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Cambridge Immunology Network

 

Biography

Elizabeth Murchison is Professor of Comparative Oncology and Genetics at the University of Cambridge, Department of Veterinary Medicine. Her laboratory studies the genetics, evolution and host interactions of clonally transmissible cancers. There are only three known naturally occurring clonally transmissible cancers in mammals, and these are the Tasmanian devil facial tumours 1 and 2 (DFT1 and DFT2) and the canine transmissible venereal tumour (CTVT). These three clonal cell lineages are spread between individual hosts by the physical transfer of living cancer cells. DFT1 and DFT2 are spread by biting and are threatening their host species, the Tasmanian devil. CTVT is a sexually transmitted cancer that affects dogs and is found around the world. Elizabeth uses genetics and genomics to understand the origins, evolution, host interactions and geographical spread of these two unusual diseases.

Research

Transmissible cancer, cancer genomics

Publications

Key publications: 

Kwon YM, Gori K, Park N, Potts N, Swift K, Wang J, Stammnitz MR, Cannell N, Baez-Ortega A, Comte S, Fox S, Harmsen C, Huxtable S, Jones M, Kreiss A, Lawrence C, Lazenby B, Peck S, Pye R, Woods G, Zimmermann M, Wedge DC, Pemberton D, Stratton MR, Hamede R, Murchison EP. Evolution and lineage dynamics of a transmissible cancer in Tasmanian devils. PLoS Biol. 2020 Nov 24;18(11):e3000926. doi: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3000926. PMID: 33232318; PMCID: PMC7685465.

Strakova A, Nicholls TJ, Baez-Ortega A, Ní Leathlobhair M, Sampson AT, Hughes K, Bolton IAG, Gori K, Wang J, Airikkala-Otter I, Allen JL, Allum KM, Arnold CL, Bansse-Issa L, Bhutia TN, Bisson JL, Blank K, Briceño C, Castillo Domracheva A, Corrigan AM, Cran HR, Crawford JT, Cutter SM, Davis E, de Castro KF, De Nardi AB, de Vos AP, Delgadillo Keenan L, Donelan EM, Espinoza Huerta AR, Faramade IA, Fazil M, Fotopoulou E, Fruean SN, Gallardo-Arrieta F, Glebova O, Gouletsou PG, Häfelin Manrique RF, Henriques JJGP, Horta RS, Ignatenko N, Kane Y, King C, Koenig D, Krupa A, Kruzeniski SJ, Lanza-Perea M, Lazyan M, Lopez Quintana AM, Losfelt T, Marino G, Martínez Castañeda S, Martínez-López MF, Masuruli BM, Meyer M, Migneco EJ, Nakanwagi B, Neal KB, Neunzig W, Nixon SJ, Ortega-Pacheco A, Pedraza Ordoñez F, Peleteiro MC, Polak K, Pye RJ, Ramirez-Ante JC, Reece JF, Rojas Gutierrez J, Sadia H, Schmeling SK, Shamanova O, Sherlock AG, Steenland-Smit AE, Svitich A, Tapia Martínez LJ, Thoya Ngoka I, Torres CG, Tudor EM, van der Wel MG, Vițălaru BA, Vural SA, Walkinton O, Wehrle-Martinez AS, Widdowson SAE, Zvarich I, Chinnery PF, Falkenberg M, Gustafsson CM, Murchison EP. Recurrent horizontal transfer identifies mitochondrial positive selection in a transmissible cancer. Nat Commun. 2020 Jun 16;11(1):3059. doi: 10.1038/s41467-020-16765-w. PMID: 32546718; PMCID: PMC7297733.

Baez-Ortega A, Gori K*, Strakova A*, Airikkala-Otter I, Allen JL, Allum KM, Bansse-Issa L, Bhutia TN, Bisson JL, Briceño C, Castillo Domracheva A, Corrigan AM, Hugh R. Cran HR, Crawford JT, Davis E, de Castro KF, De Nardi AB, de Vos AP, Delgadillo Keenan L, Donelan EM, Espinoza Huerta AR, Faramade IA, Fazil F, Fotopoulou E, Fruean SN, Gallardo-Arrieta F, Glebova O, Gouletsou PG, Häfelin Manrique RF, Henriques JJGP, Horta RS, Ignatenko N, Kane Y, King C, Koenig D, Krupa A, Kruzeniski SJ, Kwon YM, Lanza-Perea, Lazyan M, Lopez Quintana AM, Losfelt T, Marino G, Martínez Castañeda S, Martínez-López MF, Masuruli BM, Meyer M, Migneco EJ, Nakanwagi BN, Neal K, Neunzig W, Ní Leathlobhair M, Nixon SJ, Onsare MM, Ortega-Pacheco A, Pedraza-Ordoñez F, Peleteiro MC, Polak K, Pye RJ, Reece JF, Rojas Gutierrez J, Sadia H, Schmeling SK, Shamanova O, Sherlock AG, Stammnitz M, Steenland-Smit AE, Svitich A, Swarisch I, Tapia Martínez LJ, Thoya Ngoka IT, Torres CG, Tudor EM, van der Wel MG, Vițălaru BA, Vural SA, Walkinton W, Wang J, Wehrle-Martinez AS, Widdowson SAE, Stratton MR, Alexandrov LB, Martincorena I, Murchison EP. 2019. Somatic evolution and global expansion of an ancient transmissible cancer lineage. Science. Aug 2; 365(6452) doi: 10.1126/science.aau9923

