| Citation | Distinguished for his work on Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), particularly virus latency and viral association with different human malignancies. He described the system of immune T cell surveillance which controls the outgrowth of EBV-transformed B cells 'in vivo' and provided the first evidence that virus peristence in the immunocompetent host involves a different type of B cell infection. Studying Burkitt's lymphoma and nasopharyngeal carcinoma, he identified two novel forms of latency with much more limited viral gene expression than is seen in the conventional B cell growth-transforming infection. He further showed that B cells can switch between these different forms of latency both on experimental manipulation 'in vitro' and during the course of a natural infedtion 'in vivo'. These findings, and his work on viral genes which enhance cell survival, have shed important light on the phenomenon of virus persistence and on the different mechanisms whereby EBV can contribute to malignant change. |