Word: tumorous
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...issue of predators or hunters - the devil can handle them - but of a peculiar, transmissible disease. Devil facial tumor disease (DFTD) causes tumors to form in and around the mouth of infected devils; the tumors eventually grow so large that they prevent the animal from feeding and lead to starvation. First discovered in 1996, the cancer has spread swiftly through the Tasmanian devil population, killing more than 70% of the island's animals. If nothing is done to stop the disease, the devils could go extinct within 35 years. (See 10 species nearing extinction...
...based in Australia and New York State performed a genetic analysis of DFTD and found that it likely began in the devil's Schwann cells, a type of tissue that protects nerve fibers. Researchers have also identified genetic markers for the disease, which should allow doctors to distinguish facial tumor disease easily from other cancers that afflict the Tasmanian devil, and could eventually help determine a genetic pathway to attack the tumor itself. "This is the first application of genetics to estimate the basic biology of the tumor," says Tony Papenfuss, a bioinformatics researcher at the Walter and Eliza Hall...
...animal to animal via biting or other physical contact - one of only three cancers that are thought to spread this way. While some human cancers can be linked to transmissible pathogens - such as cervical cancer, which is caused by the human papillomavirus - in DFTD, infected devils actually transmit the tumor itself to other devils when they bite. (See TIME's video "Saving the Tasmanian Devil...
Through genetic analysis, the Science team was able to confirm that the tumors being spread from devil to devil were the same - genetically identical, exact clonal copies. Using genetic sequencing technology, the team also uncovered the tumors' transcriptome, which means the set of genes that are activated in tumors. Those activated genes best matched those of Schwann cells, which gave the team a clue as to where the disease originated - that's important because devils are unusually susceptible to a number of different cancers, and a quick diagnosis before the facial tumors get out of control would be helpful...
...devils will eventually need a vaccine, and there is hope that this research may help scientists develop one. The team compiled a catalog of devil genes that affect the tumor and may contribute to its growth; these could be useful targets for designing a future vaccine. The difficulty will be creating a treatment that attacks the tumor, but spares healthy cells. "The key in a vaccine is not to create immune action that would hurt the devils by attacking their Schwann cells," says Papenfuss. "Now we can look for specific markers on the tumor cells to attack." Tough as they...