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Viral carcinogenesis

Guest Editors:
Anuj Ahuja, PhD, Weill Cornell Medicine, USA
Julian Naipauer, PhD, Instituto de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Neurociencias, Argentina
 

BMC Cancer has published this Collection on viral carcinogenesis, addressing the role of viruses in cancer development. Viruses like Epstein Barr, KSHV, and HPV are known oncogenic agents, shaping various human cancers. Understanding how these viruses disrupt normal cellular processes and promote cancer is crucial for prevention and treatment. This Collection focuses on the latest research in viral carcinogenesis, encompassing topics such as molecular pathways of viral-induced oncogenesis, emerging oncogenic viruses, viral-immune system interactions, virus-associated cancers, viral vaccines for cancer prevention, tumor microenvironment modulation, and novel therapeutics.

New Content ItemThis collection supports and amplifies research related to SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being.

Meet the Guest Editors

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Julian Naipauer, PhD, Instituto de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Neurociencias, Argentina

Dr Naipauer has been an Assistant Scientist at IFIBYNE-CONICET-Argentina since 2021. He was introduced to biology in 2001 when he started studying Genetics at the University of Misiones, Argentina. During his undergraduate years, he worked on the cloning and expression of genomic fragments of the Seoul and Andes Hantavirus viral strains to use them in serologic diagnostics. He obtained his PhD in molecular biology at the School of Science, University of Buenos Aires, studying the regulation of alternative polyadenylation of ITGB1 mRNA in mammary gland development. From 2014 to 2020, he was a Postdoctoral Associate in the laboratory of Dr. Enrique Mesri at the University of Miami, studying mechanisms of viral oncology. He has published papers on molecular cloning, molecular and cellular biology, and viral oncology, including transcriptional and post-transcriptional mechanisms of regulation. 

Anuj Ahuja, PhD, Weill Cornell Medicine, USA

Dr Ahuja has been working as a Research Scientist in the Laboratory of Dr. Ethel Cesarman at Weill Cornell University, studying molecular mechanism of gamma oncogenic herpesviruses. He completed his PhD research in 2016 in the field of Veterinary Virology from India and then moved to Dr. Meir Shamay’s laboratory at Bar Ilan University, Israel for his postdoctoral research. In Shamay’s Lab, his research work was focused on functional interactions between Kaposi’s sarcoma associated herpesvirus (KSHV, HHV-8) viral proteins and the cellular machinery, which control both the viral life cycle and tumorigenesis and its epigenetic regulation. After completing his postdoctoral training from Shamay’s lab, he joined as an Assistant Scientist in the laboratory of Dr. Enrique Mesri at the University of Miami in 2021 where he received CFAR award to study the role of HIV proteins in AIDS associated viral oncogenesis.

About the Collection

BMC Cancer has published this Collection on viral carcinogenesis.

Viral carcinogenesis, the process by which certain viruses induce or contribute to the development of cancer, remains a significant global health concern. Several viruses, such as Epstein Barr, KSHV, and HPV have been identified as oncogenic agents, playing a pivotal role in the initiation and progression of various human cancers. Understanding the molecular mechanisms by which these oncogenic viruses interact with host cells and disrupt normal cellular processes to promote cancer development is vital for developing effective preventive and therapeutic strategies.

This Collection aims highlights the latest advancements in the field of viral carcinogenesis and development of preventative measures and treatments for cancers with viral origins. We encouraged submissions on diverse topics related to viral carcinogenesis, including but not limited to:

