Researchers at the QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute in Brisbane have discovered drugs that lower cholesterol in humans could be the key to treating the deadly facial tumour disease that has endangered Tasmanian devils.
Lead researcher, Dr. Manuel Fernandez-Rojo, says experiments showed the tumour cells required a minimum amount of cholesterol to multiply. Lab tests revealed drugs inhibiting cholesterol synthesis successfully reduced growth.
Researchers hope the treatment will not only protect the devils, but prove invaluable in treating cancers in other animals, including humans.