The School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences at UNSW

The University of New South Wales

A leading research and teaching school with expertise in biotechnology, molecular biology, genetics, environmental microbiology, medical microbiology, immunology, biochemistry, protein chemistry and other areas of biological science.

Role of Viruses in Human Cancer

In collaboration with E/Professor Jim Lawson (Faculty of Medicine), the Whitaker lab has established an impressive bank of breast and prostate (cancer and normal) specimens. We have demonstrated the presence of three viruses (HPV, MMTV and EBV) in Australian breast and prostate cancer specimens.

Our results indicate that HPV (perhaps in collaboration with EBV) has a causal role in initiating carcinogenesis in these tissues (similar to cervical cancer and head and neck tumours). In addition, we have identified MMTV in human breast cancer, and not normal breast tissue, indicating that MMTV may also have a role in human breast cancer.

  • C-Y Kan, BJ Iacopetta, JS Lawson and NJ Whitaker. Identification of human papillomavirus DNA gene sequences in human breast cancer. Br J Cancer, 2005, 93, 946–948.
  • JS Lawson, DD Tran, E Carpenter, CE Ford, WD Rawlinson, NJ Whitaker, W Delprado. Presence of mouse mammary tumour virus-like (MMTV-like) env gene sequences in some human breast tumours may be associated with histological characteristics typical of mouse mammary tumour virus (MMTV) associated mouse mammary tumours in experimental mice. 2006. J. Clin Pathol: doi: 10.1136.
  • Glenn WK, Lawson JS, Whitaker NJ. Mouse mammary tumour-like virus gene sequences and specific breast cancer morphology. 2006 J Clin Pathol, 60, 1071-1071.
  • Lawson JS, Kan CY, Iacopetta BJ, Whitaker NJ. Are some breast cancers sexually transmitted? Br J Cancer. 2006 Dec 18;95(12):1708.
  • Lawson JS, Heads J, Glenn WK, Whitaker NJ. Breastfeeding, breast milk and viruses. BMC Women’s Health 2007;7:17-20.
  • Myth T.S. Mok, Louise Lutze-Mann, James S. Lawson and Noel J. Whitaker. Integration of a mouse mammary tumor virus-like env sequence with a rodent-like sequence in human MCF-7 breast cancer cells. International J. Cancer. 2008, 122, 2864-2870. 

BABS personnel that are responsible for this project