The Devil's in the detail
Researchers have made a genetic blueprint of the Tasmanian Devil genome which may help answer questions about adult and childhood cancer.
Published on the 01 Jul 2011
Researchers have made a genetic blueprint of the Tasmanian Devil genome which may help answer questions about adult and childhood cancer.
In a world-first breakthrough, Dr Vanessa Hayes, who began her research on this project at the Children's Cancer Institute Australia (CCIA) at the Lowy Cancer Research Centre UNSW, and US colleagues have identified 139 target genes that are potentially associated with cancer in the Tasmanian Devil and may also be relevant in human cancers.
They compared the Tasmanian Devil's own genetic material with genetic sequences from the infectious cancer which is afflicting the population.
For the full story, go to UNSW Medicine.