A team of Spanish and Australian scientists have discovered drugs used to help humans could help Tasmanian devils overcome a deadly facial tumour disease.

Most of the study took place at the QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute in Brisbane with deadly facial tumour disease cells provided by the Tasmanian Government via the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program.

The researchers, including Greek Australian Dr Maria Ikonomopoulou as one of the lead researchers, found that tumour cells require a minimum amount of cholesterol to multiply, which led the team to look at cholesterol-lowering drugs as potential treatments.

Dr Ikonomopoulou said that the next stage of the study would be to test the drug on diseased animals.

“We know statins work on tumour cells in lab experiments, so we now want to expand our study of the drugs in stopping the spread of cancer tumours,” she told the ABC. “Human cancer cells undergo similar metabolic adaptation to grow as those exhibited by deadly facial tumour disease cells in our research.”

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Tasmanian Devil. Photo: Unsplash

Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary director Greg Irons said he found the research fascinating.

“It could lead us a step closer to either preventing this occurring, being able to stop it, or even slowing it down,” he told the ABC.

“It not only has ramifications for our very important devils but potentially other species as well that have issues with tumors.”