2005 Annual Report

Transcription

2005 Annual Report
R E P O R T
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A N N U A L
TODAY’S
DISCOVERIES–TOMORROW’S
CURES
Behind every new medical advance is a story. It may begin with scientists peering at cells under a microscope, wading
through vast electronic databases of molecular information, or puzzling over curious results. But the final chapter is
never written until their work transcends the walls of the laboratory, making a difference in the lives of people touched
by disease. Scientists at The Wistar Institute never lose sight of the fact that their research is the first step toward cures
for diseases that affect not patients but people—mothers and fathers, daughters and sons. Since its founding in 1892,
Wistar has been dedicated to saving lives and eradicating disease through biomedical research. Today, the story emerging
from Wistar laboratories is one of great promise and hope. New approaches to studying cancer are pointing the way toward
more effective treatments. New vaccine strategies have the potential to eliminate the threat of deadly viruses. At Wistar,
our mission is steadfast, our vision optimistic: a healthier future for all of us begins with biomedical research.
{CONTENTS}
2… … … … … … … … … … … …Message from the President
4… … … … … … … … … … … Next-Generation Flu Vaccines
6………………………Discovering the Roots of Melanoma
8… … … … … … … … The Causes of Cardiovascular Disease
10……..……………………………Understanding Arthritis
12… … ..… … … … … … … … … … … … … … …New Recruits
14……..…………………………2005 Scientific Highlights
16……..…………………………………In the Community
18……..………………………………2005 Scientific Staff
20……...……………………………Message from the Chair
21……..……………Membership of the Board of Trustees
22……..…………………………………Cumulative Giving
24…….………………………………………Annual Giving
28… … .… … … … … … … … … …Honor and Memorial Gifts
32……..………………………………………Year in Review
The Wistar Institute Annual Report 2005
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MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
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magine an end to a disease capable of causing blindness, deafness, and other birth defects. Wistar scientists did, and because of
their efforts, parents-to-be in the U.S. no longer worry about rubella, a virus eradicated in this country in 2005 by a vaccine
developed in our laboratories.
Just this year, the Food and Drug Administration approved another vaccine co-developed at Wistar that will protect children from
a serious illness. Rotavirus is a highly contagious virus that is the most common cause of severe dehydrating diarrhea in infants
and young children, responsible for tens of thousands of hospitalizations in the U.S. and hundreds of thousands of deaths in the
developing world each year.
Two vaccines, one decades old, one brand new. The stories behind them typify the best of biomedical science, its enormous potential
to create wholly new strategies for treating or preventing disease. It is Wistar’s special mission as an independent research institute
to serve as a laboratory in the fullest sense of the word—a place where talented minds come together to think big, ask difficult
questions, experiment, explore.
As you will read in these pages, our researchers are taking novel approaches to unraveling the biological secrets of disease.
Two teams of Wistar researchers are developing new vaccines for influenza, a perennial threat that has resurfaced as a global health
priority with the emergence of avian flu and the concern about looming pandemics. Another researcher is tackling the problem of
melanoma, the fastest growing cancer in the U.S.; his laboratory is the largest focused on this disease outside of the National
Institutes of Health. Other scientists are studying the roots of heart disease, still the leading cause of death in the U.S., and
autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, which affects millions yet remains poorly understood.
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Their work offers the hope of a better future, one in which new medications and vaccines will make today’s diseases more treatable
or, like rubella, preventable altogether. But such rewards don’t come easily. Innovation requires not only gifted scientists but also
superior facilities and steady funding to support their investigations.
The Wistar Institute has a detailed vision for sustaining the kind of scientific environment in which innovation can flourish. Our
Strategic Plan, approved in December 2004, calls for expanding our faculty by recruiting gifted investigators with the potential to
be preeminent scientists in their fields. Already, we have hired eight new investigators, bringing our total number of laboratories
up to 33. In their short time at the Institute, these new recruits have attracted more than $8 million in federal and private grant
funding. Their success is especially impressive in light of the exceptionally challenging federal funding environment today, as
difficult as any since World War II.
The sale of a portion of Wistar’s royalties from the new rotavirus vaccine has boosted our institutional resources and will enable
us to pursue aggressively the scientific goals outlined in the Strategic Plan. The Institute has received $45 million from this
transaction, which will dramatically increase the size of our endowment and aid the renewal of our facilities.
Our aspirations are bold, as they should be; great advances never follow from dreaming small. As we move forward with our ambitious
plans, I want to thank the Institute’s many donors and friends, especially the Board of Trustees, for their unflagging support during
this exciting time of transformation. Together, we will extend the Institute’s legacy of saving lives through biomedical research.
Russel E. Kaufman, M.D.
President and CEO
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RESEARCH PROGRAMS AND FACULTY
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Gene Expression and Regulation
Immunology
Molecular and Cellular Oncogenesis
Shelley L. Berger, Ph.D.
Susan Janicki, Ph.D.
Paul M. Lieberman, Ph.D.
Ronen Marmorstein, Ph.D.
Gerd G. Maul, Ph.D.
Steven B. McMahon, Ph.D.
Kazuko Nishikura, Ph.D.
Frank J. Rauscher III, Ph.D. 1
Ramin Shiekhattar, Ph.D.
Jumin Zhou, Ph.D.
Roger M. Burnett, Ph.D.
Andrew J. Caton, Ph.D.
Jan Erikson, Ph.D.
Hildegund C.J. Ertl, M.D. 1
Dorothee Herlyn, D.V.M.
Walter Gerhard, M.D.
Luis J. Montaner, D.V.M., D.Phil.
LaszIo Otvos Jr., Ph.D.
Ellen Puré, Ph.D. 3
Wolfgang Weninger, M.D.
E. John Wherry, Ph.D.
Cancer Biology Division
Anthony J. Capobianco, Ph.D.
Nadia Dahmane, Ph.D.
Thanos Halazonetis, D.D.S., Ph.D.
Dorothee Herlyn, D.V.M. 3
Meenhard Herlyn, D.V.M. 1
Russel E. Kaufman, M.D.
Joseph Kissil, Ph.D.
Systems Biology Division
Ellen Heber-Katz, Ph.D.
Qihong Huang, M.D., Ph.D.
Carlo Maley, Ph.D.
Ellen Puré, Ph.D.
Harold C. Riethman, Ph.D.
Ramin Shiekhattar, Ph.D. 3
Louise C. Showe, Ph.D.
