Gérard Orth (7 February 1936 – 4 September 2023) was a French virologist, emeritus research director at the CNRS, honorary professor at the Pasteur Institute.

Gérard Orth had devoted his research to the study of the role of viruses in the genesis of human cancers. His research had focused on papillomaviruses and their association with benign tumours and skin and cervical cancers. He was a member of the French Academy of sciences.[1]

Biography edit

Gérard Orth was a graduate of the École nationale vétérinaire d'Alfort (1959), the Institut Pasteur (1960) and the faculté des sciences de Paris (1963–1964). His scientific activities took place at the Gustave Roussy Institute (IGR), Villejuif, in Claude Paoletti's Laboratory (1962–1979), then at the Pasteur Institute (IP), Paris (1980–2023). He was a statutory researcher at INRA (1963–1965), CNRS (1966–2001), Institut Pasteur (1992–2003; guest researcher since 2004). He had directed several laboratories: Research Unit on the viral etiology of human cancers, IGR (1975–1979); HPV Unit, IP (1980–2003); Unit 190 Inserm (1977–2000). Head of the Virology Department, IP (1991–1996, 2001–2003). Orth died on 4 September 2023, at the age of 87.[2]

Scientific works edit

Gérard Orth focused his research on the role of papillomaviruses (PV) in the genesis of benign tumours and skin and cervical cancers[3] using epidermodysplasia verruciforme (EV), a rare autosomal recessive skin disease, associated with a high risk of skin carcinomas (in collaboration with Stefania Jablonska)[4][5][6] and PV-induced warts and skin cancers in rabbits[7][8][9] as models. Many original contributions to the knowledge of the plurality of human PVs infecting the skin[10][11][12] and mucous membranes,[13] their biology, pathogenicity or oncogenic potential,[4][5][6][7][9][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20] to understanding the mechanisms and factors involved in the expression of the biological properties of PV,[6][8][15][17][19] in particular, genetic factors,[7][8][21][22][23][24] and to preventing associated diseases.[25] Coordinated with Philippe Sansonetti the drafting of a report by the French Academy of sciences on the control of infectious diseases,[26] in the context of the concept "One health, one medicine", and that of a report by the Académie vétérinaire de France on research in national veterinary schools.[27]

Honours and awards edit

  • Delahautemaison Prize from the Foundation for Medical Research (1979).
  • Antoine Lacassagne Prize of the National Cancer League (1982).
  • Rosen Prize from the Foundation for Medical Research (1982).
  • Silver medal of the CNRS (1983).
  • Robert Koch Prize (1985).
  • Henry and Mary-Jane Mitjavile Prize from the National Academy of Medicine (1988).
  • Medal of Honor, International Agency for Research on Cancer (1993).
  • Leopold Griffuel Prize (1997).
  • Elected member of the Academia Europaea (1995),[28] the Académie vétérinaire de France (2003)[29] and the French Academy of sciences, correspondent (1996), full member (2004).[1]
  • Foreign associate member of the Polish Academy of Sciences (1997).
  • Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur (1996).
  • Officer in the Ordre du Mérite (2012).

