John T. Schiller

Last updated
John T. Schiller
Alma mater University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of Washington in Seattle
Awards Lasker–DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award (2017)
Scientific career
Institutions National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Academic advisors Douglas R. Lowy

John T. Schiller is the deputy chief and head of the neoplastic disease section, laboratory of cellular oncology at the U.S. National Cancer Institute (NCI), and an NIH Distinguished Investigator. With Douglas R. Lowy, he made key contributions to papillomavirus virus molecular biology and the development of the HPV vaccine. Schiller was the recipient of the National Medal of Technology and Innovation in 2014 [1] [2] and the Lasker-DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award in 2017. [3]

Contents

Career and Research

Schiller earned his B.S. in molecular biology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1975 and his Ph.D. from the University of Washington in Seattle in 1982. He joined Douglas R. Lowy's Laboratory of Cellular Oncology as a National Research Service Award postdoctoral fellow in 1983. In 1998, he became the chief of the neoplastic disease section and was designated as an NIH Distinguished Investigator in 2016. [3] He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 2020. [4]

In the early 1990s, Schiller and Lowy worked on the discovery and development of a virus-like particle vaccine of the human papillomavirus. That initial work would ultimately result in the development of the HPV vaccine. [5]

Awards

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wart</span> Small, rough growth resembling a cauliflower or a solid blister

Warts are non-cancerous viral growths usually occurring on the hands and feet but which can also affect other locations, such as the genitals or face. One or many warts may appear. They are distinguished from cancerous tumors as they are caused by a viral infection, such as a human papillomavirus, rather than a cancer growth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Human papillomavirus infection</span> Human disease

Human papillomavirus infection is caused by a DNA virus from the Papillomaviridae family. Many HPV infections cause no symptoms and 90% resolve spontaneously within two years. In some cases, an HPV infection persists and results in either warts or precancerous lesions. These lesions, depending on the site affected, increase the risk of cancer of the cervix, vulva, vagina, penis, anus, mouth, tonsils, or throat. Nearly all cervical cancer is due to HPV, and two strains – HPV16 and HPV18 – account for 70% of all cases. HPV16 is responsible for almost 90% of HPV-positive oropharyngeal cancers. Between 60% and 90% of the other cancers listed above are also linked to HPV. HPV6 and HPV11 are common causes of genital warts and laryngeal papillomatosis.

<i>Papillomaviridae</i> Family of viruses

Papillomaviridae is a family of non-enveloped DNA viruses whose members are known as papillomaviruses. Several hundred species of papillomaviruses, traditionally referred to as "types", have been identified infecting all carefully inspected mammals, but also other vertebrates such as birds, snakes, turtles and fish. Infection by most papillomavirus types, depending on the type, is either asymptomatic or causes small benign tumors, known as papillomas or warts. Papillomas caused by some types, however, such as human papillomaviruses 16 and 18, carry a risk of becoming cancerous.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oncovirus</span> Viruses that can cause cancer

An oncovirus or oncogenic virus is a virus that can cause cancer. This term originated from studies of acutely transforming retroviruses in the 1950–60s, when the term oncornaviruses was used to denote their RNA virus origin. With the letters RNA removed, it now refers to any virus with a DNA or RNA genome causing cancer and is synonymous with tumor virus or cancer virus. The vast majority of human and animal viruses do not cause cancer, probably because of longstanding co-evolution between the virus and its host. Oncoviruses have been important not only in epidemiology, but also in investigations of cell cycle control mechanisms such as the retinoblastoma protein.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HPV vaccine</span> Class of vaccines against human papillomavirus

Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines are vaccines intended to provide acquired immunity against infection by certain types of human papillomavirus (HPV). The first HPV vaccine became available in 2006. Currently there are six licensed HPV vaccines: three bivalent, two quadrivalent, and one nonavalent vaccine All have excellent safety profiles and are highly efficacious, or have met immunobridging standards. All of them protect against HPV types 16 and 18, which are together responsible for approximately 70% of cervical cancer cases globally. The quadrivalent vaccines provide additional protection against HPV types 6 and 11. The nonavalent provides additional protection against HPV types 31, 33, 45, 52 and 58. It is estimated that HPV vaccines may prevent 70% of cervical cancer, 80% of anal cancer, 60% of vaginal cancer, 40% of vulvar cancer, and show more than 90% effectiveness in preventing HPV-positive oropharyngeal cancers. They also protect against penile cancer. They additionally prevent genital warts, with the quadrivalent and nonavalent vaccines providing virtually complete protection. The WHO recommends a one or two-dose schedule for girls aged 9–14 years, the same for girls and women aged 15–20 years, and two doses with a 6-month interval for women older than 21 years. The vaccines provide protection for at least five to ten years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ian Frazer</span> Scottish-born Australian immunologist

