Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center (SYSUCC) had the honor of hosting Prof. Maria Grazia Masucci, a distinguished virologist from the Karolinska Institutet, for an academic visit and lecture on October 21, 2025. The visit was facilitated by an invitation from Prof. Musheng Zeng, Vice President of SYSUCC, who also extended a warm welcome on behalf of the center. The academic session was chaired by Prof. Miao Xu from the Department of Experimental Research.

This visit marks a continuation of a long-standing and fruitful collaboration between SYSUCC and Prof. Masucci that dates back to 2004. The partnership began with a joint research project on "Adoptive Immunotherapy of EBV-specific CTLs for Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma" . During the initial phase of this collaboration, SYSUCC sent several researchers to Sweden for training, while Prof. Masucci made multiple visits to the center to provide on-site guidance in the laboratories. The fruitful results of this early collaboration were subsequently published in international peer-reviewed journals.

The event attracted numerous experts and students specializing in Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) research from the Experimental Research Department. They engaged in vibrant discussions with Prof. Masucci following her presentation.


Prof. Masucci's lecture, titled "Something Old and Something New about EBNA1," delved into the latest research on the EBV-encoded nuclear antigen 1 (EBNA1). Her presentation highlighted several key areas:


1. The mechanisms contributing to EBNA1's lower antigenicity.

2. EBNA1's role in oncogenesis through inducing oxidative stress, promoting DNA damage, and genomic instability.

3. EBNA1's function as a pioneer transcription factor and its induction of chromatin decompaction.

4. How the activation of the Integrated Stress Response (ISR) promotes the translation of EBNA1 mRNA.


The lecture also outlined pressing new research questions, exploring the link between the viral protein BPLF1, the ISR, and EBNA1 translation, and whether the translational reprogramming induced by BPLF1 contributes to B-cell immortalization and malignant transformation.


The visit provided a valuable platform for in-depth academic exchange, further strengthening the collaborative ties between SYSUCC researchers and the internationally renowned scholar. The engaging dialogue is expected to inspire further innovation in EBV research at the center.


Prof. Maria Grazia Masucci is a Senior Prof. of Virology at the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden. A member of EMBO and the Swedish Royal Academy of Sciences, her research focuses on how tumor viruses reprogram host cells to promote malignant transformation, with particular expertise in virus-host interactions, perturbation of the ubiquitin system, and the induction of DNA damage and genomic instability.


Written by: Liao Shuang, Zhai Huiwen, Office for International Collaboration and Public Relations