This is a start-up grant intended to fund young researchers who have recently returned to an ICGEB Member State to establish their own independent groups/laboratories. In particular, the purpose of this start-up grant is to support PI in setting up laboratory which will be capable of performing biochemical and mechanistic studies on the various biological aspects of the HPV-induced carcinogenesis.

HPV types which were shown to be causative agents of human tumors are referred to as high risk types and of these HPV-16 and -18 are associated with the majority of HPV-induced malignancies. The joint action of the two major viral oncoproteins, E6 and E7, is responsible for the development of the cancers.  Among the high-risk types, HPV-16 is the most potent viral type in causing cancer. However, there are many of HPV-16 variants found in various geographical locations, and they were shown to differ in their abilities to cause cancer.  The molecular mechanisms responsible for an increased cancer risk of a number of these HPV-16 variants are however still poorly understood.  The aim of this project is to perform biochemical and mechanistic analyses on some of the HPV-16 E6 and E7 variants, which were shown to be associated with an increased cancer risk.  In this way, we are likely to achieve a better understanding of molecular mechanisms responsible for their oncogenic potentials.