Ní Leathlobhair M, Perri AR, Irving-Pease EK, Witt KE, Linderholm A, Haile J,, Lebrasseur O, Ameen C, Blick J, Boyko AR, Brace S, Nunes Cortes Y, Crockford SJ, Dimopoulos EA, Eldridge M, Gopalakrishnan S, Gori KC, Grimes V, Guiry E, Hansen AJ, Hulme-Beaman A, Johnson J, Kitchen A, Kwon YM, Lope CP, Manin A, Martin T, Meyer M, Myers KN, Omura M, Sciulli P, Sinding MS, Strakova A, Widga C, Willerslev E, Barnes I, Gilbert MTP, Dobney KM, Malhi RS, Murchison EP*, Larson G*, Frantz LAF* 2018 The Evolutionary History of Dogs in the Americas. Science. Jul 6;361(6397):81-85. doi: 10.1126/science.aao4776

Kwon YM, Stammnitz MR, Wang J, Swift K, Knowles GW, Pye RJ, Kreiss A, Peck S, Fox S, Pemberton D, Jones ME, Hamede R, Murchison EP 2018 Tasman-PCR: A genetic diagnostic assay for Tasmanian devil facial tumour diseases. Royal Soc Open Sci. Oct 3, doi:10.1098/rsos.180870 (10 pages)

Stammnitz MR, Coorens THH, Gori KC, Hayes D, Fu B, Wang J, Martin-Herranz DE, Alexandrov LB, Baez-Ortega A, Barthorpe S, Beck A, Giordano F, Knowles GW, Kwon YM, Hall G, Price S, Pye RJ, Tubio JMC, V.T. Siddle HVT, Sohal, SS, Woods GM, McDermott U, Yang F, Garnett MJ, Ning Z, Murchison EP 2018 The origins and vulnerabilities of two transmissible cancers in Tasmanian devils. Cancer Cell. 33:607-619. doi: 10.1016/j.ccell.2018.03.013

Murchison EP, Wedge DC, Alexandrov LB, Fu B, Martincorena I, Ning Z, Tubio JM, Werner EI, Allen J, De Nardi AB, Donelan EM, Marino G, Fassati A, Campbell PJ, Yang F, Burt A, Weiss RA, Stratton MR. Transmissible dog cancer genome reveals the origin and history of an ancient cell lineage. Science. 2014 Jan 24;343(6169):437-40. 

Bender HS, Murchison EP, Pickett HA, Deakin JE, Strong MA, Conlan C, McMillan DA, Neumann AA, Greider CW, Hannon GJ, Reddel RR, Graves JA. Extreme telomere length dimorphism in the Tasmanian devil and related marsupials suggests parental control of telomere length. PLoS One. 2012;7(9):e46195. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0046195.

Deakin JE, Bender HS, Pearse AM, Rens W, O'Brien PC, Ferguson-Smith MA, Cheng Y, Morris K, Taylor R, Stuart A, Belov K, Amemiya CT, Murchison EP, Papenfuss AT, Graves JA. Genomic restructuring in the Tasmanian devil facial tumour: chromosome painting and gene mapping provide clues to evolution of a transmissible tumour. PLoS Genet. 2012;8(2):e1002483. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1002483.

Murchison EP, Schulz-Trieglaff OB, Ning Z, Alexandrov LB, Bauer MJ, Fu B, Hims M, Ding Z, Ivakhno S, Stewart C, Ng BL, Wong W, Aken B, White S, Alsop A, Becq J, Bignell GR, Cheetham RK, Cheng W, Connor TR, Cox AJ, Feng ZP, Gu Y, Grocock RJ, Harris SR, Khrebtukova I, Kingsbury Z, Kowarsky M, Kreiss A, Luo S, Marshall J, McBride DJ, Murray L, Pearse AM, Raine K, Rasolonjatovo I, Shaw R, Tedder P, Tregidgo C, Vilella AJ, Wedge DC, Woods GM, Gormley N, Humphray S, Schroth G, Smith G, Hall K, Searle SM, Carter NP, Papenfuss AT, Futreal PA, Campbell PJ, Yang F, Bentley DR, Evers DJ, Stratton MR. Genome sequencing and analysis of the Tasmanian devil and its transmissible cancer. Cell. 2012 Feb 17;148(4):780-91. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2011.11.06

Tovar C, Obendorf D, Murchison EP, Papenfuss AT, Kreiss A, Woods GM. Tumor-specific diagnostic marker for transmissible facial tumors of Tasmanian devils: immunohistochemistry studies. Vet Pathol. 2011 Nov;48(6):1195-203. doi: 10.1177/0300985811400447. Epub 2011 Mar 7.

Murchison EP, Tovar C, Hsu A, Bender HS, Kheradpour P, Rebbeck CA, Obendorf D, Conlan C, Bahlo M, Blizzard CA, Pyecroft S, Kreiss A, Kellis M, Stark A, Harkins TT, Marshall Graves JA, Woods GM, Hannon GJ, Papenfuss AT. The Tasmanian devil transcriptome reveals Schwann cell origins of a clonally transmissible cancer. Science. 2010 Jan 1;327(5961):84-7. doi: 10.1126/science.1180616.

Murchison EP. Clonally transmissible cancers in dogs and Tasmanian devils. Oncogene. 2008 Dec;27 Suppl 2:S19-30. doi: 10.1038/onc.2009.350. Review.

Dr Elizabeth  Murchison
Takes PhD students
Not available for consultancy

Affiliations