“当前在治疗人类癌症时,通常是对肿瘤赶尽杀绝,会用到对人有毒性或使人衰弱的疗法。”该研究的另一位负责人、肿瘤学家David Hockenbery博士说,“如果可以在不使用细胞毒性药物或不动手术的情况下就让肿瘤自行消散,那将是一个重大进步。”
从拯救远在天边的“恶魔”,到造福人类,这既为我们提供了一个绝佳的例子来认识保护生物多样性的意义,也展现了科学研究的奇妙之处。
参考资料
[1] Mark Margres et al., (2020) Spontaneous tumor regression in Tasmanian devils associated with RASL11A activation. Genetics. DOI:
[2] Tasmanian devil research offers new insights for tackling cancer in humans. Retrieved Aug. 9, 2020, from https://news.wsu.edu/2020/08/06/tasmanian-devil-research-offers-new-insights-tackling-cancer-humans/
[3] A.-M Pearse et al., (2006) Transmission of devil facial-tumour disease. Nature DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/439549a
[4] Tasmanian devil. Retrieved Aug. 10, 2020, from https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/t/tasmanian-devil/