Saving the Tassie Devils from Extinction
In a small lab in the Faculty of Veterinary Science, Dr Kathy Belov heads a team of young, motivated scientists.
The origins of the group – all of them women – can be traced back to a comment made by Dr Belov’s honours supervisor. “There’s this fellow,” he said, “who believes that marsupials don’t have IgA (the main antibody found in body secretions such as tears and sweat of placental mammals). Why don’t you go and see if you can find it.” It was all the motivation Kathy Belov needed and a decade later she is leading a highly talented research group working in the field of genetics.
In October 2007 Dr Belov and a member of her team, PhD student Hannah Siddle, published a paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on a contagious cancer found in Tasmanian devils. The cancer takes the form of a facial tumour giving it the name Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTF). Its spread has been well documented – the disease is prevalent on Tasmania’s east coast and as yet there is no cure. Her conclusion was that Tasmanian devils lack genetic diversity, rendering them unable to mount a defence against the cancer. This lack of genetic diversity is most probably attributable to a genetic bottleneck which saw large population crashes followed by a revival involving a small number of surviving animals.
The cancer is thought to be transmitted through biting that occurs during feeding and mating. In an effort to control the spread of the cancer, diseased individuals have been removed from the wild and a captive breeding program of healthy devils has been implemented across a number of zoos and reptile parks. At the same time Dr Belov and her team are hoping to find solutions to the devastating disease in the devils’ genomes. They have already started looking at isolated populations in the hope of finding new genetic types which can be interbred to create greater genetic diversity in the population. Greater genetic diversity, it is hoped, will allow the devils to respond to the cancer cells.
Dr Belov says the results so far have been “promising” but the researchers are battling against the clock. “In the last 10 years the population has dropped from 150,000 to about 50,000. It’s predicted the disease will cross the entire range in the next five years and it will face extinction in the next 10 years. It’s quite a frightening prospect,” said Dr Belov.
The work has been made easier by the rapid advances in genetic sequencing. Sequencing provides the starting point from which all kinds of analysis is possible. “This allows us to target areas that we’re interested in,” said Dr Belov.
With so many questions still unanswered, genetics will continue to provide insight into the basic biology of disease. “There have been rapid advances. I couldn’t have foreseen being part of all these projects even three years ago,” said Dr Belov. “When I did my PhD I cloned half a dozen genes and that was considered a big achievement. Now my students are publishing papers with 1500 genes at a time. Sometimes it’s hard to believe that it’s all moving so quickly.”
Dr Kathy Belov is a Lecturer in the Faculty of Veterinary Science. Dr Belov heads the Australasian Wildlife Genomics Group at the University of Sydney. The group are also currently undertaking vital research into the Tammar Wallaby, the Koala and the Platypus. More information is available at the
Australasian Wildlife Genomics Group website.
If you are interested in making a donation to help further this reserch project, please contact the Director on 9351 8024 or complete the donation form
The help of our donors and supporters is critical to enable us to complete vital Faculty projects. If you would like to make a donation to this campaign, download our Pledge Form. We would also be happy to speak with you about our pledging program – please call on 9351 8024.
Memorial Garden
This wonderful structure, known as the Henry and Banjo Memorial Garden (named after two feline residents of the Clinic), is a special place where animal lovers can purchase a hand crafted engraved bowl or plaque in memory of a precious pet. The garden has two purposes; providing an intimate space for people to commemorate a treasured pet while raising funds for the Clinic.
To indicate your interest in this Garden, please email us at .