From ANIMAL PEOPLE, September 2010:
(published October 5, 2010)

Cedric, 6, a captive-born Tasmanian devil who was the
first known to produce an immune response to Deadly Facial Tumor
Disease, was euthanized in late August 2010 after X-rays showed
tumors in his lungs. Taz survived two years of repeated injections
with DFTD cells at the Menzies Research Institute in Hobart,
Australia, which has been trying to find a cure or a prophylactic
for the disease. Discovered in 2006, DFTD has killed about 80% of
the Tazmanian devils left in the wild. The disease, which began
with a mutation circa 20 years ago in the devils’ nerve
tissue-producing cells, is transmitted when devils bite each other.
The tumor gene was identified in March 2010. Discovery of a colony
of apparently immune wild devils was reported the same month.
Australian National Univ-ersity researcher Elizabeth Murchison
announced on September 16, 2010 that mapping the devils’ genome had
been completed. Together, the findings raised hope that a vaccine
can be engineered to save the species.

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