Ian Hector Frazer is a Scottish-born Australian immunologist, the founding CEO and Director of Research of the Translational Research Institute (Australia). Frazer and Jian Zhou developed and patented the basic technology behind the HPV vaccine against cervical cancer at the University of Queensland. Researchers at the National Cancer Institute, Georgetown University, and University of Rochester also contributed to the further development of the cervical cancer vaccine in parallel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gardasil</span> Human papillomavirus vaccine

Gardasil is an HPV vaccine for use in the prevention of certain strains of human papillomavirus (HPV). It was developed by Merck & Co. High-risk human papilloma virus (hr-HPV) genital infection is the most common sexually transmitted infection among women. The HPV strains that Gardasil protects against are sexually transmitted, specifically HPV types 6, 11, 16 and 18. HPV types 16 and 18 cause an estimated 70% of cervical cancers, and are responsible for most HPV-induced anal, vulvar, vaginal, and penile cancer cases. HPV types 6 and 11 cause an estimated 90% of genital warts cases. HPV type 16 is responsible for almost 90% of HPV-positive oropharyngeal cancers, and the prevalence is higher in males than females. Though Gardasil does not treat existing infection, vaccination is still recommended for HPV-positive individuals, as it may protect against one or more different strains of the disease.

Margaret Anne Stanley, OBE FMedSc, is a British virologist and epithelial biologist. She attended the Universities of London, Bristol, and Adelaide. As of 2018, she is an Emeritus Professor of Epithelial Biology in the Department of Pathology at the University of Cambridge and a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences. She is also an Honorary Fellow of the UK Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and an honorary fellow of Christ's College, Cambridge. Stanley is a research scientist in virology focusing on the human papillomavirus (HPV). Her research work has led to new scientific findings on HPV. Additionally, she uses her expertise on HPV to serve on multiple advisory committees and journal editorial boards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harald zur Hausen</span> German virologist (1936–2023)

Harald zur Hausen NAS EASA APS was a German virologist. He carried out research on cervical cancer and discovered the role of papilloma viruses in cervical cancer, for which he received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2008. He was chairman of the German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg.

HspE7 is an investigational therapeutic vaccine candidate being developed by Nventa Biopharmaceuticals for the treatment of precancerous and cancerous lesions caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV). HspE7 uses recombinant DNA technology to covalently fuse a heat shock protein (Hsp) to a target antigen, thereby stimulating cellular immune system responses to specific diseases. HspE7 is a patented construct consisting of the HPV Type 16 E7 protein and heat shock protein 65 (Hsp65) and is currently the only candidate using Hsp technology to target the over 20 million Americans already infected with HPV.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NIH Intramural Research Program</span> Internal research program of the National Institutes of Health

The NIH Intramural Research Program (IRP) is the internal research program of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), known for its synergistic approach to biomedical science. With 1,200 Principal Investigators and over 4,000 Postdoctoral Fellows conducting basic, translational, and clinical research, the NIH Intramural Research Program is the largest biomedical research institution on earth. The unique funding environment of the IRP facilitates opportunities to conduct both long-term and high-impact science that would otherwise be difficult to undertake. With rigorous external reviews ensuring that only the most outstanding research secures funding, the IRP is responsible for many scientific accomplishments, including the discovery of fluoride to prevent tooth decay, the use of lithium to manage bipolar disorder, and the creation of vaccines against hepatitis, Hemophilus influenzae (Hib), and human papillomavirus (HPV). In addition, the IRP has also produced or trained 21 Nobel Prize-winning scientists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jian Zhou</span> Chinese virologist and cancer researcher

Jian Zhou was a Chinese virologist and cancer researcher, who with fellow researcher Ian Frazer, invented Gardasil and Cervarix, the vaccines for stimulating human immunological resistance to the cervical cancer-inducing human papilloma virus.

