Some potentially good news:
TIM PALMER: Ever since scientists debunked the theory that a lack of genetic diversity among Tasmanian Devils made them vulnerable to deadly facial tumours it has been a race against time to work out the real cause before the Devil population collapses completely.
A team from Cambridge University in England has made a breakthrough, developing a biological explanation of the infectious cancer.
The scientists say the discovery could lead to a vaccine
Rachel Carbonell reports.
RACHEL CARBONELL: The Tasmanian Devil facial tumour is responsible for a dramatic decline in the animal’s population.
The cancerous cells invade the host animal’s body by regulating themselves in a way that allows them to become invisible to its immune system.
Scientists from Cambridge University have made a critical discovery about how these cells behave.
Professor Jim Kaufman says the key factor is the MHC molecule, which is what allows the immune system to recognise the cancerous cells.
JIM KAUFMAN: Many cancers use this trick. It’s their biggest foe, the adaptive immune syste,m which recognises them and kills them so many tumours down regulate the MHC molecules so they can’t be seen. But they usually do it by eliminating the genes or putting in a structural mutation so they are off permanently.
What is interesting about what we have found is that the Tasmanian transmissible tumour has only down-regulated and hasn’t knocked out the genes permanently, so they can be turned back on.
RACHEL CARBONELL: So what does that mean?
JIM KAUFMAN: Well we’re not completely sure but what it gives us a chance to do practically is to turn these MHC molecules back on so that the tumour can be seen by the devil immune system and that gives us a chance to make a vaccine.
http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2013/s3713258.htm