David W. Speicher, Ph.D. 2
1 Program Leader
2 Program Co-leader
3 Secondary appointment
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N E X T - G E N E R AT I O N F L U VA C C I N E S
n 1918, an influenza pandemic killed an estimated 40 million
people worldwide. Pandemics occur when a new strain of flu
emerges that is both deadly and highly contagious. The
virulence of the avian flu that appeared first in Asia has raised
concerns that a pandemic strain of flu could soon arise. Right
now, avian flu rarely spreads from person to person. But public
health officials worry that this strain of flu, or another, could
mutate into a form that is easily transmissible and infect
people worldwide.
Even the more common seasonal flu can be deadly. While most
people recover from seasonal flu, the elderly, young children,
and those with certain chronic health conditions are at high
risk for serious complications. In the U.S. each year, about 36,000
people die of flu, and some 200,000 are hospitalized with
complications from it, according to the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC). The need for better flu vaccines
is greater than ever.
Walter Gerhard, M.D.
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While most people recover from seasonal flu, the elderly,
young children, and those with certain chronic health
conditions are at high risk for serious complications.
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Current flu vaccines must be given each year because the flu
virus mutates continually to avoid extinction. Wistar professor
Walter Gerhard, M.D., is developing a new flu vaccine that targets
a portion of the virus that remains largely unchanged from year
to year. If Gerhard’s approach proves successful, it could offer
multi-year protection against many strains of flu, including
avian flu. Already, Gerhard has tested his vaccine in mice,
which demonstrated a strong immune response to it. Gerhard
will test the vaccine in ferrets with assistance from the CDC, the
next step required before moving to human clinical trials.
Another group of Wistar scientists, led by professor Hildegund
C.J. Ertl, M.D., has been awarded a five-year, $10.1 million
contract from the National Institutes of Health to study flu in
people older than 65 and develop a better vaccine. Older people
suffer more severe complications of the flu, and current vaccines
against influenza offer them much poorer protection than
they do younger people. Ertl and Wistar assistant professors
Wolfgang Weninger, M.D., and E. John Wherry, Ph.D., will investigate why the immune response to flu weakens as people age.
Their ultimate goal is to develop an entirely new flu vaccine
that would work around the shortcomings of the aging immune
system. Like Gerhard, Ertl is aiming for a multi-year flu vaccine,
although their approaches marshal different immune-system
defenses. Her project includes collaborators at Harvard University
and Duke University. Reflecting the government’s focus on flu as
a strategic threat, the project is supported by federal bioterror
research dollars.
Hildegund C.J. Ertl, M.D.
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DISCOVERING THE ROOTS OF MELANOMA
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An important thrust of Herlyn’s research has been to develop
artificial skin models in order to study melanoma. Tumors don’t
exist in isolation but rather interact with other surrounding
cells and tissues—what scientists call the tumor microenvironment—and recent cancer research has focused on studying
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tumors in this dynamic context. Herlyn’s skin models enable
n a nation of sun-worshippers, melanoma is on the rise.
him to replicate the steps in melanoma progression. The
Although doctors warn their patients to slather on sunscreen
development of melanoma is complex; while researchers know
and seek cover in the shade, messages about sun safety still
that UV light triggers melanoma—both through laboratory
compete for the public’s attention with magazine covers
research, including earlier work by Herlyn, as well as statistical
promoting that supposedly “healthy” tan look. While many
associations—the precise chain of events leading to tumor
other cancers are declining, melanoma—the deadliest form of
development has remained elusive.
skin cancer—is the fastest growing cancer in the U.S. Early
melanoma is highly treatable, but there are limited therapies
In particular, Herlyn’s group has been working to understand
for people with advanced stages of the disease.
the chemical conversations carried on between skin cells. These
chemical messages, or signaling pathways, keep cell division
Wistar professor Meenhard Herlyn, D.V.M., is taking a broad-
and proliferation orderly. But disruptions in these signals can
based approach to understanding melanoma in order to develop
lead to the kind of uncontrolled cell division seen in melanoma.
better treatments for patients. Herlyn leads the largest melanoma
In experiments, Herlyn has found that he can re-establish
research laboratory outside the National Institutes of Health,
broken communication between cells, thus restoring control
supported in part by a prestigious SPORE (Specialized Program
over this wayward cell division, a promising result that could
of Research Excellence) grant, one of only three such awards
point the way toward new targets for melanoma therapies.
nationwide.
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Meenhard Herlyn, D.V.M.
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While many other cancers are declining,
m e l a n o m a – t h e d e a d l i e s t f o rm o f s k i n c a n c e r –
is the fastest growing cancer in the U.S.
Stem cells are an important tool in Herlyn’s melanoma research.
While much of the public discussion about stem cells has
focused on their potential in repairing diseased or damaged tissue,
stem cells are already becoming essential in cancer research like
Herlyn’s. Recent evidence has indicated that cancerous tumors
may arise from deviant stem cells lingering in the body. These
cancer stem cells seem to help maintain tumors through their
remarkable powers of self-renewal. Herlyn is using federally
approved stem-cell lines to understand what role melanoma stem
cells may play in that disease.
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T H E C A U S E S O F C A R D I O VA S C U L A R D I S E A S E
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F
or decades, doctors thought of heart disease as largely a
plumbing problem: cholesterol builds up into plaque that chokes
off arteries, triggering heart attacks. But that explanation left
unsolved a puzzling question: why do half of all heart attack
sufferers have normal or even low cholesterol?
In recent years, scientists have begun to sharpen their understanding of the causes of cardiovascular disease. It turns out that
cholesterol counts are only part of the story. Just as important
in atherosclerosis—the process in which fatty deposits accumulate
in the lining of arteries—is inflammation, the body’s response
to injury or infection.
Acute inflammation is protective and necessary to healing.
Without it, the body could not fight off a virus or repair
Ellen Puré, Ph.D.
wounded skin. But chronic inflammation can damage tissues,
as in atherosclerosis and other diseases, such as arthritis.
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Puré leads a major research effort aimed at
understanding the interplay between inflammation and
cholesterol levels in cardiovascular disease.
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“The bottom line is that cardiovascular disease is now thought
to be in part an ongoing chronic inflammation of the vessel
walls,” says Wistar professor Ellen Puré, Ph.D. “Of course, that
doesn’t preclude people worrying about cholesterol levels too.”
