Meet Cedric, the super devil from Tassie | National News | News.com.au
Meet Cedric, the super devil from Tassie
By David Killick
Hope ... Researcher Alex Kreiss with Cedric, the Tasmanian devil immune to a deadly disease / Pic: University of Tasmania
A TASMANIAN devil called Cedric represents his species' best hope against a deadly disease.
The three-year-old marsupial has resisted infection after being injected with the deadly Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD), scientists told The Mercury today.
But his half brother, Clinky, was not so lucky.
Both animals were injected with dead DFTD cells last year and then challenged with live DFTD tumour cells last December.
Cedric showed an immune response, which protected him from the tumour, whereas Clinky displayed no immune response and developed a tumour.
Researchers from the University of Tasmania's Menzies Research Institute today revealed something in Cedric's genetic makeup make him immune to the disease.
"We are 90 to 100 per cent certain that Cedric is resistant to the disease, but, as in all science, we can never be completely definitive," Associate Professor of Cancer and Immunology Greg Woods said.
Related Coverage
* Tassie devils now on endangered listNEWS.com.au, 22 May 2008
* Vaccine to protect some devils from tumourThe Australian, 2 Jun 2008
* Meet Cedric, the super devilMercury, 2 Jun 2008
* Vaccine could save Tassie devilPerth Now, 2 Jun 2008
* Hope of cure for dying Tasmanian devilsThe Australian, 31 Mar 2008
"While this development does not represent a cure, it is one of the most significant scientific outcomes since the contagious cancer was first recorded on the northeast coast of Tasmania 12 years ago and is direct result of the collaborative effort through the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program."
Prof Woods said Cedrics major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes may hold the clue as to why he was able to fight the disease.
"From our latest findings, we can conclude that it is possible to make some devils resistant to DFTD by vaccination and we are hoping that, as there is more genetic diversity in the west, some devils will be naturally resistant," he said.
More funding was needed to ensure the research into the disease continued, he said.
The Tasmanian Devil was last week declared endangered by the State Government.
DFTD is estimated to have killed more than 50 per cent of devils in the wild, and has been found in 60 per cent of the state.
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