The Fundamentals of Basic Science sessions provide a comprehensive deep dive into the viral life cycle, the host’s immune response, and the biological drivers of disease progression.
The first session introduces the fundamental structure of HPV and its taxonomic classification, tracing the mechanisms by which the virus enters host epithelial cells and traffics to the nucleus. It explores how HPV reprograms host cells to support viral replication across different epithelial states and examines how carcinogenesis emerges as a byproduct of viral oncoproteins altering the cellular environment.
The second session focuses on the host’s immune system, covering the basics of how it fights HPV and the sophisticated mechanisms the virus uses to evade these attacks. Building on these principles, the session discusses the mode-of-action of prophylactic vaccines and the immunological requirements for therapeutic vaccination, specifically the induction of mucosal immunity necessary to eliminate HPV-induced lesions.
The final session addresses why only a subset of infections persist and progress to cancer by examining various biomarkers and viral-host interactions, such as integration. The discussion brings together perspectives on host epigenetic changes and the role of the cervical microenvironment—including the microbiome—to provide a broad overview of current approaches to understanding progression and improving risk-based prevention.