Puré leads a major research effort aimed at understanding
the interplay between inflammation and cholesterol levels in
cardiovascular disease. Her work is exploring whether the
chronic inflammation associated with atherosclerosis can be
dampened without compromising the acute inflammatory
response that plays a critical role in the body’s immune defenses.
In particular, Puré’s research centers on understanding molecular
pathways that regulate IL-12, an immune system protein
discovered at Wistar that is known to be a driving force behind
the kind of inflammation associated with atherosclerosis.
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Working with collaborators at the University of Pennsylvania,
Puré’s group has determined that a protein called ApoE, already
known to help maintain normal levels of blood cholesterol,
is also a natural suppressant of IL-12, thereby providing a
link between the body’s means for managing cholesterol and
controlling inflammation.
Puré’s laboratory has also long studied a molecule called CD44,
involved in helping inflammatory cells migrate to sites of
inflammation. In genetic experiments with mice lacking CD44,
Puré found that the extent of atherosclerosis was much lower
than usual, suggesting CD44 is important to that disease process.
In other work, Puré’s research group has discovered an enzyme
that is critical for production of IL-12 in atherosclerosis but not
for the protective acute inflammatory response to infection or
injury. Now Puré and her colleagues are carrying out further
research to determine whether targets of this enzyme could be
used to inhibit IL-12 and thus atherosclerosis without disrupting
other biological processes.
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UNDERSTANDING ARTHRITIS
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ven everyday activities like walking can become extremely
painful for people with rheumatoid arthritis, whose joints gradually lose their shape and alignment. While the more common
degenerative arthritis is caused by wear and tear on the joints,
rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease in which the
body’s immune system attacks its own healthy tissue—what
researchers call “self”—instead of only foreign invaders like
bacteria and viruses.
Wistar professor Andrew J. Caton, Ph.D., has developed a mouse
model to study the immune mechanisms in rheumatoid arthritis.
Caton’s investigations have indicated that rheumatoid arthritis
may involve an autoimmune response to cells throughout the
body, not merely an attack on the joints themselves. His work
suggests that targeting the systemic immune system response,
not just the affected joints, could be an important direction for
future rheumatoid arthritis therapies.
Andrew J. Caton, Ph.D.
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Caton is aiming to answer one of the mysteries
of autoimmune diseases, which relates to the unusual
way in which they can be inherited.
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Caton is also aiming to answer one of the mysteries of
Some scientists have proposed that a triggering infectious agent
autoimmune diseases, which relates to the unusual way in
such as a virus might be the missing factor that accounts for
which they can be inherited. Nearly all autoimmune diseases
why one twin develops rheumatoid arthritis while the other
run in families, indicating that they have a genetic component.
does not. But results from Caton’s studies in mice offer another
But scientists know that more than DNA affects whether a
possibility: that differences between the twins in their reper-
person will go on to develop rheumatoid arthritis because of the
toires of immune cells might make one twin more susceptible.
way the disease occurs in identical twins. Researchers study
This can happen because the process by which the immune
diseases in identical twins because such twins have the same
system initially generates the cells that scout for invaders is a
genes. In a strictly genetic disease, like cystic fibrosis, if one
random one, meaning that even identical twins have distinct
identical twin has it, the other will too. But in rheumatoid
sets of these cells. In the case of identical twins, only one of
arthritis, if one identical twin has the disease, the other twin
whom develops rheumatoid arthritis, it may be that the affected
has a 15 percent chance of having it. In other words, DNA doesn’t
twin’s immune system produces cells that react more strongly
tell the entire story; some other factor seems to affect whether
against self, or generates self-reactive cells in greater numbers,
a person with a genetic predisposition to the disease actually
than the twin who remains healthy.
develops it.
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NEW RECRUITS
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s outlined in its Strategic Plan, The Wistar Institute is recruiting new faculty to lay the foundation for its scientific
future and expand into emerging research areas that demonstrate great promise for leading to innovative treatments for
disease. In 2005, three assistant professors joined Wistar, each bringing novel technologies and fresh approaches that will
enhance the capabilities of the Institute’s existing research programs.
QIHONG HUANG, M.D., PH.D.
Data from the Human Genome Project and recent technological
Huang began his work on these so-called high throughput
advances have made it increasingly possible for scientists to
screening technologies at The Scripps Research Institute,
study patterns of gene activity rather than focus on only one
where he was a postdoctoral fellow. There he studied the gene
gene at a time. Such approaches enable researchers to explore
p53, a tumor suppressor believed to be mutated in half of all
how different genes act and interact both in health and in disease,
human cancers, discovering some new regulators of the gene.
providing insights not available from single gene studies.
At Wistar, Huang intends to develop cell-based assays, a
Assistant professor Qihong Huang, M.D., Ph.D., who has joined
technology that will allow him to explore how genes behave in
the Systems Biology Division of the Molecular and Cellular
cells and interact with each other. While other high throughput
Oncogenesis Program, is developing these kinds of technologies
assays provide a static snapshot of gene activity, cell-based
to study rapidly and systemically the functions of various genes
assays allow for a more complex, living portrait.
and their roles in tumor development. In particular, Huang is
exploring tumor metastasis and working to identify new
chemotherapy drug targets.
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SUSAN JANICKI, PH.D.
CARLO C. MALEY, PH.D.
Many of our ideas about the inner workings of cells come from
An emerging view of why cancer is so difficult to treat is that
experiments using fixed, or arrested, cells. But now it is becoming
cancer cells evolve by natural selection. Therapies tend to kill the
possible to watch living cells in action using new imaging tech-
susceptible cells, leaving the resistant cells to flourish.
niques. Molecules like proteins, DNA, and RNA can be visualized
by attaching fluorescent tags to them and taking images of
Assistant professor Carlo C. Maley, Ph.D., a new member of Wistar’s
them in living cells using specialized microscopes.
Systems Biology Division in the Molecular and Cellular Oncogenesis
Program, is working to shed light on this adaptive process from
Assistant professor Susan Janicki, Ph.D., a member of the Gene
a cross-disciplinary approach, combining evolutionary biology
Expression and Regulation Program, is creating new technologies
and ecology theories with the tools of computational biology,
using this kind of imaging in order to study how genes get turned
molecular biology, and genetics.
on or off, or expressed. She began this work as a postdoctoral
fellow at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory prior to joining Wistar.
