Division of Infections and Cancer Epidemiology
Dr. Tim Waterboer
About 20% of all cancer cases worldwide are associated with infections. The main etiologic agents are
- Human Papillomaviruses (HPV) which are associated with cervical and other anogenital cancers, and oropharyngeal cancer
- Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), a bacterium that causes gastric cancer
- Hepatitis B and C viruses (HBV, HCV) which cause hepatocellular carcinoma
- Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) which is associated with Hodgkin’s and Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and nasopharyngeal carcinoma
- Human Herpesvirus 8 (HHV8), or Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV), causing Kaposi sarcoma
To this end, we have developed a high-throughput serological method (“Multiplex Serology”), which allows analyzing up to 2000 serum samples per day for antibodies to up to 100 different antigens simultaneously. We have successfully developed serological assays for all infectious agents mentioned above, and many others:
- HPV
- Helicobacter pylori
- Human Polyomaviruses
- Hepatitis B and C viruses
- Human Herpesviruses HSV-1 and -2, VZV, CMV, EBV, and KSHV
- Retroviruses HIV, HTLV-1
- Chlamydia trachomatis
- Rubella, Tetanus, Diphteria
- Mycoplasma genitalium
- Streptococcus gallolyticus
- Fusobacterium nucleatum
- Parvovirus B19
- Treponema pallidum
- as well as many tumor-associated antigens involved in e.g. colorectal carcinoma, ovarian cancer, or Multiple Sclerosis