Andrew Storfor: Transmissible Cancer in Tasmanian Devils Research

Ongoing research on a devastating transmissible cancer in Tasmanian devils by SBS Professor Andrew Storfer, his former postdoctoral associate Brendan Epstein, and coworkers, recovered evidence of rapid evolution in two small genomic regions containing genes associated with immune response and cancer in humans. The evidence of an evolutionary response to the cancer has created new hope for conservation of Tasmanian devils. The article, in Nature Communications, has been receiving broad coverage in the international press. See the article: B. Epstein et al. Rapid evolutionary response to a transmissible cancer in Tasmanian devils. Nature Communications. Vol. 7, August 30, 2016, p. 12684. doi: 10.1038/ncomms12684. Or see the Washington Post article.