Tumors consist of populations of mutant cells that are not all
identical to each other, and new mutations are constantly arising
Genes regulate cellular development, differentiation, and responses
in individual tumor cells, thus increasing diversity. In the process,
to environmental signals, and problems with gene control are
some cells will acquire mutations that give them a competitive
responsible for many diseases, including cancers. Important to
advantage over their neighbors. These cells will then outcompete
proper gene control is the organization of chromatin, tightly
their neighbors and come to dominate the tumor.
coiled packages of DNA that make genes inaccessible for activation
until needed. However, many questions remain unanswered
At Wistar, Maley plans to use computer and cell culture models
about how specific changes in the organization of chromatin
of these competitive dynamics within precancerous tumors to
affect gene control in living cells.
derive different strategies for slowing or even halting cancer
progression.
Janicki’s technology will enable her to visualize these changes in
a single living cell, providing a dynamic picture of the molecular
Prior to his arrival at Wistar, Maley was a staff scientist at
events underlying gene expression.
the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. There, he applied
evolutionary theory to the study of cancer progression in
Barrett’s esophagus, a precancerous condition that sometimes
becomes malignant.
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2005 SCIENTIFIC HIGHLIGHTS
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Peter Olson
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At any given moment, many of our genes are kept silent,
or inactive. Scientists believe this broad gene silencing helps
protect against unwanted recombinations of genetic material or
other instability. Such disruptions, particularly in the regions at
the ends of chromosomes, called telomeres, have been linked to
aging and cancer in humans. In a study published in February in
the journal Molecular Cell, Shelley L. Berger, Ph.D., Hilary Koprowski
Professor at the Institute, demonstrated that a particular enzyme
plays a vital role in protecting the genome from potentially
Ramin Shiekhattar, Ph.D.
destabilizing molecular events that can trigger cancer.
Scientists know that the first genetic triggers for cancer are
First discovered only a few years ago, microRNAs are small,
often mutations in specific genes. Full-blown tumors and
remarkably powerful molecules that appear to play a pivotal
metastatic cancers, however, usually display many genetic
role in gene silencing, one of the body’s main strategies for
mutations, sometimes dozens in a given tumor. An important
regulating its genome. MicroRNAs seem to work by binding to
scientific question has been what happens after the initial
and interfering with messenger RNA, which is responsible for
mutation that leads to dangerous later-stage cancers with
translating genes into proteins. But many questions remain about
multiple damaged genes. Wistar professor Thanos D. Halazonetis,
the origins of microRNAs. In a pair of studies, one published in
D.D.S., Ph.D., has discovered that an initiating genetic error in
Nature in June and one in Cell in December, associate professor
a critical gene called p53, a tumor suppressor mutated in half of
Ramin Shiekhattar, Ph.D., (now a professor) traces the generation
all human cancers, can push a cell to divide relentlessly, leading
of microRNAs, identifying protein complexes involved in their
to stress that causes random errors in the DNA duplication
creation. The research builds on an earlier study published by
process. Unless halted, these errors lead to an accumulation of
Shiekhattar in Nature in 2004. Taken together, his research
mutant genes in the cell and, eventually, cancer. His work was
begins to illuminate the workings of these little understood but
published in the leading journal Nature in April.
important molecules. In 2005, Shiekhattar published a total of
two papers in Nature and two in Cell, both top-tier journals, an
Robert H. Clink
impressive feat for a single laboratory.
Emeritus professor Stanley A. Plotkin, M.D., was elected to the
prestigious Institute of Medicine in October. Plotkin was an active
investigator at Wistar from 1960 to 1991. Among his greatest
achievements was his development of the rubella vaccine, which
prevents a viral infection that can cause serious birth defects
including blindness and deafness. The Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention formally announced in March 2005 that
rubella had been eradicated in the U.S., crediting the vaccine
developed by Plotkin. He is also one of three co-inventors of
the new rotavirus vaccine approved by the Food and Drug
Shelley L. Berger, Ph.D.
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Robert H. Clink
For many years, scientists thought gene activity was relatively
straightforward: Genes were transcribed into messenger RNA,
which was processed and translated into the proteins of the body.
In the past few years, however, evidence for a more nuanced
understanding of the total genetic system has steadily accumuKazuko Nishikura, Ph.D.
lated. A process called RNA editing, in which messenger RNA
sequence is altered after transcription, can produce a number of
related but distinct variant proteins. More recently, scientists
have discovered small molecules called microRNAs, involved in
gene silencing. In December, professor Kazuko Nishikura,
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SPECIAL LECTURES
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Ph.D., linked these two processes, with possible implications
for understanding embryonic development, cell and tissue
Kritchevsky Symposium
differentiation, and cancer formation. Her work was published
In May, Wistar hosted a special research symposium on diet and
in Nature Structural & Molecular Biology.
its role in cancer and heart disease in honor of David
Kritchevsky, Ph.D., for his more than six decades of research in
this area. Kritchevsky has been associated with Wistar since
1957 and is currently the Caspar Wistar Scholar at the Institute.
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TRAINING PROGRAM
He is professor emeritus at the University of Pennsylvania,
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where he was also chair of the graduate group in Molecular
Biology for 12 years.
Weidong Yang, Ph.D., won the 2005 Ching Jer Chern Memorial
Award, which honors the best scientific publication by a
Tadeusz J. Wiktor Memorial Lecture
postdoctoral fellow in the previous year. Yang works in the
Established by The Wistar Institute in memory of Tadeusz J.
laboratory of professor Kazuko Nishikura, Ph.D. His paper was
Wiktor, V.M.D., former head of Wistar’s rabies unit.
published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry. A special
Speaker: Arlene H. Sharpe, M.D., Ph.D., Department of Pathology,
luncheon in June attended by Mrs. June Chern, wife of the late
Harvard Medical School
Dr. Chern, honored him for his achievement.
Topic: “Role of New Pathways in the B7: CD28 Family in Regulating
T Cell Activation and Tolerance”
Xiaoyong Zhang, Ph.D., was the recipient of the 2005
Christopher Davis Memorial Fellowship. He is a postdoctoral
George Khoury Memorial Lecture
fellow in the laboratory of associate professor Steven B.
Founded by The Hassel Foundation in memory of George Khoury,
McMahon, Ph.D. The fellowship supports breast-cancer research
M.D., former head of the Laboratory of Molecular Virology at
and honors the memory of Christopher Davis, son of Board of
the National Cancer Institute.
Trustees vice chair Harold M. Davis and his wife, Eleanor Davis.
