Sperm and egg cell 'immune response' protects koala DNA

15 Oct 2019
Koala
According to Dr Keith Chappell from UQ’s School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, discovery of this unique immune system response could open a whole new field of research.

Discovery of a type of immunity that protects koalas’ DNA from viruses has importance for the survival of koalas and our fundamental understanding of evolution.

A team of scientists from The University of Queensland and University of Massachusetts Medical School are studying tissue samples from koalas to understand how a unique type of cell responds to retrovirus infections, which cause diseases such as chlamydia and cancer.

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