Anna-Lise WilliamsonMASSAf is a Professor of Virology at the University of Cape Town. Williamson obtained her PhD from the University of the Witwatersrand in 1985. Her area of expertise is human papillomavirus, but is also known on an international level for her work in developing vaccines for HIV. These vaccines have been introduce in phase 1 of clinical trial. Williamson has published more than 120 papers.

Lutz Gissmann is a German virologist and was head of the division Genome Modifications and Carcinogenesis at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) in Heidelberg until his retirement in 2015. Lutz Gissmann is known for his seminal research in the field of human papillomaviruses (HPV) and their causal association with human cancer, especially cervical cancer. In his early work, he demonstrated genetic heterogeneity among HPV isolates leading the way to the now well-established concept of distinct HPV types of which some are associated with specific benign or malignant disease. In the early 1980s in the laboratory of later Nobel Prize laureate Harald zur Hausen he was the first to isolate and characterize HPV16 and HPV18, the two most oncogenic HPV types causing the vast majority of HPV-induced anogenital and head-and-neck cancers. This groundbreaking work of Lutz Gissmann provided experimental evidence for the causal association of specific HPV types with human cancer, and laid the foundation for the development of prophylactic HPV vaccines for the prevention of cervical cancer and other HPV-induced cancers. His current research interest is on development of second generation prophylactic and therapeutic HPV vaccines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Douglas R. Lowy</span>

Douglas R. Lowy is the current Principal Deputy Director of the U.S. National Cancer Institute (NCI) and Chief of the Laboratory of Cellular Oncology within the Center for Cancer Research at NCI. Lowy served as Acting Director of NCI between April 2015 and October 2017 following the resignation of Harold E. Varmus, M.D., and again between April and November 2019, while Director Norman Sharpless served as the Acting Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. He resumed the role of Acting Director on May 1, 2022, when Sharpless stepped down until October 3, 2022 when Monica Bertagnolli was appointed Director. He resumed the role again in November 2023 after Bertagnolli resigned to serve as director of the National Institutes of Health.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles M. Rice</span> American virologist

Charles Moen Rice is an American virologist and Nobel Prize laureate whose main area of research is the hepatitis C virus. He is a professor of virology at the Rockefeller University in New York City and an adjunct professor at Cornell University and Washington University School of Medicine. At the time of the award he was a faculty at Rockefeller.

Maria Saveria Campo FRSE, known as Saveria, is an Italian viral oncologist, known for being the first person to demonstrate an effective papillomavirus vaccine. She developed the vaccine alongside her colleague at the University of Bristol, England, Dr. Richard B.S. Roden. She went on to be recognized for her work and was awarded the position of Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 2006. She has worked continuously in the field of Oncology up until her retirement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">M. Radhakrishna Pillai (scientist)</span> Indian cancer biologist

Madhavan Radhakrishna Pillai is an Indian cancer biologist and the former director of the Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology. Known for his studies on papilloma viruses, Pillai is an elected fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Sciences, India, Royal College of Pathologists and the National Academy of Medical Sciences. The Department of Biotechnology of the Government of India awarded him the National Bioscience Award for Career Development, one of the highest Indian science awards, for his contributions to biosciences in 2002.

Maura Lianne Gillison is an American medical oncologist and molecular epidemiologist. She is credited as the first investigator to establish a connection between HPV and oral cancer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aimée R. Kreimer</span> American cancer epidemiologist

Aimée Rebecca Kreimer is an American cancer epidemiologist who researches the etiology and prevention of human papillomavirus infection (HPV) and cancer prevention. She is a senior investigator in the infections and immunoepidemiology branch at the National Cancer Institute.

References

  1. "President Obama Presents the National Medals of Science & National Medals of Technology and Innovation". whitehouse.gov . 20 November 2014. Retrieved 2 April 2015 via National Archives.
  2. "John Schiller". National Science and Technology Medals Foundation.
  3. 1 2 "John T. Schiller, Ph.D."
  4. "IRP's John T. Schiller Elected to National Academy of Sciences | NIH Intramural Research Program". irp.nih.gov.
  5. Kirnbauer, R; Booy, F; Cheng, N; Lowy, D R; Schiller, J T (15 December 1992). "Papillomavirus L1 major capsid protein self-assembles into virus-like particles that are highly immunogenic". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 89 (24): 12180–12184. doi:10.1073/pnas.89.24.12180.