  • Mechanisms of viral-induced oncogenesis: Studies elucidating the specific molecular pathways and mechanisms through which oncogenic viruses manipulate cellular processes and drive malignant transformation, including genomic and epigenetic alterations
  • Emerging viruses and cancer risk: Investigations into newly discovered or less-studied viruses that have the potential to contribute to cancer development
  • Interactions between oncogenic viruses and the immune system: Research exploring the interplay between oncogenic viruses and the host immune response
  • Oncogenic virus-associated cancers: In-depth analyses of the link between specific oncogenic viruses and their associated cancer types, with an emphasis on geographical variations and global burden
  • Viral vaccination and cancer prevention: Research and development of viral vaccines and their impact on reducing the incidence of virus-associated cancers
  • Viral modulation of the tumor microenvironment: Investigations into how oncogenic viruses modulate the tumor microenvironment and influence cancer progression and therapeutic responses
  • Development of therapeutics: Studies that develop new therapeutics for the treatment of viral-origin cancers
      

This collection supports and amplifies research related to SDG #3: Good Health and Well-Being.

Image credit: Kateryna_Kon / stock.adobe.com

  1. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), an oncogenic gamma-herpesvirus, belongs to group 1 carcinogen and is implicated in various cancers, including gastric cancer. Aurora Kinase A is a major mitotic protein kinase that re...

    Authors: Nidhi Varshney, Siddharth Singh, Meenakshi Kandpal, Vaishali Saini, Erle S. Roberston and Hem Chandra Jha
    Citation: BMC Cancer 2025 25:143
    Content type: Research Published on:

  2. Oncogene-Induced Senescence (OIS) is a form of senescence that occurs as a consequence of oncogenic overstimulation and possibly infection by oncogenic viruses. Whether senescence plays a role in the pathogene...

    Authors: Ashraf I. Khasawneh, Sofian Al Shboul, Nisreen Himsawi, Amani Al Rousan, Nisreen Abu Shahin, Mohammed El-Sadoni, Ahmad Alhesa, Ala’ Abu Ghalioun, Suzan Khawaldeh, Bayan Shawish, Salem Abu Mahfouz, Mais Al-Shayeb, Shatha Abo Dawoud, Raghad Tlilan, Mohammad Nuseir, Moureq R. Alotaibi…
    Citation: BMC Cancer 2025 25:111
    Content type: Research Published on:

  3. In this narrative review, we unravel the complex interplay between oncogenic viruses, cellular metabolism, and glucose transporter (GLUT) dysregulation in viral-induced malignancies.

    Authors: Amirhossein Shahpar, Vahideh Hamidi Sofiani, Nazanin Zeinali Nezhad, Marzieh Charostad, Reza Ghaderi, Niloofar Farsiu, Amin Karimzadeh Kiskani, Sara Pezeshki and Mohsen Nakhaie
    Citation: BMC Cancer 2024 24:1329
    Content type: Review Published on:

  4. There is limited research on the clinicopathological characteristics of combined hepatocellular-cholangiocarcinoma (cHCC-CCA) currently. The aim of this study is to summerize the clinicopathological factors an...

    Authors: Yue Li, Du He, Zi-Jian Lu, Xia-Fei Gu, Xiao-Yu Liu, Min Chen, Yin-Xia Tu, Yu Zhou, Gemma Owen, Xian Zhang and Dan Jiang
    Citation: BMC Cancer 2024 24:1232
    Content type: Research Published on:

  5. Underlying liver disease is correlated with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development in patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. However, the impact of hepatic inflammation and fibrosis on the patien...

    Authors: Xiangyong Hao, Liangliang Xu, Xiang Lan, Bo Li and Hui Cai
    Citation: BMC Cancer 2024 24:475
    Content type: Research Published on:

Submission Guidelines

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This Collection welcomes submission of original Research Articles. Should you wish to submit a different article type, please read our submission guidelines to confirm that type is accepted by the journal. Articles for this Collection should be submitted via our submission system, Snapp. During the submission process you will be asked whether you are submitting to a Collection, please select "Viral Carcinogenesis" from the dropdown menu.

Articles will undergo the journal’s standard peer-review process and are subject to all of the journal’s standard policies. Articles will be added to the Collection as they are published.

The Editors have no competing interests with the submissions which they handle through the peer review process. The peer review of any submissions for which the Editors have competing interests is handled by another Editorial Board Member who has no competing interests.