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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Myrna Manners, Kathleen Robinson, Peggy Sung
Phone: (212) 821-0560
E-mail: pes2001@mail.med.cornell.edu
NEW RESEARCH CONFIRMS LINK BETWEEN HERPES VIRUS AND KAPOSI'S SARCOMA
 New York, NY (August 10, 1998) -- A new study
published in the August 6 issue of Nature provides further evidence that human herpes virus 8 (HHV8),
also known as Kaposi's Sarcoma-Associated Virus (KSHV), is the cause of Kaposi's sarcoma, the most common
malignancy for people with HIV.
These results were reported by researchers from the Joan and Sanford I. Weill Medical College and
Graduate School of Medical Sciences of Cornell University. Earlier research had shown that the HHV8 virus was present in Kaposi's sarcoma lesions, which
suggested that it may be the cause of the disease. However, it had not been demonstrated that the virus was capable of transforming cells
in culture, which is the first step toward malignancy.
For the first time, Dr. Ethel Cesarman, Assistant Professor of Pathology, and her colleagues,
Dr. Ornella Flore, Visiting Professor of Pathology and Dr. Shahin Rafii, Assistant Professor of Medicine,
have provided the missing link, as they have shown that the infection of human endothelial cells with
purified HHV8 particles transforms these cells.
"Further understanding of the mechanism used by this virus to cause cancer may lead to the development of better
and more targeted treatments and prevention strategies for Kaposi's sarcoma, which remains a serious health
problem in this country and abroad," said Dr. Cesarman.
© 1999 New York Presbyterian Hospital
Weill Medical College of Cornell University
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