US-AUSTRALIAN ACADEMIES JOINT WORKSHOP

US-AUSTRALIAN ACADEMIES JOINT WORKSHOP ON VERTEBRATE COMPARATIVE GENOMICS
Beckman Conference Centre, Irvine, California, 23-25 May 2007

Devil Facial Tumor Disease: a transmissible cancer affecting Tasmanian devils
by Elizabeth Murchison

Elizabeth Murchison received her PhD from the Watson School of Biological Sciences at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in 2007. Her PhD dissertation was on mechanism and genetics of RNA interference. She remains at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory as a Fellow of the American Australian Association, studying genomic rearrangements in Tasmanian devil facial tumor disease.

The Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) is the largest remaining marsupial carnivore. Found only in Tasmania, the Tasmanian devil is currently suffering a population collapse linked to the emergence of a new infectious disease known as Tasmanian Devil Facial Tumor Disease (DFTD). We are undertaking a project aimed at identifying sites of chromosomal aberrations in DFTD tumors in the hope of discovering unique markers for use in a PCR-based diagnostic test. In addition, we are endeavoring to identify polymorphic markers in the devil that can be used to test the allograft theory of tumor transmission.

Contact details:
Dr Elizabeth Murchison
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
1 Bungtown Rd
Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724
USA

Ph: +1 516-367-8386
Fax: +1 516-367-8874
Email: murchiso@cshl.edu