Hope for Tassie devil facial tumour disease

THEY have been driven to the brink of extinction by a contagious killer cancer. But researchers say there's finally a reason for hope.

Tasmanian Devil Mary

FINALLY there's hope for a cure for the contagious cancer killing off Tasmanian devils, with an international team of researchers cracking one of the disease's key mysteries.

Scientists have determined how devil facial tumour disease manages to ‘turn off' elements of the iconic marsupial's immune system, giving hope a vaccine could switch them back on. "It's probably the most promising lead we've had for a vaccine since the initial characterisation of the disease," University of Cambridge scientist Hannah Siddle told Nature. UNMASKED: Golden Frog admits to creating sleazy DumpDropbox scare campaign The disease, which is spread by the devils when they bite each other, has killed at least six in every 10 devils since it emerged in 1996. There are fears the disease could make the creatures extinct in two to three decades. The research, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, could be valuable if a contagious cancer ever evolved to spread between humans, said Jim Kaufman, lead investigator on the study. "Every once in a while, a new disease comes out of nowhere," Mr Kaufman said. "It's useful to know what might hit people or other animals in the future."