Q & A with the man who can stop cervical cancer in its tracks.

The Journal of Clinical Investigation http://www.jci.org Volume 115 Number 10 October 2005 2587 Richard Schlegel is a pioneer in human papillomavirus (HPV) research. Schlegel, chairman of the Department of Pathology at Georgetown University Medical Center, has long studied the protein shell surrounding HPV. His work led to the development of a vaccine called Cervarix, currently in clinical trials. The trouble with Cervarix is that it is solely preventative, not therapeutic, and is difficult to transport because it must be kept frozen. Now, with the help of a new award from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the NIH, Schlegel’s stellar team has 3.5 million dollars to create the next generation HPV vaccine, which will be both preventative and therapeutic, can be produced inexpensively in bacteria, and can be shipped in powder form and reconstituted simply with water to be used in developing countries all over the world. Schlegel spoke to the JCI about this award, the link between HPV and cervical cancer, and what he hopes to accomplish. JCI: What does your lab study? Schlegel: The basic biology of papillomaviruses and their role in human cancer. We use molecular, cellular, and animal models to study the viral genes that alter growth of human cells and facilitate the development of cancer. We also pursue translational research aimed at developing vaccines to prevent and treat papillomavirus infections as well as drug therapies to treat these infections. JCI: Why is HPV such a big health problem? Schlegel: HPV generates virtually all cervical cancers in women, and nearly 250,000 women die from this cancer each year. There are no therapeutic drugs which specifically target HPV, so the current approach taken by pharmaceutical companies is to develop and market a prophylactic vaccine that can be administered early in life and prevent HPV infection and the development of cervical cancer. JCI: What is the precise relationship between HPV and cervical cancer? Schlegel: More than 99% of human cervical cancers contain and express the oncogenes of the papillomavirus. There are two oncogenes in HPV that facilitate the development of cancer, E6 and E7. However, while E6 and E7 oncogenes are sufficient to immortalize human cells in vitro, they Q & A with the man who can stop cervical cancer in its tracks