Dr. Lowy currently serves as Acting Director of the National Cancer Institute. As Laboratory Chief, Dr. Lowy's two main research areas focus on basic and translational aspects of human papillomavirus infection and on cancer genes. His joint research with John Schiller has identified many aspects of the human papillomavirus (HPV) life cycle, developed technology underlying the FDA-approved HPV vaccines, and elucidated mechanisms for the high efficacy of the vaccines. Their joint research in the Laboratory of Cellular Oncology has identified many aspects of the HPV life cycle, developed technology underlying the FDA-approved HPV vaccines, and elucidated mechanisms for the high efficacy of the vaccines. Secondly, his research is currently examining the DLC1 tumor suppressor, which encodes a Rho-GAP that is down-regulated in a wide variety of cancers, leading to the high Rho in many advanced cancers. This research has identified important scaffold functions for DLC1, including protein-protein interactions that contribute to the regulation of its activity and its role as a tumor suppressor, and identified kinases that activate and inactivate the functions of DLC1 and the mechanisms by which they do so.