In an important refinement, scientists in the UK have found a less invasive method to collect DNA from fish species.
The team at the University of Leicester and Nottingham Trent University, UK, compared skin swabbing as a method to collect DNA from sticklebacks and zebrafish, with the more usual fin clipping method.
The findings, published in Scientific Reports, show that skin swabbing provided a less invasive method than fin clipping – which although it is a simple procedure can harm the fish.
The work was funded by the UK National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs).
Comments