The Battle Against Cancer – Researchers carrying on the work of a Nobel winner

Now Austrian immunologist Angelika Riemer has taken up the challenge of continuing zur Hausen’s work. She and her team in Heidelberg are developing a vaccine that is also effective after infection, by locating the tumor virus and rendering it harmless.

The researcher's work has aroused high hopes of making a widespread pathogen harmless to humans. It's a tumor-causing virus from the family of papilloma viruses.

Cervical cancer is among them. Angelika Riemer is looking to create a vaccine that both recognizes and eliminates the virus. Her prospects are good - not least because she has the support of a Nobel Prize winner.

"Our research is based on the findings of Professor Harald zur Hausen, who realized that the human papilloma virus triggers cervical cancer. A preventive vaccine is already available against these viruses – but we don't yet have any therapeutic vaccines. Our aim now is to develop a therapeutic vaccine for those individuals who already carry the virus.“

Angelika Riemer has been in Heidelberg for a year now. She has her own research group and has been able to set up her own lab. One million euros have been earmarked to fund the research project for an initial four years.

The researchers want to activate the human immune system - to make it locate and kill cancerous cells on its own. But first it has to be able to recognize them. For that, the researchers are looking for typical viral markers on the tumors - known as epitopes.

"Idenitifying the epitopes will take another two years. Then developing a vaccine will take five years. But these are the kinds of time frames you have to get used to in the field of medical research.“

Her goal - a vaccine that treats tumors. That would mark a huge step forward in the battle against cancer.