Portable test could improve Tasmanian devil tumour monitoring

Researchers have developed a portable DNA test for the transmissible facial tumours affecting Tasmanian devils. The study in Royal Society Open Science describes a field-deployable system using small samples, including non-invasive swabs.

The researchers demonstrated detection of DFT1 in wild devils without sending every sample back to a laboratory. ABC reported that field work involved 33 tests on ten devils and three spotted-tailed quolls, with five devils testing positive.

The work could improve monitoring and future conservation research. It is not a proven cure, an approved vaccine, or proof that the test reliably diagnoses infection before visible tumours: early detection before symptoms is a question researchers still want to investigate.