Research
My main research areas were Gorlin's syndrome (the nevoid basalcell carcinoma syndrome), and later on laryngeal papillomas and human papillomavirus (HPV).
Gorlin's syndrome
This inherited syndrome has a myriad of different signs and symptoms. The major findings are pigmented skin tumours, histologically resembling "normal" basal cell carcinomas, and keratinized cyst of the jaws. From sources at the University Hospital as well as from the Royal Dental College, both in Aarhus, I collected a series of patients. The patients were interviewed, and examined by x-ray, including cerebral CT-scans, and as many as possible of their skin-tumours we examined histological, including EM. We also perform otoneurological examinations on some of the patients. The results were reported, see the list of publications. We also performed en examination of the eyes and found a high frequency of retinal calcifications; unfortunately this was never published. My research on Gorlin's syndrome led to a PhD-degree, granted by the Royal Dental College.
See the series on Gorlin's syndrome
HPV and Laryngeal Papillomas
I took an interest in laryngeal papillomas (LP) after I noticed that there was an impressing diversity in the severity of the disease. This led me to suggest a classification, depending on the age at onset, and I differed between solitary and multiple papillomas. This simple classification has been widely accepted and is still in use. Histologically LP are indistinguishable from genital condylomas, and it became clear that they harboured the same HPV (HPV 6 and/or HPV11). My works on LP (see the publication list) led to a DMSc-degree from Aarhus University.
I was working with LP in the turbulent time that HPV was given more and more attention, following Harald zur Hausen's (Nobel Prize 2008) interest in common warts. The progress in HPV DNA research was dependable on the introduction of methods to examine DNA - the available methods were different kinds of DNA-hybridization. DNA hybridization directly on fixated histological sections was not at all routine and there weren't any available protocols. One of the crucial points were non-radioactive labelling of the probes, but I started co-working with the labelling of DNA-probes by sulphonation, and demonstration of hybrids by the use of antibodies - by this method I demonstrated HPV DNA in solitary LP, which had not formerly been demonstrated. Later on I took up Digoxigenin-labelling of probe-DNA, working with Boeringer Mannheim.
My initial HPV DNA work was done at a corner in a friend's laboratory, in my spare time, but when the methods were working I moved to the DNA Lab at the Institute of Pathology, University Hospital in Aarhus. Eventually PCR were invented and introduced, which was an enormous improvement (and the invention was rewarded with the Nobel Prize). When I became associated professor at the Inst. of Odontology I moved my facilities to a new lab.
Research and economy
Laboratory research is not free. The university provided a laboratory with basal equipment, but PCR-machine, reagents and many others had to be financed by private funding. I estimate that 1/3 of my time was used for writing applications, and I did not receive economical support form other sourced than private. Since that time it has become even more difficult to obtain financial support, and when it eventually became clear that facilities for DNA-sequencing was needed, I realized that I would never be able to obtain the needed economical support, I decided to give up researchand instead take a few years in private practice.
During my years in HPV-research, approximately 1983-2003, I collaborated with different colleagues, including Christian von Buchwald (nasal papillomas), Annelise Krogdahl (laryngeal precancer) and Michael Silverberg (laryngeal papillomas) and others, see the publication list.
