BK virus is a common virus that nearly everyone picks up in childhood generally without noticing. Once you have been infected with BK virus, it can hide in the kidneys without causing obvious symptoms.
Reactivation of BK virus can happen in kidney transplant recipients due to their immunosuppressive medication, and can affect the kidneys, ureter, and bladder.
We know that kidney transplant recipients develop ureter and bladder cancers much more frequently than the general population, so Dr Simon Baker and team are hoping their research can find new treatments that will control the virus and reduce the risk of bladder cancer.