I always loved biology and to do experiments. This passion and a great deal of good fortune and serendipity landed me in the field of retrovirology at the time when it opened to experimental analysis. I became involved in viral replication, genetics, and viral oncogenes. In more recent years, I have applied what I learned in tumor virology to human cancer. The early years of my personal life were marked by displacements and migration: deportation into East Germany, escape to the West, and emigration to the United States. As a young man I faced heartbreaking personal tragedies but attained a peaceful and steady course in the second half of my life. I am fortunate to have found my home in Southern California and to continue in cancer research.

中文翻译：

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从病毒到基因再到细胞。

我一直热爱生物学，并且喜欢做实验。在进行实验分析之时，这种热情以及大量的好运和偶然发现使我进入了逆转录病毒学领域。我开始从事病毒复制，遗传学和病毒癌基因的研究。近年来，我将在肿瘤病毒学领域学到的知识应用到了人类癌症中。我个人生活的早期是流离失所和移民的标志：驱逐到东德，逃到西方，再移民到美国。作为一个年轻人，我面临着令人心碎的个人悲剧，但是在我下半生的生活中却获得了和平与稳定的发展。我很幸运在南加州找到了自己的住所，并继续从事癌症研究。