Developing the first field-deployable, non-lethal rapid test for sea turtle hatchling sex ID, enabling scaled monitoring of climate-driven sex ratio skew.
Team & Partners: Dr. Itzel Sifuentes-Romero (Iowa State University) & Dr. David Booth (University of Queensland), Dr. Jeanette Wyneken (Florida Atlantic University), Drs. Lisa Schwanz & Ewa Goldys (University of New South Wales), Dr. Jacob Galan (University of Texas Rio Grande Valley), Taronga Conservation Society Australia, NSW TurtleWatch, Loggerhead Marinelife Center, Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), Kutzari Asociación para el Estudio y Conservación de las Tortugas Marinas A.C.
Challenge: Rising beach temperatures are pushing sea turtle hatchling sex ratios dangerously female-skewed, but current sex ID methods require killing hatchlings or invasive surgery, hampering large-scale monitoring.
Approach: Identify sex-specific blood proteins across three species, develop custom antibodies, and translate them into a CRISPR-enhanced lateral-flow rapid antigen test readable from a single drop of blood in minutes in the field.
Anticipated outcomes: A field-ready rapid antigen test prototype for non-lethal hatchling sex ID, applicable across species and deployable by conservation practitioners worldwide without laboratory infrastructure.
