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ROO DNA HELPS UNLOCK HUMAN MYSTERIES
3 May 2006

Analysis of DNA from Australian mammals including the kangaroo, wallaby and platypus will help scientists understand healthy development and disease in humans.

Discussing the research at the annual Australian Academy of Science, Science at the Shine Dome event in Canberra today, Professor Jenny Graves from the Australian National University said her research had the potential to provide clues to many human genetic diseases and cancers.

'People most commonly think of rats and mice as the best lab comparison to the human body. However, the more distantly related mammals are to humans, the more powerful the comparative findings are. You can't get any more distant from humans than kangaroos and platypus,' Professor Graves said.

'Comparing the DNA of kangaroos allows us to spot the parts of the genome that have stayed the same. This helps us to identify genes and regulatory elements, and figure out how they work. We can use this knowledge to combat disease.'

Professor Graves said her research could help unlock the mysteries of the 95% of human DNA that scientists do not currently understand the function of.

'The Human Genome Project provided us with the human body's complete sequence of DNA. Now we need to find out what it all means. Using comparative genomics we can look at how genes are regulated to make different tissues and organs, and what can go wrong to cause genetic disease and cancer,' Professor Graves said.

'Tremendous advances are already being made in comparative genetics, and it's likely that the kangaroo genome will deliver some big surprises. For instance, a team of scientists at the Department of Primary Industries in Victoria just presented findings that an ingredient in Tammar Wallaby milk could be 100 times more effective as an antibiotic than penicillin,' Professor Graves said.

Professor Graves' research will be recognised this week at the Academy's annual Science at the Shine Dome event in Canberra. Professor Graves will receive the Macfarlane Burnet Medal for outstanding research in the biological sciences. Professor Graves recently received the international L'Oréal-UNESCO Award for Women in Science.

Further information on Science at the Shine Dome is available from the Australian Academy of Science website at www.science.org.au/sats2006.