in 2013, a study using mice as a model for tasmanian devils suggested that a dftd vaccine could be beneficial. in 2015, a study which mixed dead dftd cells with an inflammatory substance stimulated an immune response in five out of six devils injected with the mixture, engendering for a vaccine against dftd. field testing of the potential vaccine is being undertaken as a collaborative project between the menzies institute for medical research and the save the tasmanian devil program under the wild devil recovery program, and aims to test the immunisation protocol as a tool in ensuring the devil's long term survival in the wild.