Ethel-Michele de Villiers
Ethel-Michele de Villiers | |
|---|---|
De Villiers second from the left | |
| Born | 1947 (age 78–79) Pretoria, South Africa |
| Alma mater | University of Pretoria University of Freiburg |
| Known for | |
| Spouse | |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | |
| Institutions | German Cancer Research Center |
Ethel-Michele (family name: de Villiers; born 1947) is a South African virologist and cancer researcher associated with the German Cancer Research Center (German: Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum) in Heidelberg, Germany. Her research focuses on the biology of human papillomavirus (HPV), including the characterization of HPV types associated with cervical cancer.[1]
She also studies Bovine Meat and Milk Factors (BMMFs) as potential pathogens involved in chronic inflammation and carcinogenesis in humans.[2]
Early life and education
De Villiers was born in Pretoria, South Africa, in 1947. Her early life remains undocumented.
She completed a PhD in biology at the University of Pretoria in 1980. She later conducted research at the University of Freiburg in Germany before returning to South Africa, where she worked at the Onderstepoort Veterinary Academic Hospital.[3]
Her early academic work focused on virology and the role of viruses in human diseases. In 1984, she joined the German Cancer Research Center,[4] where she conducted a long-term research collaboration with virologist Harald zur Hausen[5][6], whom she married in 1993[7]
During her time in Germany, she contributed to research on virus-induced cancers, including work identifying the link between HPVs and cervical cancer.[5][8]
Contributions
De Villiers contributed to research characterizing HPV types and examining their role in carcinogenesis.[9][10][11] Her work contributed to the identification of the HPV–cervical cancer association, the discovery of which led to her collaborator Harald zur Hausen receiving the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2008.[12] She expanded her research to include studies of infectious agents such as Bovine Meat and Milk Factors (BMMFs).[10] She co-led studies on BMMFs, a group of infectious agents found in bovine products, to determine possible associations with long-term inflammation and certain types of cancer.[13]
Awards and recognition
- 2019: Emerging Microbes & Infections, Best Paper Award, third place.[14]
References
- ^ "Episomal-Persistent DNA in Cancer- and Chronic Diseases - German Cancer Research Center". Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum. Retrieved 2025-11-18.
- ^ zur Hausen, Harald; de Villiers, Ethel-Michele (2022). "A Novel Class of Pathogens Linked to Specific Human Cancers: Do these Agents also Contribute to Aging?". In Ho, Anthony D (ed.). Altern: Biologie und Chancen : Alter und Altern individuell, kollektiv und die Folgen. pp. 87–96.
- ^ Verwoerd, D.W. (2008). "Part 3: History of Individual Disciplines: Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Biotechnology and Immunochemistry" (PDF). The Veterinary History of Southern Africa. Onderstepoort, South Africa: Veterinary History Committee of the South African Veterinary Association. p. 107. ISBN 978-0-620-41399-2.
- ^ "Ethel-Michele de Villiers-Zur Hausen". The COINS 2019. Vilnius University Students' Representation in Life Sciences center. 2019-03-06. Archived from the original on 6 March 2019. Retrieved 2025-04-27.
- ^ a b Zur Hausen, Harald (September 29, 2019). "Cancers in Humans: A Lifelong Search for Contributions of Infectious Agents, Autobiographic Notes". Annual Review of Virology. 6 (1): 18, 23, 26. doi:10.1146/annurev-virology-092818-015907. PMID 31567062.
- ^ Baumann, Michael; von Knebel Doeberitz, Magnus (2023-07-21). "Harald zur Hausen, virologist who linked viruses to cancer (1936–2023)". Nature. 619 (7971): 693. Bibcode:2023Natur.619..693B. doi:10.1038/d41586-023-02370-6.
- ^ Lowy, Douglas R. (2024-03-12). "Harald zur Hausen (1936 to 2023): Discoverer of human papillomavirus infection as the main cause of cervical cancer". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 121 (11) e2400517121. doi:10.1073/pnas.2400517121. ISSN 1091-6490. PMC 10945753. PMID 38437560.
- ^ de Villiers, Ethel-Michele; Gissmann, Lutz; zur Hausen, Harald (1981). "Molecular cloning of viral DNA from human genital warts". Journal of Virology. 40 (3): 932–35. doi:10.1128/JVI.40.3.932-935.1981. PMC 256705. PMID 6275126.
- ^ Forslund, Ola; Iftner, Thomas; Andersson, Kristin; Lindelöf, Bernt; Hradil, Eva; Nordin, Peter; Stenquist, Bo; Kirnbauer, Reinhard; Dillner, Joakim; de Villiers, Ethel‐Michele; Viraskin Study Group (2007-09-15). "Cutaneous Human Papillomaviruses Found in Sun‐Exposed Skin: Beta‐papillomavirus Species 2 Predominates in Squamous Cell Carcinoma". The Journal of Infectious Diseases. 196 (6): 876–883. doi:10.1086/521031. ISSN 0022-1899. PMC 3795387. PMID 17703418.
- ^ a b "Research - German Cancer Research Center". Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum. Retrieved 2025-04-27.
- ^ Caldeira, Sandra; Zehbe, Ingeborg; Accardi, Rosita; Malanchi, Ilaria; Dong, Wen; Giarrè, Marianna; de Villiers, Ethel-Michele; Filotico, Raffaele; Boukamp, Petra; Tommasino, Massimo (February 2003). "The E6 and E7 Proteins of the Cutaneous Human Papillomavirus Type 38 Display Transforming Properties". Journal of Virology. 77 (3): 2195–2206. doi:10.1128/JVI.77.3.2195-2206.2003. ISSN 0022-538X.
- ^ Lowy DR (12 March 2024). "Harald zur Hausen (1936 to 2023): Discoverer of human papillomavirus infection as the main cause of cervical cancer". Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 121 (11) e2400517121. Bibcode:2024PNAS..12100517L. doi:10.1073/pnas.2400517121. PMC 10945753. PMID 38437560.
- ^ Ethel-Michele, de Villiers; Harald, zur Hausen (January 2021). "Bovine Meat and Milk Factors (BMMFs): Their Proposed Role in Common Human Cancers and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus". Cancers. 13 (21). doi:10.3390/cancers13215407. ISSN 2072-6694. PMC 8582480. Archived from the original on 2025-08-26. Retrieved 2025-12-19.
- ^ "Emerging Microbes & Infections Best Paper Award". Taylor & Francis. Retrieved 2025-11-17.