Prof. Harald zur Hausen, Nobel Prize Laureate and Professor of the German Cancer Research Center visited TMUCIH and made academic exchanges

  Prof. Harald zur Hausen is a 2008 Nobel Laureate in Physiology of Medicine for the discovery of the causative role of papilloma viruses in cancer of the cervix which led to the development of a successful HPV vaccine. In 2003, Prof. zur Hausen became an emeritus professor at the German Cancer Research Center(DKFZ). Prof. zur Hausen's laboratory has made several particularly noteworthy findings in papillomavirus research. The earliest was the recognition that there are multiple HPV genotypes, particularly that the HPVs that caused non-genital warts and those that caused genital warts might be distinct (2,3). Prior to his studies, it was believed that there might be a single HPV, as it had been shown in the first part of the 20th century that cutaneous warts could be induced with filtrates from genital or laryngeal warts.

    Prof. Harald zur Hausen gave an impressive academic lecture on “60 Years of Research on Infectious Agents in Human Cancers” and presented his own scientific research experience and research results which attracted many young scholars and researchers from our hospital. This was a great opportunity for us to have a face-to-face communication with a Nobel Laureate. The scholars and researchers enthusiastically posed questions to Prof. zur Hausen related to their own work on basic research. Prof. zur Hausen gave patient and meticulous answers to every questions and was also willing to share his own opinions and experiences with all the participants. We have benefited a lot from the in-depth exchanges and communication on cancer research.

During the visit, Prof. zur Hausen gained a deeper understanding of the research work and achievements in our hospital in recent years. In 2018, TMUCIH and DKFZ signed a MOU, aiming to establish solid scientific research collaboration and to strive for breakthrough research results in cancer precision medicine by combining the strengths and resources from both sides. We are pleased to see that our exchange and cooperation is developing further through our collaborative efforts.