Human Cancer Virology Research Program

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UWCCC Human Cancer Virology (VR) Program Summary Co-Leaders: Paul F. Lambert and Shannon Kenney PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Human tumor viruses are causally associated with over 15% of all human cancers and are likely to contribute to additional cancers. The mission of the Human Cancer Virology (VR) Program is to advance the understanding, prevention, and treatment of virus-associated cancers and other cancers through basic research. The program has 14 highly collaborative members who span 7 departments and 3 schools on the UW campus; 4 are MDs who run research labs and practice in the Dept. of Medicine or Surgery, bringing valuable clinical perspectives to the program. The VR program members study 6 of the 7 established human tumor viruses as well as HIV/SIV. Since the beginning of the current funding period, the VR members have published 196 publications (including numerous papers in PNAS, JCI, Cell Host Microbe, PLOS Pathogens, and other high impact journals), or on average 16 publications per member over the current funding period. Of these publications, ~21.5% were inter-programmatic collaborations and ~11% were intra-programmatic collaborations. In the year 2016 alone, nearly 46% of publications were collaborative with other institutions. The 14 VR Program members are well funded with $4.46M Direct peer-reviewed awards (>48% from NCI) and additional funding sources (e.g. Morgridge Institute for Paul Ahlquist, UW2020 Program for Nathan Sherer). In the last funding cycle, members of the VR program renewed the long-standing NCI program project grant on tumor viruses and played a central role in obtaining a new SPORE in head and neck cancer. The aims of the UWCCC Human Cancer Virology Program (VR), which span all aspects of the UWCCC Strategic Operating Plan, are to: 1) elucidate the pathways by which diverse tumor viruses infect, replicate, interact with their hosts, and maintain their presence through the years to decades typically associated with tumor development and progression; 2) determine the mechanisms by which tumor viruses promote tumor induction and maintenance, including identifying viral and host genes essential to the continuing survival of tumor cells; and 3) define molecular changes and diagnostic/prognostic biomarkers of virally induced infections and neoplasia and use these insights to develop novel, improved approaches to prevent and treat tumor virus infection, replication, tumor induction and maintenance.