You have made a difference!

Thanks to your incredible support, we have now reached our stretch target of $7,500! We have increased our target to $10,000 to help with the cost of transporting cells and research equipment to Belgium. 

In early 2019 Chelsea will be travelling to Belgium to collaborate with a research group from Hasselt University who are working with human dental pulp stem cells to combat oral cancer. Along with learning new techniques from the research group, Chelsea will be conducting her own research in Belgium which will require importing the devil dental pulp stem cells and devil facial tumour cells she has collected in Australia. Transporting the cells to Belgium is expensive as export permits are required and the cells must be maintained at a low temperature to ensure they don’t deteriorate during travel.

It is vital Chelsea can get these cells to Belgium to help in the fight against devil facial tumour. Your support can make a difference to the fate of the Tasmanian devil. 

Thank you!

Your donation will help make a difference to Tasmanian devils’ survival. A big thank you to everyone who contributed to our campaign.

Donations are still coming in and we've increased our goal to $7500 to help Chelsea collaborate with researchers engaging in similar research overseas.

Chelsea will use the extra $2500 to travel to Belgium to meet with a research group from Hasselt University who is working with human dental pulp stem cells to combat oral cancer. In doing so, she hopes to gain an understanding of their methods and techniques to inform her own world-leading research, paving the way for future therapies.

There’s still time to help – every extra dollar donated means more funding for Devil Facial Tumour research, and a better hope of survival for these unique animals.

Fund world-first research by the University of Adelaide 

Tasmanian devils are on the brink of extinction, devastated by the aggressive and fatal Devil Facial Tumour (DFT). 

The tumours are transmissible. There is no treatment and no cure.

But world-first stem cell research led by University of Adelaide researchers Chelsea Graham and Dr Stephen Pyecroft could change the devils’ fate.

Using dental pulp stem cells from Tasmanian devils, Chelsea and Stephen are able to better understand the tumour’s biological make up and develop potential treatments for the disease.

Your donation can make a difference 

Donate now and help Chelsea raise $5,000 by Christmas so she can continue her world-first research, find potential therapies and save the devils from extinction.

The research 

The research is a collaboration between the University of Adelaide’s School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences and School of Medicine, with the laboratory work being carried out at the world-class South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI).

The research is focused on the stem cells located in the pulp tissue of teeth – known as dental pulp stem cells. Chelsea is utilising methods that have been successful in human stem cell research and is applying them to both the Tasmanian devil dental pulp stem cells and DFT cells.  We believe this research is our best chance at tackling DFT and saving our Tasmanian devils.

Chelsea's research uses dental pulp stem cells from Tasmanian devil canine teeth. As South Australia only has a small devil population in captivity, Chelsea must fly to Tasmania to collect the teeth when they become available. She needs to work quickly, with only 24-48 hours to return the canines to SAHMRI before they are rendered unusable.

This research is a crucial step towards tackling the devastating disease and saving the Tasmanian devils. Be part of this world-first research and donate now.

A unique disease

DFT is an infectious cancer that only affects Tasmanian devils. The population of devils in the wild has decreased by 80% in just the last 20 years.

The tumours first appear as small lesions or lumps in and around the mouth. These develop into large tumours around the face and neck, and sometimes other areas of the body. In some cases, badly affected devils may have many tumours throughout the body.

The mortality rate of a devil inflicted with this disease is 100% and once affected, it will starve to death within three to six months. Donate now to give the devils a better chance of survival. 

DFT is extremely unusual as it is only one of three recorded cancers that can rapidly spread like a contagious disease.

How the funds will be used?

It costs $535 a month just to pay for the consumables and cell cultures that Chelsea needs to conduct her research. It costs a further $1,000 to import the DFT cells. These cells can only be obtained in Tasmania and are vital to Chelsea's research.

Reaching our $5,000 target will ensure Chelsea can continue her lab research for a further year and allow her to explore the use of Tasmanian devil dental pulp stem cells as a potential therapy for DFT.

This is an all or nothing campaign. If we don't meet our target, the funds will not be deducted from your account.  

Research milestones

Chelsea must achieve several milestones in the lab before she is able to start developing potential therapies.

Step 1: Raising $1,000 will enable Chelsea to complete the characterisation of the dental pulp stem cell-derived Schwann cells (DFT originated in a Schwann cell which is a cell of the peripheral nervous system).

Step 2: A further $2,000 means Chelsea can complete comparing and contrasting dental pulp stem cell-derived Schwann cells with DFT cells to further our understanding of the origin of DFT.

Step 3: With a final $2,000, Chelsea will be able to perform an experiment to explore the use of Tasmanian devil dental pulp stem cells as a potential therapy for DFT.

Meet the researchers 

Chelsea Graham

Chelsea Graham is a PhD Candidate specialising in cell biology and cancer research. Chelsea has a special interest in native animal health and is the lead researcher on this project. Her role includes isolating and studying the stem cells from the teeth of the Tasmanian devils and utilising them to further investigate the aggressive and transmissible DFT.

Dr Stephen B. Pyecroft BVSc (Hons) PhD MANZCVS

Doctor Pyecroft is a Senior lecturer in veterinary pathology at the University of Adelaide’s, School of Animal & Veterinary Sciences, Roseworthy.

He became involved in DFT research when the disease was first observed in devils from the east coast of Tasmania in the early 2000s. In his role as principal veterinary pathologist at Mt Pleasant veterinary laboratories and manager of diagnostic services at the Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment (DPIPWE) Tasmania, Stephen and his colleagues first described the tumour and discovered that it was indeed a transmissible cancer. He continues his research at the University of Adelaide with a number of PhD researchers to further understand the cancer and investigate possible management measures within individual animals and devil populations.