Theme 3: Diagnostics

The ability to rapidly and accurately identify organisms present in a biosecurity sample is critical to an effective biosecurity system. The Diagnostics theme aims to develop and implement fast, cost-effective, generically applicable, reliable and accurate diagnostic methods and tools.

Current priorities for this B3 theme include:

• Development of new diagnostic technologies; and
• Adaptation of technologies that have been advanced in different disciplines so that they can be used for diagnostic applications.

Current research in this theme includes:

• Applications of bar-coding in biosecurity;
• Assessment of sequence-based technology for identification of important biosecurity threats and for diagnosis in multi-taxa formats;
• Linking taxonomic identification to pathogenicity;
• Using combined trace element, isotope and DNA analysis to infer natal origins of exotic threat populations; and 
• Scanning for and assessing the potential of new and emerging technologies.