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SUMMARY:How does cancer become an infectious disease? - Dr Hannah Siddle (
 Dpt of Pathology\, Cambridge University)
DTSTART:20131206T181500Z
DTEND:20131206T191500Z
UID:TALK48033@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Dr Maria M Caffarel
DESCRIPTION:An aggressive contagious cancer has emerged in the Tasmanian d
 evil\, a carnivorous marsupial endemic to the island of Tasmania.  Known a
 s Devil Facial Tumour Disease or DFTD\, the disease is characterised by th
 e rapid growth of large and disfiguring tumours around the face and neck o
 f host devils\, causing close to 100% mortality and rapid decline of the T
 asmanian devil population. Naturally occurring contagious cancers\, where 
 tumour cells pass between individuals\, are rare as the vertebrate immune 
 system is very good at detecting and destroying foreign cells\, just as it
  detects pathogens. We have been investigating how DFTD cells so successfu
 lly evade the host devil immune system\, allowing the tumour cells to pass
  between devils and quickly establish new tumours. Based on these studies 
 we are developing a vaccine that could rescue the Tasmanian devil in the w
 ild and our findings may also have implications for understanding other ad
 vanced\, drug and immunotherapy resistant tumours.
LOCATION:Seminar Room\, Wolfson College
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