UM atUM [S04-ep21]: Papillomas in the Abdomen
This week on *AUM science*, Nicolas Tessandier, a researcher at the Mivegec, talks to us about the immune response to the papillomavirus. The report takes us to meet a 200-kilo rodent at theIRES, and our last-minute guest presents Primavera, the festival of rare plants at the Jardin des Plantes. A program broadcast every Wednesday on Divergence.
It’s a poetic name that almost evokes the beginning of a romance… “I have butterflies in my stomach.” Yes, except that those pretty butterflies can turn into nasty papillomas in the uterus.
The papillomavirus is one of the oncogenic viruses—that is, viruses that can cause cancer. The hepatitis C virus, for example, can cause liver cancer, and the Epstein-Barr virus can cause Burkitt’s lymphoma. The human papillomavirus, on the other hand, is responsible for one in every 20 cancers. These are primarily cervical cancers, but also include cancers of the vagina, anus, penis, and oropharynx.
A vaccine has been available since 2006 in the United States and 2007 in France. While vaccination coverage has long remained very low—especially among boys— vaccination campaigns in middle schools are driving these figures up. According to Santé publique France, as of June 2024, the percentage of boys born in 2011 who had received at least one dose stood at 48%, compared to 62% for girls. Vaccination coverage for the second dose was estimated at 30% for boys and 38% for girls. It’s an improvement, but there’s still room for improvement.
In 90% of cases, human papillomavirus infections will clear up within two years. In 10% of cases, the infection will persist and may then become oncogenic. While the mechanisms underlying this persistence remain poorly understood, those underlying its non-persistence—in other words, its resolution—are equally unclear. That is why a team of researchers has been studying the dynamics of these non-persistent papillomavirus infections in an effort to learn more about them.
Nicolas Tessandier is a member of this team; he is a researcher at the Mivegec laboratory and holds an Exposum chair, and he has authored a paper in the journal *PLoS Biology* with the very poetic title “Viral and Immune Dynamics of Human Papillomavirus Genital Infections in Young Women with High Temporal Resolution.”
See also: Viruses That Cause Cancer, Lum Magazine No. 11
In the second half of the program, we begin a new series of reports atIRES, the Research Institute for Science Education. Over the course of three weeks, we’ll be meeting researchers—including one female researcher—who are adapting their science to the level of high school, middle school, and even elementary school students to inspire future careers in science. And we’ll start with Philippe Munch, a researcher at Géosciences Montpellier, who’ll talk to us about evolution through the story of a 300-kilo giant rodent that mysteriously turned up in the Caribbean…
Also listen to: Fossils of Caribbean rodents in the ISEM sedimentation hall with Philippe Munch
At the end of the show, Nathan Roure,UM press relations officer, will introduce us to this weekend’s event: the return of spring—and with it, the return of Primavera, the festival of rare plants at the Jardin des Plantes.
AtUM , you’ve got the schedule—let’s get started!
Co-production: Divergence FM / University of Montpellier
Host: Lucie Lecherbonnier
Interview: Lucie Lecherbonnier / Aline Périault
Reporting and editing: Aline Périault / Lucie Lecherbonnier
Director: Robin Laillou
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