2005 Annual Report
Transcription
2005 Annual Report
R E P O R T } { 2 0 0 5 { { 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 { One } 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 { I MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT } 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. The Wistar Institute Annual Report 2005 { Tw o } 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 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 { RESEARCH PROGRAMS AND FACULTY } 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 The Wistar Institute Annual Report 2005 { Three } 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 { 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. { 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. The Wistar Institute Annual Report 2005 { Four } } 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 } 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. The Wistar Institute Annual Report 2005 { Five } 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 { DISCOVERING THE ROOTS OF MELANOMA } 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 I 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. The Wistar Institute Annual Report 2005 { Six } 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 Meenhard Herlyn, D.V.M. { 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. The Wistar Institute Annual Report 2005 { Seven } 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 } { 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 } 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. { Puré leads a major research effort aimed at understanding the interplay between inflammation and cholesterol levels in cardiovascular disease. } “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. The Wistar Institute Annual Report 2005 { Eight } 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 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. The Wistar Institute Annual Report 2005 { Nine } 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 { UNDERSTANDING ARTHRITIS E } 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. The Wistar Institute Annual Report 2005 { Te n } 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 { Caton is aiming to answer one of the mysteries of autoimmune diseases, which relates to the unusual way in which they can be inherited. } 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. The Wistar Institute Annual Report 2005 { Eleven } 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 NEW RECRUITS } 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. The Wistar Institute Annual Report 2005 { Tw e l v e } 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 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. The Wistar Institute Annual Report 2005 { Thirteen } 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 2005 SCIENTIFIC HIGHLIGHTS } Peter Olson { 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. The Wistar Institute Annual Report 2005 { Administration in 2006. Fourteen } 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 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, { SPECIAL LECTURES } 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. { TRAINING PROGRAM He is professor emeritus at the University of Pennsylvania, } 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 { Fifteen } 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 { 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 { Sixteen } 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 { Seventeen } 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 { 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 { Eighteen } 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 { 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 { Nineteen } 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 { 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 { Thirty-one } 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 { { 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 { Thirty-two } 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 { 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