Evolution_and_lineage_dynamics_of_a_transmissible_cancer_in_Tasmanian_devils

The Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii), the world's largest carnivorous marsupial, is currently endangered by a cancer known as Tasmanian devil facial tumor 1 (DFT1). DFT1 is an oral and facial tumor disease that is disseminated among devil hosts through physical contact, such as biting. Since the first report of DFT1 in northeast Tasmania in 1996, DFT1 has become an epidemic. The disease has spread throughout Tasmania, with only the northwestern region remaining disease free. Although disease monitoring has tracked how the single clone of DFT1 spread across Tasmania, it is difficult to trace how different lineages of this strain has progressed across Tasmania. Through MIPgen and sequencing, we plan on establishing a study that enables us to easily classify DFTD tumours into their appropriate phylogenetic groups, in order to investigate the spread of these lineages in the past, and for future DFTD surveillance.