posted on 2019-04-04, 10:45authored byDavid J. Duffy, Christine Schnitzler, Lorraine Karpinski, Rachel S. Thomas, Jenny Whilde, Catherine B. Eastman, Calvin Yang, Aleksandar Krstic, Devon Rollinson, Bette Zirkelbach, Kelsey Yetsko, Brooke Burkhalter, Mark Q. Martindale
Wildlife populations are under intense anthropogenic pressures, with the geographic range of
many species shrinking, dramatic reductions in population numbers and undisturbed habitats,
and biodiversity loss. It is postulated that we are in the midst of a sixth (Anthropocene) mass
extinction event, the first to be induced by human activity. Further, threatening vulnerable
species is the increased rate of emerging diseases, another consequence of anthropogenic
activities. Innovative approaches are required to help maintain healthy populations until the
chronic underlying causes of these issues can be addressed. Fibropapillomatosis in sea turtles
is one such wildlife disease. Here, we applied precision-medicine-based approaches to profile
fibropapillomatosis tumors to better understand their biology, identify novel therapeutics, and
gain insights into viral and environmental triggers for fibropapillomatosis. We show that
fibropapillomatosis tumors share genetic vulnerabilities with human cancer types, revealing
that they are amenable to treatment with human anti-cancer therapeutics.
Funding
Study on Aerodynamic Characteristics Control of Slender Body Using Active Flow Control Technique