Scientists Who Linked HPV With Cervical Cancer Win 20th Annual Warren Alpert Foundation Prize

Main Category: Cervical Cancer / HPV Vaccine
Also Included In: Sexual Health / STDs;  Immune System / Vaccines
Article Date: 05 Sep 2008 - 3:00 PDT

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Two scientists who discovered that specific types of human papillomavirus, or HPV, cause cancer of the cervix were announced as winners of the 20th annual Warren Alpert Foundation Scientific Prize.

The Foundation recognizes Harald zur Hausen, Professor Emeritus, and Lutz Gissmann, Professor-both at the German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg-for work in cloning and characterizing the most prevalent virus types in cervical cancer, HPV 16 and HPV 18. In 1983, zur Hausen, Gissmann, and their colleagues identified HPV 16 in precursor lesions of genital cancer and, in 1985, revealed the genetic organization of HPV DNA in cervical cancer cells and the active transcription of HPV in these cells. The Foundation will divide the $150,000 award between the winners.

As part of the day's celebration, Gissmann and zur Hausen are presenting their research at a scientific symposium at Harvard Medical School.

"The discoveries of Harald zur Hausen, Lutz Gissmann, and their colleagues in the 1980s provided the first concrete evidence that specific HPV types were linked to cancer of the cervix in women. Their generosity in providing the molecular clones of these newly identified HPVs to others studying the papillomaviruses allowed research in this field to move forward rapidly leading to an understanding of how HPV causes cancer, to the recognition of the large group of different HPV types associated with cancer, and to the development of the now FDA-approved HPV vaccine," said Peter Howley, chair of the Harvard Medical School Department of Pathology and an expert on the molecular biology of HPV infection and subsequent cancer development.

The scientists' work on HPV began in 1972 after zur Hausen and colleagues failed to find genetic sequences for herpes simplex virus 2 in human cervical cancer and started to analyze the possible role in the disease of genital tract HPV. The research was subsequently bolstered by studies from cytologists providing evidence that an HPV was present in cervical dysplasia, a precursor lesion to cervical cancer and the basis of the Pap smear.

Two years later, in 1974, Lutz Gissmann joined the zur Hausen group as a PhD student. Together, the scientists helped establish the heterogeneity of the papillomavirus family. Based on the subsequent isolation of papillomavirus types in genital warts and laryngeal papillomatosis, two of zur Hausen's later students were able to clone and partially characterize HPV 16 and HPV 18. These two seminal studies included Gissmann, who played a critical role in directing the molecular biological techniques that were central to the investigations. In 1983, the scientists identified HPV 16 in precursor lesions of genital cancer, and in 1985, they revealed the genetic organization and activity of HPV DNA in cervical cancer cells.

HPV 16 and HPV 18 are responsible for 70 percent of cervical cancer worldwide. From a global perspective, the disease ranks second in cancer incidence among women, responsible for approximately 270,000 deaths each year around the world. In many parts of Africa, Asia, and South America, it is the most frequent cancer among females. Zur Hausen and Gissmann's findings paved the way for many subsequent groundbreaking studies, notably, the development of Gardasil, which in 2006 became the first preventive vaccine for cervical cancer to be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The Warren Alpert Foundation

Chelsea, Massachusetts, native Warren Alpert first established the Alpert Prize in 1987 after reading that Kenneth Murray of the University of Edinburgh had developed a successful vaccine for hepatitis B. Alpert decided immediately that he would like to reward such far-reaching breakthroughs, so he called Murray to tell him he had won a prize and then set about creating the Foundation.

To choose subsequent recipients of the prize, Alpert asked Daniel Tosteson, then Dean of Harvard Medical School, to convene a panel of experts to select and honor renowned scientists from around the world whose research has had a direct impact on the treatment of disease.

Each year the Foundation receives 30 to 50 nominations for the Alpert Prize from scientific leaders worldwide. Prize recipients are selected by the Foundation's scientific advisory board, made up of internationally recognized biomedical scientists and now chaired by Jeffrey S. Flier, MD, Dean of Harvard Medical School.

The Foundation does not solicit funds. It is a private, philanthropic effort funded solely by the Warren Alpert Estate.

Alpert, a first-generation American, started his business in 1950 with, as he told it, "$1,000 and a used car." At the time of his passing in March 2007, he was the sole owner of Warren Equities, Inc. The company markets petroleum and food items, posting in excess of one billion dollars per year in sales. It also engages in transportation and real estate, employing more than 2,100 people in 11 states.

Warren Alpert Foundation

Harvard Medical School

Harvard Medical School has more than 7,500 full-time faculty working in 11 academic departments located at the School's Boston campus or in one of 47 hospital-based clinical departments at 18 Harvard-affiliated teaching hospitals and research institutes. Those affiliates include Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Cambridge Health Alliance, Children's Hospital Boston, Dana - Farber Cancer Institute, Forsyth Institute, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Hebrew SeniorLife, Joslin Diabetes Center, Judge Baker Children's Center, Immune Disease Institute, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Massachusetts General Hospital, McLean Hospital, Mount Auburn Hospital, Schepens Eye Research Institute, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, and VA Boston Healthcare System.

Harvard Medical School

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