Speaker: Laimonis A. Laimins, Ph.D., Northwestern University
Topic: “Human Papillomaviruses: Linking the Vital Life Cycle to
Levi Beverly, a predoctoral trainee in the laboratory of associate
Epithelial Differentiation”
professor Anthony J. Capobianco, Ph.D., was the winner of the
2005 Dr. Monica H.M. Shander Award. The fellowship is given
Jonathan Lax Memorial Lecture
annually to a Wistar predoctoral trainee who demonstrates
Co-sponsored by Philadelphia FIGHT and presented in memory
excellence in scholastics and aptitude and diligence in the
of Jonathan Lax, an activist and former president of FIGHT,
laboratory. Beverly investigates tumor development caused by
who died of AIDS in 1996.
the gene Notch.
Speaker: H. Clifford Lane, M.D., Deputy Director, National Institute
of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
Topic: “Immunopathogenesis of HIV-A Infection”
The Wistar Institute Annual Report 2005
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{
IN THE COMMUNITY
}
W
istar’s Authors Series continued in 2005, featuring books
about science and medicine. The program is part of Wistar’s
public outreach efforts, which aim to introduce the Institute
and its research mission to a wider audience.
The 2005 series kicked off in February with a visit from journalist
Jeffrey Kluger, who spoke about his book, Splendid Solution:
Jonas Salk and the Conquest of Polio. Next in March was writer
Brian Burrell, whose book, Postcards from the Brain Museum:
The Improbable Search for Meaning in the Matter of Famous
W
Minds, details the nineteenth-century mania for studying the
riter Stephen S. Hall won the 2005 Wistar Institute Science
human brain in misconceived attempts to find biological
Journalism Award for his article, “The Good Egg,” published in
sources of greatness or depravity. In October, Wistar adjunct
Discover in May 2004. The award, established in 2004, honors
professor Paul Offit, M.D., discussed The Cutter Incident: How
annually the most insightful and enterprising reporting on the
America’s First Vaccine Led to the Growing Vaccine Crisis, which
basic biomedical sciences in print or broadcast journalism.
explores how a crisis involving a tainted batch of polio vaccine
in the 1950s resulted in liability laws that discourage vaccine
Hall’s piece investigates the biological events affecting the
development and production to this day. Finally, journalist
development of a human egg prior to conception that can deter-
Philip J. Hilts spoke in November about Rx for Survival: Why We
mine the outcome of a pregnancy, such as whether it results in
Must Rise to the Global Health Challenge. His book was a
the development of a healthy fetus or a miscarriage. He received
companion piece to a PBS series on the looming global health
his award and cash prize of $5,000 at a ceremony and luncheon
threat of infectious disease.
on June 3. An accompanying all-day media seminar brought
science journalists to Wistar to learn about the molecular biology
Talks are followed by a reception and book-signing in Wistar’s
of aging.
atrium, where staff from the Joseph Fox Bookshop provide books
for sale. All events are free and open to the public.
An independent panel of leading science journalists selected the
winner. The six judges were: Deborah Blum (co-chair), professor
of journalism, University of Wisconsin-Madison, a 1992 Pulitzer
Prize winner; Joe Palca (co-chair), senior science correspondent
for National Public Radio; Sue Goetinck Ambrose, science writer
for The Dallas Morning News and co-winner of the 2004 Wistar
Institute Science Journalism Award; Jon Palfreman, independent
documentary film producer; Charles Petit, freelance journalist;
and Nancy Shute, senior writer for U.S. News & World Report.
The Wistar Institute Annual Report 2005
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To d a y ’ s D i s c o v e r i e s – To m o r r o w ’ s C u r e s
A
team of Wistar scientists and administrators visited
{
A VA C C I N E F O R R O TAV I R U S
}
Harrisburg, Pa., on January 30 and 31 with colleagues from across
the state to represent the Pennsylvania Cancer Alliance, a coalition
of the Commonwealth’s leading cancer centers. Organized by The
t the end of 2005, the Institute was awaiting approval by the
Wistar Institute and Fox Chase Cancer Center in 1998, the
Food and Drug Administration of a new vaccine for rotavirus
Alliance works on collaborative projects to fight cancer through
co-invented at Wistar. That approval came in February 2006,
basic research, clinical investigations, and prevention studies.
making available in the U.S. a new vaccine that protects against
a highly contagious virus that is the leading cause of severe
Alliance representatives visited with members of the Pennsylvania
dehydrating diarrhea in infants and young children. Each year,
legislature to update them on how funds from the Master
it accounts for tens of thousands of hospitalizations in the U.S.
Tobacco Settlement are being used to support vital cancer
and hundreds of thousands of deaths in the developing world.
research projects. They presented the findings of an economic
impact study, which found that the tobacco funds being used to
The vaccine was created by three scientists associated with Wistar,
support research are returning substantial dividends to the
all of whom retain ties to the Institute: emeritus professor
state’s economy.
Stanley A. Plotkin, M.D.; adjunct professor Paul A. Offit, M.D.,
and adjunct professor H. Fred Clark, D.V.M., Ph.D.
On the evening of January 31, the Alliance honored State Senate
Majority Leader David J. “Chip” Brightbill for his longstanding
“It has been a long road to the creation of this new vaccine
support of cancer research, including his championing of Act
against an important disease of childhood. We are very proud of
77, which dedicated all of Pennsylvania’s share of the tobacco
the role our scientists played in the success of this important
funds to medical research and other health-related programs.
medical advance,” said Wistar president and CEO Russel E.
Kaufman, M.D.
Representing Wistar were president and CEO Russel E. Kaufman,
M.D., vice president for legal and external affairs Elizabeth
In December 2005, as the vaccine was nearing approval, Wistar
O’Brien, Esq., professor and deputy director of the Cancer Center
announced that it had sold a portion of its anticipated royalties
Frank J. Rauscher III, Ph.D., and public relations director
from the new rotavirus vaccine. As a result of the vaccine’s
Franklin Hoke.
licensing by the FDA, Wistar has received $45 million through
its agreement with an affiliate of the Paul Royalty Fund. Wistar
I
retains its royalties on sales of the vaccine in excess of $300
n November and December, Wistar again hosted the winners
of Nikon’s Small World Competition, a traveling show of 20
million annually. The funds will increase the Institute’s endowment and also help Wistar implement its Strategic Plan.
prize-winning scientific images. The annual contest honors excellence in photomicrography—photography taken through the
“With the additional resources made available to us from this
microscope. Wistar hosted a special reception on December 1,
sale, we will be able to aggressively pursue the scientific goals
sponsored by Optical Apparatus Inc., to celebrate the show. James
outlined in our Strategic Plan, ensuring that Wistar will continue
Hayden, manager of Wistar’s microscopy facility, coordinated
to make significant discoveries to benefit human health world-
the exhibition. He is both a past Small World winner and judge.
wide,” Kaufman said in December when the sale was announced.
