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SUMMARY:HPV vaccines – are they doing their job? - Prof. Margaret Stanle
 y OBE\, Department of Pathology\, University of Cambridge
DTSTART:20150121T190000Z
DTEND:20150121T203000Z
UID:TALK57261@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Sophie Mathias
DESCRIPTION:Benign and malignant disease caused by HPV (human papillomavir
 us) constitutes a global public health problem.  Genital warts are the com
 monest viral sexually transmitted infection and 5% of all cancers are HPV 
 associated. The unfolding of the HPV story started in the 1970’s with th
 e recognition that HPVs were a large family of viruses that included types
  that caused cancer particularly cancer of the cervix\, a disease that kil
 ls 250\,000 women each year.  It has resulted in the development of two pr
 ophylactic virus like particle (VLP) vaccines using sophisticated recombin
 ant molecular techniques and protein expression.  Both vaccines target inf
 ection by the oncogenic HPV’s 16 and 18 and one also targets the low ris
 k HPVs 6 and 11 that cause genital and laryngeal warts. These vaccines are
  now included in the national immunisation programmes in many countries in
  the industrialised world and population effectiveness in women is now bei
 ng demonstrated in those countries with high vaccine coverage.  Since HPV 
 associated cancers in men are increasing in incidence an issue of contempo
 rary debate is extending HPV vaccination to adolescent boys.\n\nHPV VLP va
 ccines are well tolerated and highly immunogenic generating serum neutrali
 sing antibody that persists for at least 9 years and a robust recall respo
 nse at 60 months post vaccination.  At present the assumption is that the 
 protection achieved by these vaccines against HPV induced disease is media
 ted via serum neutralising IgG and this is consistent with what is known o
 f the mechanism of HPV infection in the genital tract.  Emerging evidence 
 shows that very low antibody concentrations are protective but at the pres
 ent there is no immune correlate of protection\, disease prevention remain
 s the only measure of the effectiveness of HPV vaccines.  \n\nProfessor St
 anley is Emeritus Professor of Epithelial Biology in the University of Cam
 bridge. She has served on several Research Council committees and was a me
 mber of the Biology and Biotechnology Science Research Council from 2000-2
 003. She was a member of the Spongiform Encephalopathies Advisory Committe
 e that advised the UK government on prion diseases (mad cow disease) and i
 n 2004 was awarded the OBE for services to Virology.\nShe is a research sc
 ientist and her research has focussed on how the body defends itself again
 st infections with HPV (human papillomavirus) the cause of cervical cancer
  in women\, how to develop vaccines that prevent HPV infection as well as 
 those that might treat HPV infection and has more than 200 publications on
  these topics.\n\nFree for BioSoc members\, £2 for non-members. £15 for 
 lifetime membership.
LOCATION:Large Lecture Theatre\, Department of Plant Sciences\, Downing Si
 te
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