Prof Chris Boshoff
Cancer Research UK Viral Oncology Group
UCL Cancer Institute, University College London
London
Understanding Kaposi's sarcoma
Professor Chris Boshoff is Director of the Cancer Research UK Viral Oncology Group based at the Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research at University College London. Professor Boshoff is a world leader in understanding how infection with a virus called Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpes virus (KSHV) is linked to a type of cancer called Kaposi sarcoma.
Cancer can't be 'caught' - it is not an infectious disease. But certain viruses can cause healthy cells to become cancerous. KSHV is linked to certain types of cancer, but in particular to Kaposi sarcoma, a cancer of the cells that line the walls of the blood vessels.
Professor Boshoff is investigating how KSHV changes the cells it has infected. These cells behave differently from healthy cells and produce greater amounts of certain proteins. The team are analysing these cell changes to find out how they lead to Kaposi sarcoma.
Understanding more about how KSHV causes Kaposi sarcoma will help scientists to find ways to prevent and treat this type of cancer. It will also provide clues about how viruses cause other types of cancer, helping to tackle a global problem.
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