The Wistar Institute Annual Report 2005
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{
2005 SCIENTIFIC STAFF
}
President and CEO
Associate Professors
Staff Scientists
Russel E. Kaufman, M.D.
Anthony J. Capobianco, Ph.D.
Paul M. Lieberman, Ph.D. *
Steven B. McMahon, Ph.D.
Luis J. Montaner, D.V.M., D.Phil.
Laszlo Otvos Jr., Ph.D.†
Harold C. Riethman, Ph.D.
Ramin Shiekhattar, Ph.D. *
Louise C. Showe, Ph.D.
Lois Cavanagh, Ph.D.
Lise Clark, D.V.M., Ph.D.
Zhong Deng, Ph.D.
Michele Jacob, Ph.D.
Dimitri Negorev, Ph.D.
Emmanouil Papasavvas, Ph.D.
Hongzhuang Peng, Ph.D.
Keiran Smalley, Ph.D.
Hsin-Yao Tang, Ph.D.
Qiyi Tang, Ph.D.
Tao Wang, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor and Associate Vice President
for Academic Affairs
Ellen Puré, Ph.D.
Professor and Deputy Director
of the Cancer Center
Assistant Professors
Frank J. Rauscher III, Ph.D.
Nadia Dahmane, Ph.D.
Qihong Huang, M.D., Ph.D.
Susan Janicki, Ph.D.
Joseph L. Kissil, Ph.D.
Carlo C. Maley, Ph.D.
Wolfgang Weninger, M.D.
E. John Wherry, Ph.D.
Jumin Zhou, Ph.D.
Hilary Koprowski Professor
Shelley L. Berger, Ph.D.
Professors
Roger M. Burnett, Ph.D.
Andrew J. Caton, Ph.D.
Jan Erikson, Ph.D.
Hildegund C.J. Ertl, M.D.
Walter Gerhard, M.D.
Thanos D. Halazonetis, D.D.S., Ph.D.
Ellen Heber-Katz, Ph.D.
Dorothee Herlyn, D.V.M., D.Sc.
Meenhard Herlyn, D.V.M.
Ronen Marmorstein, Ph.D.
Gerd G. Maul, Ph.D.
Kazuko Nishikura, Ph.D.
David W. Speicher, Ph.D.
* Promoted
Associate Staff Scientists
Celia Chang, Ph.D.
Dmitri Gourevitch, M.D.
Kiranmai Gumireddy, Ph.D.
Santosh Hodawakekar, Ph.D.
Brian Hondowicz, Ph.D.
Thanuja Krishnamoorthy, Ph.D.
Nia Tatsis, Ph.D.
Tianqian Zhang, Ph.D.
Facility Directors
Ping Jiang, M.D.
John Rux, Ph.D.
Caspar Wistar Scholar
David Kritchevsky, Ph.D.
Senior Scientists
Livio Azzoni, M.D., Ph.D.
Klara Berensci, M.D.
Jihed Chehimi, Ph.D.
Steven Kazianis, Ph.D.
Michael Showe, Ph.D.
Rajasekharan Somasundaran, Ph.D.
Eleni Stavridi, Ph.D.
Rolf Swoboda, Ph.D.
Zhi Quan Xiang, M.D.
to professor on January 1, 2006
Professor Laureate
Hilary Koprowski, M.D.
Emeritus Professors
Clayton Buck, Ph.D.
Vincent Cristofalo, Ph.D. Stanley Plotkin, M.D.
Robert Roosa, Ph.D.
Leonard Warren, M.D., Ph.D.
Zofia Wroblewska, M.D.
† Appointed adjunct associate professor
on February 7, 2006
Deceased
The Wistar Institute Annual Report 2005
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{
ADJUNCT FACULTY
{
}
George C. Prendergast, Ph.D.
Lankenau Institute for Medical Research
Adjunct Professors
Steven M. Albelda, M.D.
University of Pennsylvania
Richard Assoian, Ph.D.
University of Pennsylvania
Timothy M. Block, Ph.D.
Drexel University
Thomas D. Stamato, Ph.D.
Lankenau Institute for Medical Research
Barbara L. Weber, M.D.
University of Pennsylvania
James M. Wilson, M.D., Ph.D.
University of Pennsylvania
Garrett M. Brodeur, M.D.
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
John H. Wolfe, V.M.D., Ph.D.
University of Pennsylvania
EXTERNAL SCIENTIFIC
ADVISORY COMMITTEE
}
Chair
James N. Ihle, Ph.D.
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Members
C. David Allis, Ph.D.
The Rockefeller University
Olivera J. Finn, Ph.D.
University of Pittsburgh
H. Fred Clark, D.V.M., Ph.D.
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
Adjunct Associate Professors
Peter J. Curtis, Ph.D.
Thomas Jefferson University
Frederic G. Barr, M.D., Ph.D.
University of Pennsylvania
Todd R. Golub, M.D.
The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Harvard Medical School
Dennis E. Discher, Ph.D.
University of Pennsylvania
Horace M. DeLisser, M.D.
University of Pennsylvania
Antonio Lanzavecchia, M.D.
Institute for Research in Biomedicine
David E. Elder, M.B., Ch.B.
University of Pennsylvania
Wafik S. El-Deiry, M.D., Ph.D.
University of Pennsylvania
Peter E. Lipsky, M.D.
National Institute of Arthritis and
Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases
Beverly S. Emanuel, Ph.D.
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
Phyllis A. Gimotty, Ph.D.
University of Pennsylvania
Jonathan A. Epstein, M.D.
University of Pennsylvania
Ann Jeglum, V.M.D.
Veterinary Oncology Services
and Research Center
Scott W. Lowe, Ph.D.
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Lynn M. Matrisian, Ph.D.
Vanderbilt University
Nigel W. Fraser, Ph.D.
University of Pennsylvania
Adjunct Assistant Professors
Mark I. Greene, M.D., Ph.D.
University of Pennsylvania
Aili L. Lazaar, M.D.
