Friends of IARC

Professor Harald zur Hausen was a virologist who graduated from the University of Düsseldorf, where he was a research fellow. He continued in that capacity at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, and he then worked in the virology departments of several German universities. In 1983, Professor zur Hausen was appointed Scientific Director and Chairman of the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) in Heidelberg, where he became Emeritus Professor in 2003.

Professor zur Hausen's specific field of research was the study of oncoviruses. Together with his team, he made a major breakthrough in the early 1980s by isolating human papillomavirus (HPV) 16 and HPV 18 as the virus types responsible for cervical cancer. Professor zur Hausen was a co-recipient of the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine (shared with Professor Françoise Barré-Sinoussi and Professor Luc Montagnier). He received the Gairdner Foundation International Award in 2008 for his contributions to medical science. Professor zur Hausen was awarded the IARC Medal of Honour in 2009.

Professor zur Hausen was a close Friend of IARC. We are deeply saddened by his passing on 28 May 2023.