German virologist Harald zur Hausen proved that human papillomaviruses can cause cervical cancer. He laid the foundations for the development of a vaccine that now benefits millions of people around the world, and opened up a new dimension of cancer prevention. In 2008, zur Hausen was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his achievements. He has died at the age of 87.
From 1983 to 2003, zur Hausen also steered and established the international reputation of the German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg. As its chair and scientific director, he implemented a policy of stringent international benchmarking and peer review, recruited outstanding scientists from all over the world and set up units that linked the DKFZ to the clinic.
His studies from 1966 to 1969 at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, were decisive for his career. He joined a group of researchers who later proved a connection between Epstein–Barr virus and Burkitt’s lymphoma, by showing that EBV particles were present in lymphoma cells. He also found that another type of virus caused damage to chromosomes in human embryonic kidney cells.
On learning that some benign genital warts could become cancerous, zur Hausen wondered whether the infectious agents causing them might also trigger the development of certain tumours. In 1972, when he became chair of a new clinical virology institute at the University of Erlangen–Nuremberg in Germany, he began investigating the role of HPVs in the development of cervical cancer.
Health Health Latest News, Health Health Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Source: NBCDFW - 🏆 288. / 63 Read more »