University of Pennsylvania
Joseph S. Pagano, M.D.
University of North Carolina Lineberger
Comprehensive Cancer Center
DuPont Guerry, M.D.
University of Pennsylvania
Mark S. Lechner, Ph.D.
Drexel University
Hidde Ploegh, Ph.D.
Harvard Medical School
Katherine A. High, M.D.
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
Ali Shokoufandeh, Ph.D.
Drexel University
Ellen Vitetta, Ph.D.
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Ruth J. Muschel, M.D., Ph.D.
University of Pennsylvania
David A. Tuveson, M.D., Ph.D.
University of Pennsylvania
Richard A. Young, Ph.D.
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Paul A. Offit, M.D.
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
Omaida C. Velazquez, M.D.
University of Pennsylvania
Edward Ziff, Ph.D.
New York University Medical Center
Reynold Panettieri, M.D.
University of Pennsylvania
The Wistar Institute Annual Report 2005
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{
MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR
}
The Wistar Institute today stands at a turning point in its venerable history, poised to rise to new heights of scientific prominence,
even when measured against Wistar’s extraordinary accomplishments of the past.
I say this because changes at the Institute in the past few years promise to transform Wistar in fundamental ways. A wave of
remarkable new recruits has brought fresh energy to Wistar’s team of world-class researchers. These scientists have now established
their research programs and are contributing creative, probing insights into long-standing biomedical problems. Solutions cannot
be far behind.
Significant new resources have become available to renew or replace the Institute’s infrastructure and scientific equipment. Most
notably, the sale of a portion of Wistar’s royalty interest in a newly approved rotavirus vaccine co-invented by Institute scientists
brought $45 million to Wistar.
Board member and former Board Chair Bob Fox, one of Wistar’s most unwavering friends, also pledged $5 million to the Institute in
2005—the largest contribution from an individual since Wistar was established in 1892. Among other things, his gift will establish
the Robert and Penny Fox Distinguished Professorship, allowing Wistar to attract a top-ranking senior scientist to join the faculty.
The addition of these resources will provide the underpinning for bold new initiatives as we consider future research directions.
I see a new engagement on the part of Wistar’s Board too that augurs well for the Institute’s future. Helen Pudlin, for example,
worked closely with staff to revamp the Institute’s bylaws and reorganize Board committees to be better focused and more active,
changes enthusiastically supported by the full Board. Hal Davis, Board vice chair, has been deeply involved in Wistar’s planning
process for building or rebuilding its facility in the near future. Faye Olivieri Kozich has taken an active interest in development
and public relations activities at Wistar, meeting regularly with staff and others to generate ideas.
I also want to take this opportunity to extend my sincere thanks to Kevin Tucker, from whom I assumed the position of Chair of
the Board of Trustees last spring. With Bob Fox, Kevin set the stage for change by recruiting Dr. Russel E. Kaufman as Wistar’s
ambitious new president and CEO in 2002. Under Kevin’s leadership, I and others worked to develop a Strategic Plan in 2004 that
we expect will position the Institute for success for years to come.
The past year has been an important one for the Institute, and Wistar’s star continues to rise. Working together, we—the Board,
faculty, and staff—have the opportunity to elevate The Wistar Institute to an unprecedented level of scientific excellence.
Brian H. Dovey
Chair, Board of Trustees
The Wistar Institute Annual Report 2005
{
Tw e n t y
}
To d a y ’ s D i s c o v e r i e s – To m o r r o w ’ s C u r e s
{
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Officers
Brian H. Dovey
Chair
Harold M. Davis
Vice Chair
Doris Taxin
Secretary
Ian J. Berg
Treasurer
Members
D. James Baker, Ph.D.
President & CEO
The Academy of Natural Sciences
}
Brian H. Dovey
General Partner
Domain Associates
Samuel V. Rhoads
Senior Vice President
Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation
Robert A. Fox
Chairman and C.E.O.
R.A.F. Industries, Inc.
Robert H. Rock
President
MLR Holdings LLC
Roger S. Hillas
Gerald B. Rorer
Richard M. Horowitz
President
R.A.F. Industries, Inc.
Adele K. Schaeffer
James N. Ihle, Ph.D.
Chairman, Department of Biochemistry
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
Howard Hughes Investigator
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Paul J. Schmitt
Managing Director
Pennsylvania Early Stage Partners
Ernest R. (Roy) Shapiro
President Emeritus
KYW 1060 AM
Herbert Kean, M.D.
Edward Sickles
Vincent G. Bell, Jr.
President
Verus Corporation
Hilary Koprowski, M.D.
Professor
Thomas Jefferson University
Professor Laureate
The Wistar Institute
Arthur L. Stokes, M.D.
Chief Medical Officer
Senzo Research Corporation
Ian J. Berg
Managing Director
Eastern Technology Fund
Ira M. Lubert
Managing Director
Quaker BioVentures, Inc.
Doris Taxin
Robert S. Blank
Partner
Whitcom Partners
Faye Olivieri Kozich
President
Agenda, Inc.
David V. Wachs
Ira Brind
President
Brind Investments, Inc.
Albert Ominsky, Esq.
Ominsky & Ominsky, P.C.
Robert Barchi, M.D., Ph.D.
President
Thomas Jefferson University
Susan Sullivan
Kevin M. Tucker
Daniel H. Wheeler
Director, Governor’s Action Team
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
Emeritus Board Members
Ronald J. Daniels
Provost
University of Pennsylvania
Ruth Patrick, Ph.D.
Francis Boyer Chair
The Academy of Natural Sciences
Seymour S. Preston III
The Millrace Group
Harold M. Davis
Chairman
Realen Properties
Peter C. Doherty, Ph.D.
Chairman, Department of Immunology
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
Helen P. Pudlin, Esq.
Senior Vice President & General Counsel
The PNC Financial Services Group
The Wistar Institute Annual Report 2005
Jean Bellet Green
Harris N. Hollin
President
Conquer Fragile X Foundation
Isadore M. Scott
Howard S. Turner, Ph.D.
{ Tw e n t y - o n e } T o d a y ’ s D i s c o v e r i e s – T o m o r r o w ’ s C u r e s
Guests applaud as Kevin Tucker walks to the
podium to receive his award.
{
K E V I N M . T U C K E R R E C E I V E S T H E W I S TA R AWA R D
}
Former Board of Trustees chair Kevin M. Tucker was honored with The Wistar Award at a black-tie gala hosted by the Institute on October 22 at the Park
Hyatt at the Bellevue. The award recognized Tucker for his distinguished contributions to the community through his work in public service as well as his
philanthropic and volunteer efforts.
