Who discovered hpv virus

Published : 08 October Issue Date : 09 October Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:. Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article. Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative. Journal of Investigative Dermatology Advanced search. Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily. Skip to main content Thank you for visiting nature. Download PDF. Medicine prize goes to virus researchers; physics prize given for symmetry-breaking work.

Authors Alison Abbott View author publications. View author publications. Rights and permissions Reprints and Permissions. About this article Cite this article Abbott, A. Copy to clipboard. Search Search articles by subject, keyword or author. During the late s, scientists used molecular techniques, like the polymerase chain reaction PCR , to obtain genetic information from samples more efficiently. Those findings weakened zur Hausen's claim that HPV caused cervical cancer.

Zur Hausen later argued that because many such techniques were new, lack of training and cross-contamination led to incorrect results. When zur Hausen first published his hypothesis that HPV caused cervical cancer in the s, few supported his findings. Most scientists argued instead that HSV-2 caused cervical cancer.

As zur Hausen continued his research on HPV and cervical cancer in addition to the progress of laboratory techniques, the academic community shifted its research to focus on HPV rather than HSV After years of research on HPV and cervical cancer, zur Hausen received many awards for his contributions to the field of oncovirus research. Swedish police conducted an anticorruption investigation to determine if AstraZeneca, a pharmaceutical company involved in the development of the HPV vaccine, influenced two members of the Nobel Prize selection committee.

Charges were never brought after the investigation. Although he retired from his directorship at the German Cancer Research Center in , he continued to conduct research there. By , he was studying the correlation between eating red meat and colorectal cancer. Harald zur Hausen — By: Grace Kim. Harald zur Hausen — Harald zur Hausen studied viruses and discovered that certain strains of the human papilloma virus HPV , a sexually transmitted disease, can cause cervical cancer, in Europe during the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.

Sources "About Epstein-Barr Virus. Briggle, Adam, and Carl Mitcham. Ethics and Science: An Introduction. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, Crum, Christopher, and Gerard Nuovo. Genital Papillomaviruses and Related Neoplasms. New York: Raven Press, Gissman, Lutz, and Harald zur Hausen. McIntyre, Peter. Miller, George. National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases. Zur Hausen, Harald. M Goldman and M. Epstein, 63— London: McMillan Press, Infections Causing Human Cancer.

KGaA, Printer-friendly version PDF version. This particular post is a historical look-back at how HPV was linked to cancer and what impact this discovery has made. The fact that viruses, and cancer cells, can evade the immune system is a very interesting topic and one we might look at covering in more depth in a separate post. Barry Wilbourn November 10, Thank you for a very well written and informative article, Emma. However, I also agree with Susanne and would like to learn a little more on how cancer causing viruses — and virally infected cells — can evade the immune system.

My curiosity arises from 2 directions in that for my immunology masters I once wrote an essay on immune surveillance and cancer — it was a contentious issue back then and the EBV story featured heavily in my argument in favour. Also the role of T-lymphocytes were far less well understood and their phenotyping was in its infancy. The good news is that I am 3 years clear, thanks to a wonderfully dedicated oncology team at Southend and the improvement in treatment options over the last 3 decades.

Susanne Johnson November 8, Great blog. Really nicely written. Not much about how hpv evades the immune system and nothing about smoking and deactivated T lymphocytes. Excellent though.

Anne Hills November 7, Interesting historical over view. Karen November 7, Alexandra Rose September 16, Thanks for a great blog piece! As a complement to this blog, readers interested in the historical aspects of the research might like to download the transcript of the meeting. We cover the latest cancer research, including that funded by the charity. We also highlight other relevant material, debunk myths and media scares, and provide links to other helpful resources.

This entry is part 5 of 5 in the series Cancer and Infections. The human papillomavirus. Smear tests can spot abnormal cells. Cancer and Infections.

HPV and cancer: the whole story, warts and all. Emma Smith November 10, Thanks everyone for your comments and for the points you raised. Barry Wilbourn November 10, Thank you for a very well written and informative article, Emma. Secondly, my very own squamous cell carcinoma of the neck turned out to have a HPV origin.

Susanne Johnson November 8, Great blog. Anne Hills November 7, Interesting historical over view. Alexandra Rose September 16, Fascinating and informative. Thank you. Popular posts. COVID vaccine and cancer — latest updates Let's get to the bottom of it — 7 common cancer myths, unpicked Cervical screening in Wales extended to every 5 years: Why the switch? COVID vaccine and cancer — latest updates Zooming in: Fine-tuning the picture to diagnose oesophageal cancer earlier Investigating suspected prostate cancer: Improving GP-patient communication.