Newsroom staff
20 March 2014: Research being undertaken by a University of Canberra scientist may hold the key to saving the world's largest living carnivorous marsupial—the Tasmanian devil.
Associate professor and Australian Research Council Future Fellow Janine Deakin is investigating the deadly facial tumour disease which is threatening the devil population with extinction and shared her research with a packed audience at the National Zoo and Aquarium this morning.
Dr Deakin, a comparative genomics specialist, is comparing the normal devil genome to that of the tumour. Her investigation reveals how the tumour was initially formed and how it evolves as it spreads throughout the population.
 |
Dr Deakin delivers a public lecture at the National Zoo and Aquarium. Photo: Michelle McAulay |
"This disease is unusual in that it is a contagious cancer," she said. "The tumour originated in an animal over 17 years ago, has outlived its original host and has since passed through thousands of devils."
Since the tumour was detected in 1996, Tasmanian devil populations have declined up to 90 per cent in some areas.
"It appears that the tumour itself is the infectious agent, being spread by healthy devils biting into the tumours of infected devils. Biting each other around the face is a social behaviour the devils display during mating and communal feeding."
 |
The lecture was followed by a live feeding to the Tasmanian devils. Photo: Michelle McAulay |
By continuing to observe how the tumour genome is evolving, Dr Deakin will be able to determine if the tumour is changing to overcome resistance it meets within the devil population. "This is a situation we hope is not happening," she said.
"The tumour may be evolving to become less virulent to Tasmanian devils, allowing them to ultimately survive and overcome a tumour infection."
The lecture was followed by a live feeding to the zoo's resident Tasmanian devils. More than 100 people attended the lecture with money raised from ticket sales going to the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program Appeal.