More than 300 family members, friends, and supporters of Wistar attended the event, which raised more than $100,000 for cancer research at the Institute.
A member of the Board for more than 12 years, Tucker served as chair from 1998 to March 2005. During his extraordinarily successful tenure, the Board
recruited Russel E. Kaufman, M.D., as the Institute’s new president, approved a new Strategic Plan calling for expansion of its faculty and renewal of its
facility, and made remarkable strides in fundraising and board development.
Board member and former chair Robert A. Fox, himself a past recipient of The Wistar Award, observed in his remarks that Tucker’s many personal and
professional accomplishments have been driven by “passion, leadership, and a willingness to take the risks necessary to change the lives of those who are
not so fortunate.”
Tucker’s career in public service included several high-profile positions in law enforcement. As a member of the U.S. Secret Service, he was assigned to
First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy and her children following the President’s assassination. He later became Special Agent-in-Charge of Philadelphia, overseeing
three offices in the tri-state region. In 1986, Tucker became Police Commissioner for the City of Philadelphia. The Police Department established community
policing and other key innovations under his leadership.
In the private sector, Tucker served as senior vice president of PNC Bank, where he was responsible for administration, legal counsel, human resources,
procurement, real estate operation, and compliance.
Tucker founded the Corporate Alliance for Drug Education (CADE), a unique collaboration between the private and public sectors to tackle the problem of
substance abuse. He has lent his talents to many other non-profit organizations in the Greater Philadelphia area.
Members of the Honorary Committee for the 2005 Wistar Gala were Sam Donaldson, General H. Norman Schwarzkopf, Senator Rick Santorum, Senator Arlen
Specter, and Philadelphia Mayor John F. Street.
The Gala Committee was chaired by Adele K. Schaeffer and included members Robert A. Fox, H. Lewis Klein, Helen P. Pudlin, Esq., Roy Shapiro, Edward
Sickles, and Doris R. Taxin, also a past recipient of The Wistar Award.
Eleanor and Hal Davis head to the favor table.
The Wistar Institute Annual Report 2005
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{
{
FINANCIALS
THE YEAR IN REVIEW
}
}
Uses of Funds
Sources of Funds
$30,373,000
67%
$27,100,000
63%
Foundation and other private funding
$4,396,000
9%
Administration and laboratory services
$7,580,000
18%
State funding
$3,186,000
7%
Operation and maintenance of plant
$4,825,000
11%
Unrestricted contributions
$2,329,000
5%
Library operation
$350,000
1%
Technology transfer
$2,985,000
7%
Depreciation of capital assets
$2,963,000
7%
Total return from invested funds
$2,218,000
5%
Total
Federal grant funding
Total
Direct research
$42,818,000
$45,487,000
$27,100,000 (63%)
Direct research
Staff
$7,580,000 (18%)
Administration and
laboratory services
Total employees
335
Number of laboratories
33
Number of postdoctoral fellows
79
Number of predoctoral fellows
37
Number of visiting scientists
12
Number of countries of origin represented
26
$4,825,000 (11%)
Operation and
maintenance of plant
$2,963,000 (7%)
Depreciation of capital assets
(Algeria, Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, China, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Ghana,
$350,000 (1%)
Library operation
Greece, Hungary, India, Iran, Italy, Japan, Korea, Poland, Romania, Russia, Singapore,
Trinidad, United Kingdom, Ukraine, United States, Vietnam)
U.S. Patents Issued in 2005
Shared Facilities
M e t h o d s a n d C o m p o s i t i o n f o r H e a l i n g H e a r t Wo u n d s , E l l e n H e b e r- K a t z , U . S .
Animal Facility
Patent No. 6,852,706.
Bioinformatics Facility
Flow Cytometry Facility
C o m p o s i t i o n s a n d M e t h o d s f o r Tr e a t m e n t o f C a n c e r, M a g d a l e n a T h u r i n , U . S .
Genomics Facility
Patent 6,960,566.
Histotechnology Facility
Hybridoma Facility
Centers
Library and Wistar Archives
Microscopy Facility
Cancer Center
Mouse Genetics Facility
Robert A. Fox Structural Biology Center
Protein Expression Facility
Albert R. Taxin Brain Tumor Research Center
Proteomics Facility
Research Communications Facility
Research Supply Facility
The Wistar Institute Annual Report 2005
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{
ADMINISTRATION
}
Russel E. Kaufman, M.D.
President and CEO
Larry A. Keinath, C.P.A.
Vice President, Finance and Administration
Elizabeth O’Brien, Esq.
Vice President, Legal and External Affairs
Ellen Puré, Ph.D.
Professor and Associate Vice President, Academic Affairs
Frank J. Rauscher III, Ph.D.
Professor and Deputy Director of The Wistar Institute Cancer Center
Peter Corrado
Director of Institutional Development
Denise DiFrancesco
Director of Animal Facility
Franklin Hoke
Director of Public Relations
Elliot Levine, Ph.D.
Director of Research Compliance and Resources
Nina Long, M.L.S.
Director of Library Services and Curator of The Wistar Museum Collections
Ronen Marmorstein, Ph.D.
Director of Training
Meryle J. Melnicoff, Ph.D.
Director of Business Development
Jo-Ann Mendel
Director of Human Resources
Marianne O’Neill
Director of Grants and Contracts Administration
Ray Preis
Director of Information Systems
Kenneth J. Sulkowski
Director of Facilities
William H. Wunner, Ph.D.
Director of Outreach and Technology Training Programs
T O DAY ’S D I S C OV E R I E S – T O M O R R O W ’ S C U R E S
3601 Spruce Street
n Philadelphia, PA 19104-4268
(215) 898-3700
www.wistar.org
The Wistar Institute’s 2005 Annual Report was produced by the Office
of Public Relations.
Marion Wyce, Editor
Franklin Hoke, Director of Public Relations
Design: SK Designworks
Photography: Tommy Leonardi
Stock Photography: Corbis, PictureQuest
The Wistar Institute is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.
It is the policy of The Wistar Institute to provide equal employment
opportunities to all individuals regardless of race, color, creed,
religion, national origin, ancestry, sex, age, veteran status, disability,
sexual orientation, or gender identity for all terms and conditions
of employment.
Published June 2006