The Galapagos Islands will get their first molecular biology laboratory for rapid onsite diagnosis of diseases to help fight off outbreaks that could endanger the many species unique to the archipelago.

"Disease is a major factor driving many wildlife die-offs," said geneticist Simon Goodman of the Zoological Society of London's Institute of Zoology, who is leading the project with wildlife epidemiologist Andrew Cunningham, also of the institute. "Having this lab will provide the infrastructure for a rapid response should disease outbreaks develop among endemic wildlife and will support research into assessing and monitoring disease threats."

The lab, which will open in October on the island of Santa Cruz and will become fully operational by mid-2004, is a partnership among the Institute of Zoology, the Galapagos National Park, and the University of Guayaquil in Ecuador, in collaboration with the Charles Darwin Research Station in the Galapagos. The British Darwin Initiative will cover half the cost of the roughly £500,000 ($800,000) project.

Molecular biology equipment will include polymerase chain reaction (PCR) machines, agarose and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis rigs, and gel imaging. This will allow investigators to detect pathogen DNA from trace samples using prevalidated PCR assays. Researchers will also be able to conduct DNA polymorphism assays, such as restriction fragment analysis, microsatellite screening with silver staining, and single strand conformational polymorphism analysis, to learn which strains of a disease they might be dealing with and to analyze genetic patterns of population structure.

The lab will also house serology equipment, including an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, to detect antibodies in blood samples and to reveal signs of past pathogen exposure. Microscopes, tissue processors, microtomes, and other histology equipment will allow processing of materials on the islands for microscope analysis. The lab will also create a frozen archive of samples collected in ongoing research projects. The facility will include 100 square meters of lab space and another 100 square meters of classroom and office space.

The lab will not be installing a DNA sequencer. "DNA sequencing is usually part of a longer timescale project, and the point of the lab is about dealing with things that need a rapid response. It's easier and cheap to send sequencing out when necessary," Goodman said.

"I think it's really fantastic," said physiological ecologist Martin Wikelski of Princeton University. "The importance of the lab really cannot be underestimated for the future conservation of the Galapagos. Introduced pathogens are the major long-term threat for biodiversity in the Galapagos right now... and one way to really look at these disease organisms is by using these genetic tools, to understand how they migrate to the Galapagos and how they spread."

The Galapagos archipelago is made up of more than 60 islands located 1000 kilometers from the Ecuadorian mainland. Some 5000 sea and land species reside there, roughly 2000 of which are unique to the islands.

"Introduction of disease resulting from human activities is of particular concern for island biodiversity. Oceanic islands are often hotspots for endemism, and their geographic isolation means that island species in the past were exposed to few pathogens and are often highly susceptible to new introduced diseases brought by human settlement and globalized trade," Goodman said.

"Assessing and monitoring disease threats is therefore a crucial part of conservation. For the Galapagos, all these activities in the past required sending material off the islands with long turnaround times, which is no good if you're dealing with a fast-moving disease outbreak," he explained. Among the most immediate disease threats are those to endemic birds, and Goodman will work with collaborators on understanding the prevalence, origins, and impacts of disease on native birds.

Goodman added that the lab would also support a master's program in molecular biology from the University of Guayaquil and will employ an Ecuadorian veterinary pathologist and field/lab assistant. "The whole point of the project is that at the end of 3 years, the Ecuadorians will be sufficiently skilled to take on the running of the whole project and will be able to pass on their knowledge," he explained. "It will become a self-sustaining program."

Goodman hopes the lab will also become a resource for the international scientific community, allowing research to be done on the islands that previously was possible only on the mainland or further away. "There's a lot of potential for basic research into host–parasite/pathogen evolution," he noted.

"What's really exciting is the way this links leading labs on different continents, with a real focused approach to local concerns. The Galapagos people are very sensitive about scientific work on the islands, and it's clear that this lab is being set up the right way," said Peter Daszak, executive director of the Consortium for Conservation Medicine. "Personally, the most exciting thing is knowing the work of the groups involved in the project, that funding is going to the right people to do work on an area of science that has previously been underfunded and ignored—the study of how disease processes affect wild animals."