Dr Andrea Strakova

Andrea is a postdoctoral scientist in the Transmissible Cancer Group and is interested in understanding the biology of canine transmissible venereal tumour (CTVT). CTVT is one of a few known naturally occurring clonally transmissible cancers, and the disease is spread between individual dogs by the allogeneic transfer of living cancer cells during coitus. Even though CTVT originated in a dog that lived around 11,000 years ago, the cancer managed to survive beyond the death of its original host and is now widely present as a parasitic life form in the dog population worldwide.

The CTVT project, which Andrea is involved in, is aiming to understand how CTVT has emerged and spread through the population, through mapping the genetic and phenotypic diversity of CTVT tumours from different parts of the world.

Andrea completed her PhD research work in the Transmissible Cancer Group, focusing on the genome diversity and evolution of CTVT around the world, for which she has received the Kennel Club Charitable Trust Postgraduate Student Inspiration Award, Cambridge Society for the Application of Research Award and British Federation of Women Graduates Award. Prior to her PhD, she completed an undergraduate degree in Veterinary Science at the University of Cambridge. Her final year project focused on mapping the worldwide distribution and prevalence of CTVT, and she is still interested in reports of CTVT from around the world.

Learn more about Andrea's recent work on CTVT from the videos below:

Canine Transmissible Venereal Tumour: The contagious cancer that conquered the world

• The Naked Scientists Interview: Contagious cancer steals DNA from host
• BMC series blog (CTVT worldwide distribution post)
• Department of Veterinary Medicine (personal website)