HPV & epithelial cancer
High-risk human papillomavirus in cervical, oropharyngeal, anogenital and other epithelial tumors.
About the lab
Viruses, the environment, and the origins of cancer
The Aguayo Laboratory is part of the Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Tarapacá, in Arica, Chile. Led by Prof. Francisco Aguayo, PhD, we study the relationship between viral infections and cancer development.
Roughly 15% of the global cancer burden is etiologically related to infections. We focus on oncogenic DNA viruses — including human papillomavirus (HPV), Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) and polyomaviruses — and on how environmental carcinogens such as tobacco smoke, benzo[a]pyrene and aflatoxin cooperate with them to reshape epithelial cells toward malignancy.
See our research lines →