In the fall of 2005, newspaper headlines heralded the first vaccine proven to protect individuals from an identified cancer-causing agent. On June 8, 2006, the vaccine known as Gardasil was finally approved by the Food and Drug Administration. The vaccine protects women against the most troublesome forms of the human papillomavirus (HPV), a family of sexually transmitted viruses associated with diseases of the reproductive system and skin. Two of the types (HPV16 and HPV18) had caused 70 percent of the cervical cancers diagnosed worldwide.
Largely unreported at the time was the remarkable story of the Rochester virologists whose innovation, dedication, and perseverance resulted in the key breakthrough that lies at the heart of the vaccine.
Robert Rose ’94M (PhD), Richard Reichman, and William Bonnez did not set out to find a cancer vaccine. Instead, they were looking for a simple blood test that would allow doctors to see whether a woman was infected with a strain of HPV and whether that strain was linked to cancer. What followed was a more than 20-year-long journey through scientific dead ends, legal pitfalls, and business maneuverings to bring the vaccine to patients.
