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Ethel-Michele de Villiers

Ethel-Michele de Villiers
Keynote speakers Nobel Laureate Prof. Harald zur Hausen and Prof. Ethel-Michele de Villiers from the DKFZ (German Cancer Research Center) with the symposium chairs.
Born1947 (age 78–79)
Pretoria, South Africa
Alma materUniversity of Pretoria, University of Freiburg
Known forHPV research; Bovine Meat and Milk Factors (BMMFs) research
SpouseHarald zur Hausen
Scientific career
FieldsVirology, Cancer Research
InstitutionsGerman Cancer Research Center

Ethel-Michele de Villiers (born 1947) is a South African virologist and cancer researcher associated with the German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ) in Heidelberg, Germany. Her research has focused on the biology of human papillomavirus (HPV), including the characterization of HPV types associated with cervical cancer.[1]

She has also been involved in studying Bovine Meat and Milk Factors (BMMFs) as potential pathogens involved in chronic inflammation and carcinogenesis.[2]

Early life and education

De Villiers was born in Pretoria, South Africa, in 1947. She completed a Ph.D. 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, forming the basis for her later research. In 1984, she joined the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ),[4] where she conducted a long-term research collaboration with virologist Harald zur Hausen.[5][6]

During her time in Germany, she contributed to research on virus-induced cancers, including work identifying the link between HPVs and cervical cancer.[5][7]

Contributions

In characterizing HPV types, de Villiers contributed to research examining the role of the virus in viral carcinogenesis.[8] Following the identification of the HPV–cervical cancer association, for which her collaborator Harald zur Hausen received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2008,[9] her research expanded to include studies of infectious agents such as Bovine Meat and Milk Factors (BMMFs).[8] This work included co-leading studies on BMMFs, a group of infectious agents found in bovine products that have been investigated for possible associations with long-term inflammation and certain types of cancer.[10]

Awards and recognition

  • Emerging Microbes & Infections, Best Paper Award, third place.[11]

References

  1. ^ "Episomal-Persistent DNA in Cancer- and Chronic Diseases - German Cancer Research Center". Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum. Retrieved 2025-11-18.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ "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.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ a b "Research - German Cancer Research Center". Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum. Retrieved 2025-04-27.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ 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.
  11. ^ "Emerging Microbes & Infections Best Paper Award". Taylor & Francis. Retrieved 2025-11-17.
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