Harald zur Hausen

Lore & Background

Harald zur Hausen was born in Gelsenkirchen in a Catholic family. He studied medicine at the universities of Bonn, Hamburg, and Düsseldorf, receiving a Doctor of Medicine degree in 1960. After qualifying as a physician in 1962, he joined the Institute for Microbiology at the University of Düsseldorf as a laboratory assistant. He later moved to Philadelphia to work at the Virus Laboratories of Children's Hospital of Philadelphia with eminent virologists Werner and Gertrude Henle. In 1967, he contributed to a study that first proved a virus (Epstein–Barr virus) can turn healthy lymphocytes into cancer cells.

Zur Hausen returned to Germany in 1969 and held positions at the universities of Würzburg, Erlangen–Nuremberg, and Freiburg. Working with Lutz Gissmann, he first isolated human papillomavirus 6 from genital warts. In 1983, he identified HPV 16 DNA in cervical cancer tumors, followed by HPV 18 in 1984, identifying causes of approximately 75% of human cervical cancer. His announcement sparked major scientific controversy. From 1983 to 2003, he served as chairman of the German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg. He died on 29 May 2023 at age 87.

Reader's Guide

Harald zur Hausen's significance lies in his pioneering work linking human papillomavirus to cervical cancer, a discovery that fundamentally changed cancer research and prevention. His hypothesis in 1976 that HPV plays a role in cervical cancer was initially met with scientific criticism, but his subsequent identification of HPV16 and HPV18 in cervical cancers in 1983–84 provided definitive evidence. This research directly enabled the development of the HPV vaccine, first commercialized in 2006, which has since prevented countless cases of cervical cancer worldwide. His work also included the discovery of the virus causing genital warts (HPV 6) and techniques to immortalize cells with Epstein–Barr virus. The 2008 Nobel Prize awarded to zur Hausen was controversial due to a board member's ties to AstraZeneca, which held HPV vaccine patents, but colleagues widely felt the award was deserved. His legacy endures through the global impact of HPV vaccination and his leadership at the German Cancer Research Center.

Did You Know?

• Zur Hausen shared the 2008 Nobel Prize in Medicine with Luc Montagnier and Françoise Barré-Sinoussi.
• He identified HPV16 and HPV18, which cause approximately 75% of human cervical cancer.
• His announcement of the HPV–cervical cancer link sparked a major scientific controversy.
• He served as vice president of German Cancer Aid, the largest cancer charity in Europe, from 2010.