find small amounts of the target hidden in non-target samples? RATS AS BIOSENSORS WILDLIFE DETECTION

◼ STAGE 2: How well are the rats able to find small amounts of the target hidden in non-target samples? RATS AS BIOSENSORS WILDLIFE DETECTION

◼ Giant pouched rats are effective biosensors

◼ They can be trained to detect wildlife products

 NEXT STEPS

◼ With sufficient funding - continue training with new material

◼ Finding the niche - Identify where our rats would be needed most

◼ Develop deployable detection system

◼ Trial with experienced partners in real-life settings Funding:

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION !

Visit us www.apopo.org Adopt a HeroRAT https://www.apopo.org/en/adopt

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