Douglas R. Lowy, MD, and John T. Schiller, PhD, received the 2017 Lasker-DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award for their development of the virus-like particle technology used to create the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine. Their team discovered that proteins making up the outer shell of HPV could form virus-like particles that closely resemble the original virus but are not infectious, and these particles could trigger the immune system to produce protective antibodies that could neutralize HPV in a later infection. These particles eventually became the basis of the HPV vaccines Gardasil, Gardasil 9, and Cervarix.
Daniel Sone/National Cancer Institute
Dr. John T. Schiller (left) and Dr. Douglas R. Lowy
HPV causes cervical cancer and other cancers such as cancer of the vulva, vagina, penis, or anus, as well as oropharyngeal cancer. Two of the high-risk types of HPV – HPV-16 and HPV-18 – cause about 70% of cervical cancers worldwide; it ranks 14th in frequency in the United States, according to the National Cancer Institute. The HPV vaccines are very effective in preventing persistent infections with HPV-16 and HPV-18. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices continues to recommend routine HPV vaccination for girls and boys at age 11 or 12 years, with a second vaccine given 6-12 months later.