The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet has decided to award The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for 2008 with one half to Harald zur Hausen for his discovery of human papilloma viruses causing cervical cancer and the other half jointly to Francoise Barre-Sinoussi and Luc Montagnier for their discovery of human immunodeficiency virus. The Nobel Prize is an international award administered by the Nobel Foundation in Stockholm, Sweden.

Harald zur Hausen was recognized for his studies in spite of the current dogma and postulated that oncogenic human papilloma virus (HPV) caused cervical cancer, the second most common cancer among women. Hausen realized that HPV-DNA could exist in a non-productive state in the tumors, and should be detectable by specific searches for viral DNA. Hausen's discovery has led to an understanding of mechanisms of HPV-induced carcinogenesis and the development of prophylactic vaccines against HPV acquisition.

The importance of the discovery is the global public health burden attributable to human papilloma viruses. More than 5% of all cancers worldwide are caused by persistent infection with this virus. Infection by the human papilloma virus is the most common sexually transmitted agent, afflicting 50-80% of the population. Of the more than 100 HPV types known, about 40 infect the genital tract, and 15 of these put women at high risk for cervical cancer.
Francoise Barre-Sinoussi and Luc Montagnier discovered human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Virus production was identified in lymphocytes from patients with enlarged lymph nodes in early stages of the disease, and in blood from patients with late stage disease. The two researchers characterized this retrovirus as the first known human lentivirus based on its morphological, biochemical and immunological properties. HIV impaired the immune system because of massive virus replication and cell damage to lymphocytes. The discovery led to the current understanding of the biology of the disease and its antiretroviral treatment.

After the discovery of the virus, several groups contributed to the definitive demonstration of HIV as the cause of acquired human immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Barre-Sinoussi and Montagnier's discovery led to development of methods to diagnose infected patients and to screen blood products, which has limited the spread of the pandemic and to the development of several classes of new antiviral drugs. The combination of prevention and treatment has both substantially decreased spread of the disease and dramatically increased life expectancy among treated patients.

Adapted from a press release from The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet.

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