References edit

  1. ^ a b "Académie des sciences".
  2. ^ Gérard Orth (in French)
  3. ^ Orth G, Breitburd F, Favre M, Croissant O, « Papilloma viruses: Possible role in human cancer », Cold Spring Harbor Conf. Cell Prolif, (1977) 4, p. 1043–68
  4. ^ a b Orth G, Favre M, Breitburd F, Croissant O, Jablonska S, Obalek S, Jarzabek-Chorzelska M, Rzesa G, « Epidermodysplasia verruciformis: a model for the role of papillomaviruses in human cancer », Cold Spring Harbor Conf. Cell Prolif, (1980) 7, p. 259–82
  5. ^ a b Jablonska S, Orth G, « Epidermodysplasia verruciformis », Clin Dermatol, (1985) 3(4), p. 83–96
  6. ^ a b c Orth G, « Epidermodysplasia verruciformis : a model for understanding the oncogenicity of human papillomaviruses », CIBA Fdn Symp, (1986) 120, p. 157–69
  7. ^ a b c Orth G, Jeanteur P, Croissant O, « Evidence for and localization of vegetative viral DNA replication by autoradiographic detection of RNA-DNA hybrids in sections of tumors induced by Shope papilloma virus », Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, (1971) 68, p. 1876–80
  8. ^ a b c Han R, Breitburd F, Marche PN, Orth G, « Linkage of regression and malignant conversion of rabbit viral papillomas to MHC class II genes », Nature, (1992) 356, p. 66–68
  9. ^ a b Nonnenmacher M, Salmon J, Jacob Y, Orth G, Breitburd F, « Cottontail rabbit papillomavirus E8 protein is essential for wart formation and provides new insights into viral pathogenesis », J Virol, (2006) 80, p. 4890–900
  10. ^ Favre M., Orth G., Croissant O, Yaniv M, « Human papillomavirus DNA : physical map », Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, (1975) 72, p. 4810–14
  11. ^ Orth G, Favre M, Croissant O, « Characterization of a new type of human papillomavirus that causes skin warts », J Virol, (1977) 24, p. 108–20
  12. ^ a b Orth G, Jablonska S, Favre M, Croissant O, Jarzabek-Chorzelska M, Rzesa G, « Characterization of two types of human papillomaviruses in lesions of epidermodysplasia verruciformis », Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, (1978) 75, p. 1537–41
  13. ^ a b Beaudenon S, Kremsdorf D, Croissant O, Jablonska S, Wain-Hobson S, Orth G, « A novel type of human papillomavirus associated with genital neoplasia », Nature, (1986) 321, p. 241–49
  14. ^ Orth G, Jablonska S, Jarzabek-Chorzelska M. Rzesa G, Obalek S, Favre M., Croissant O, « Characteristics of the lesions and risk of malignant conversion as related to the type of human papillomavirus involved in epidermodysplasia verruciformis », Cancer Res, (1979) 39, p. 1074–82
  15. ^ a b Lutzner MA, Orth G, Dutronquay V, Ducasse MF, Kreis H, Crosnier J, « Detection of human papillomavirus type 5 DNA in skin cancers of an immunosuppressed renal allograft recipient », Lancet, (1983) 2, p. 422–24
  16. ^ Barrasso R, De Brux J, Croissant O, Orth G, « High prevalence of human papillomavirus-associated penile intraepithelial neoplasia in sexual partners of women with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia », N Engl J Med, (1987)
  17. ^ a b Schneider-Maunoury S, Croissant O, Orth G, « Integration of human papillomavirus type 16 DNA sequences: A possible early event in the progression of genital tumors », J Virol, (1987) 61, p. 3295–98
  18. ^ Riou G, Favre M, Jeannel D, Bourhis J, Le Doussal V, Orth G, « Association between poor prognosis in early-stage invasive cervical carcinomas and non-detection of HPV DNA », Lancet, (1990) 335, p. 1171–74
  19. ^ a b Couturier J, Sastre-Garau X, Schneider-Maunoury S, Labib A, Orth G, « Integration of papillomavirus DNA near myc genes in genital carcinomas and its consequences on proto-oncogene expression », J Virol, (1991) 65, p. 4534–38
  20. ^ Jablonska S, Majewski S, Obalek S, Orth G, « Cutaneous warts », Clin Dermatol, (1997) 15(3), p. 309–19
  21. ^ Ramoz N, Taieb A, Rueda L-A, Montoya LS, Bouadjar B, Favre M, Orth G, « Evidence for a nonallelic heterogeneity of epidermodysplasia verruciformis with two susceptibility loci mapped to chromosome regions 2p21-p24 and 17q25 », J Invest Dermatol, (2000) 114, p. 1148–53
  22. ^ Ramoz N, Rueda LA, Bouadjar B, Montoya LS, Orth G, Favre M, « Mutations in two adjacent novel genes are associated with epidermodysplasia verruciformis », Nature Genet, (2002) 32, p. 579–81
  23. ^ Orth G, « Genetics of epidermodysplasia verruciformis: insight into host defense against papillomaviruses », Semin Immunol, (2006) 18, p. 362–75
  24. ^ de Jong SJ, Créquer A, Matos I, Hum D, Gunasekharan V, Lorenzo L, Jabot-Hanin F, Imahorn E, Arias AA, Vahidnezhad H, Youssefian L, Markle JG, Patin E, D'Amico A, Wang CQF, Full F, Ensser A, Leisner TM, Parise LV, Bouaziz M, Maya NP, Cadena XR, Saka B, Saeidian AH, Aghazadeh N, Zeinali S, Itin P, Krueger JG, Laimins L, Abel L, Fuchs E, Uitto J, Franco JL, Burger B, Orth G, Jouanguy E, Casanova JL, « The human CIB1-EVER1-EVER2 complex governs keratinocyte-intrinsic immunity to ß-papillomaviruses », J Exp Med, (2018) 215, p. 2289–310
  25. ^ Breitburd F, Kirnbauer R, Hubbert NL, Nonnenmacher B, Trin-Dinh-Desmarquet C, Orth G, Schiller JT, Lowy DR, « Immunization with virus-like particles from cottontail rabbit papillomavirus (CRPV) can protect against experimental CRPV infection », J Virol, (1995) 69, p. 3959–63
  26. ^ Orth G, Sansonetti P (sous la direction de),La maîtrise des maladies infectieuses - Un défi de santé publique, une ambition médico-scientifique. Rapport sur la science et la technologie de l'Académie des sciences No 24 , Paris, EDP Sciences, 2006, 440 p.
  27. ^ "Rapport de l'Académie vétérinaire de France sur « La recherche dans les Écoles nationales vétérinaires françaises. Propositions en vue de son intégration dans un ensemble rénové de la recherche vétérinaire». 2009. 28 p".
  28. ^ "Academia europaea".
  29. ^ "Académie vétérinaire de France". Archived from the original on 4 April 2019. Retrieved 13 November 2019.