Gene identified in devil cancer

Scientists in Australia say they may have found the cause of a contagious cancer that threatens to wipe out the Tasmanian devil. The animal's population has dropped dramatically since the mid-90's.

This is the Tasmanian devil...

An animal indigenous to the Australian island of Tasmania. Ten years ago the region was sprawling with Tasmanian devils. Now the population has plummeted 70 percent in the last decade.The culprit for the dip in numbers is a mysterious and contagious cancer.

Australian scientists say they are on track to find a cure to stop the trend.

Elizabeth Murchison, Researcher of Australian National University, said, "This is the first step in characterizing the genes found in the Tasmanian Devil which can be used to develop a vaccine cure, something to help save the Devil from extinction."

Tasmanian Devils are combative by nature.

It's through this aggression and the Devils' tendency to bite one another, that the deadly virus spreads. Soon after being bitten, cancerous facial tumors appear preventing the animals from feeding. Death follows within months.

The alarming death rate led Australia to declare the species endangered in May, 2009.

Using advanced sequencing technology, the team identified the originating cell by comparing genes in tumor cells - along with a genetic readout of other tissues.

Greg Woods, Researcher of University of Tasmania, said, "It has lots of twist and turns and when we think we understand something about it, it tricks us and does something different so it's very hard to predict when a cure will be possible."

Researchers say with no diagnostic tests, treatments or vaccines currently available, the disease could wipe out the entire species in 25 to 35 years.