Tuesday, April 17, 2018

Cancers Jump

Cancers Jump.
Did you know that cancers can jump from one species to another? It is said that this type of cancer is extremely rare, but not for the endangered Tasmanian devil. Researchers at the University of Cambridge simply thought the Tasmanian devils were extremely unfortunate when it was first discovered. The second incident was what got them thinking. Some hypotheses that researchers have come up are in relation to possible environmental or anthropogenic changes that have caused these cancers to emerge. 

Once it went from 2 cancers to 8, more work had to be done. Researchers and geneticists were not able to locate any genetic markers of any particular viruses or external carcinogens. The only thing they discovered was that the two cancers have similarities in their mutational processes and also reacted to similar drugs. These cancers have wiped out 90% of the Tasmania devils, which is concerning because their role as scavengers help ecological clean up. 
Cancer is just a bunch of gene mutations, but it’s crazy how heavily cancer can take over one’s life. Cancer as I know it is either inherited from family or an individual just happens to be unlucky to have the genes. Who would've imagined that it's possible for cancer to jump from one species to another? More specifically, this cancer is called the Tasmanian devil facial tumour disease (DFTD). It is a transmissible cancer that is spread by biting and causes the appearance of tumours on the face or inside the mouth of affected Tasmanian devils. The tumours often become very large and usually cause death of affected animals. The disease has caused a massive decline in the Tasmanian devil population, and the species is now considered endangered. The Tasmanian devil is the world’s largest living carnivorous marsupial. About the size of a small dog, Tasmanian devils are well known for their piercing nocturnal shriek and their strong jaws. Hopefully with this research, our understanding of transmissible cancers will grow and the Tasmanian devils won't be completely wiped out. 

 Posted by Catherine Tsang (3)
Posted by at

5 comments:

  1. Peter HoulihanApril 18, 2018 at 6:11 PM

    This is very unfortunate that something like this is happening to the Tasmanian devil. Can scientists use knowledge and information from human cancer research to create a drug to treat the condition? Or would they have to do separate research?

    -Trung Le (2)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Peter HoulihanApril 20, 2018 at 11:53 AM

      I'm wondering the same thing, but I don't think scientists can use the information they know from human cancer research to help these poor Tasmanian devils.I think this because this type of cancer has never been exposed to humans. It would be difficult to find information that would provide additional help. Additional research should be done, but scientists should try to figure something out quickly. The species is almost entirely wiped out. Cancer can be an incredibly vigorous disease.

      -Catherine Tsang (3)

      Delete
  2. Peter HoulihanApril 19, 2018 at 6:55 AM

    I have never heard of a bite causing tumors or cancer before. It is strange that it is happening in this one species. I wonder how the cancer mutated to be able to accomplish this.

    -Zoe Israel

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Peter HoulihanApril 20, 2018 at 12:12 PM

      When I first discovered the article, I was asking myself the same question. How did this cancer come to life/develop? This mutation must be incredibly smart and advanced for it to be a "contagious" cancer. I hope this will never happen to humans.

      -Catherine Tsang (3)

      Delete
  3. AnonymousApril 20, 2018 at 12:19 PM

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)