According to the Nobel Academy, Harald zur Hausen went against current dogma and postulated that oncogenic human papilloma virus (HPV) caused cervical cancer, the second most common cancer among women.
The virus, which infects the skin and mucous membranes of humans, claims the lives of hundred thousand women worldwide annually.
Hausen realised that HPV-DNA could exist in a non-productive state in the tumours, and should be detectable by specific searches for viral DNA. He found HPV to be a heterogeneous family of viruses. Only some HPV types cause cancer.
His discovery led to characterisation of the natural history of HPV infection, an understanding of mechanisms of HPV-induced carcinogenesis and the development of prophylactic vaccines against HPV acquisition.
Image: An illustration of Harald zur Hausen's work
Illustrator: Annika Kohl for nobelprize.org
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