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SPRING 2017 MILESTONES Connecting Past to Present The Wistar Institute Celebrates 125 Years of Groundbreaking Discoveries

This year Wistar celebrates a momentous anniversary—a quasquicentennial—that marks 125 years since its founding. The Wistar Institute is America’s first independent, biomedical research institute. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, the Institute specialized in comparative anatomy and investiga- tive and experimental biology while training top scientists.

THE WISTAR STORY is known by many, but here are some of its most important moments:

Science Advisory Board

1717 1761 1793 1808 1811

• In 1717, Caspar Wistar • In 1761, Caspar’s son • Caspar Wistar (the • In 1808, Dr. Wistar • In 1811, Dr. Wistar wrote emigrated from Germany Richard Wistar and wife Younger) became a commissioned System of Anatomy, the to Pennsylvania. Caspar Sarah Wyatt became medical doctor during sculptor William Rush first American textbook (the Elder) established a parents to Caspar Wistar the yellow fever to construct three- on anatomy. Wistar also brass button factory and (the Younger), named epidemic of 1793 that dimensional, larger-than- built a huge collection then Wistarburgh Glass after his grandfather. killed approximately life-sized anatomical of wax-injected human Manufactory—the first 5,000 people in models for his students limbs and organs for his prosperous glass factory Philadelphia. He to better see during anatomy class. in the American colonies. established Bush Hill anatomy lessons held Hospital between 12th in vast amphitheaters. and 19th Streets to treat Today, you can see three victims of the disease. Rush models on display at the Institute.

Today, Wistar is a global biomedical research leader in cancer, members and other pivotal women and men, formed a immunology, infectious diseases, and vaccine development, wonderful amalgamation of science and technology that while still training the next generation of scientists. The would become The Wistar Institute. All have helped to create Institute is a National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated something bigger than the sum of Wistar’s parts and while Cancer Center and has held this distinction since 1972. It doing so, they put Philadelphia on the world map of scientific continues groundbreaking work in cancer biology and makes discovery. major contributions in cancer immuno-therapy. A trailblazer Over the course of our rich history, the goal of the Institute in vaccine research, our scientists have pioneered the has remained the same—to create new technologies that will development of vaccines for diseases such as rubella, rabies speed science forward and benefit people around the world. and rotavirus—literally responsible for saving millions of Because without discoveries, there simply are no cures. lives—and the Institute’s legacy of vaccine development In the next 125 years, future innovations will happen as continues on with pioneering research being done in DNA our scientists continue to take risks and redefine basic vaccine design and development. biomedical research. Through public and private partnerships The Wistar story is one of special circumstances that between industry and academia, Wistar discoveries have led to scientific connections and collaborations that would reached the public as vaccines, diagnostic tools and therapeutic pave the way for future biomedical breakthroughs. agents against cancer and disease. But before we look ahead, Enlightened and curious scientists, along with Wistar family let’s remember who we are and how we got here.

1827 1861–64 1892 1900s early 1906

• In 1827, nine years after • From 1861-1864, • In 1892, Isaac Wistar • In the early 1900s, • International scientists Dr. Caspar Wistar’s Isaac Wistar was a made a lasting science transitioned came on yearly death, his great nephew lieutenant-colonel in contribution to biological away from the study sabbaticals to Wistar. Isaac Jones Wistar was the Civil War who led research by funding an of anatomy and the In 1906, Shinkishi Hatai, born. the 71st Regiment of endowment and research need for anatomical Ph.D., was the first Pennsylvania Volunteers building in honor of his collections and reflected international scientist to in the Union Army. great uncle Dr. Caspar the trends of medical join the Wistar faculty Wistar. The Wistar science based in research and later became known Institute of Anatomy and and what is now modern as the father of Japanese Biology opened in 1894. medicine. biology.

FOCUS ON THE WISTAR INSTITUTE | SPRING 2017 2 1905, Conference of Anatomists

Tea time at The Wistar Institute. Shinkishi Hatai, 1971, Stanley Plotkin, M.D. (left) administers Ph.D., second from left, and Henry Donaldson, and early human rabies vaccine to Hilary Ph.D., Wistar Scientific Director, third from left. Koproski, M.D. (center) while Tadeusz Wiktor, D.M.V. pretends to restrain him.

Stanley Plotkin, M.D. Tadeusz Wiktor, V.M.D.

1909–50 1957 1969 late 1960s 1972

• Helen Dean King, Ph.D., • In 1957, Hilary Koprowski, • The first vaccine • The second vaccine • In 1972, Wistar became was the first woman M.D., was appointed developed at Wistar created at Wistar was one of the first NCI- to receive a Ph.D. in director of Wistar and led was against rubella, against the rabies virus designated Cancer biomedical research in the Institute for 34 years. also known as German and was licensed for Centers and has retained the U.S. Additionally, she Under his direction, the measles. Rubella led to human and animal use that distinction ever became Wistar’s first Institute embarked on various birth defects in Europe and the U.S. in since. Today, it is one of female professor when a major effort to create including blindness, the late 1960s through seven basic science-only she joined in 1909. She vaccines against viral deafness and severe the early 1980s. Drs. laboratories out of the 69 worked at Wistar from diseases. mental retardation as Koprowski, Tadeusz cancer centers that have 1909 until 1950 and well as miscarriages and Wiktor, V.M.D., and Mario earned the distinction— bred the Wistar Rat. The stillbirths across Europe V. Fernandes, D.V.M., from the more than 1,500 Wistar Rat was the first and the U.S. in the developed a therapeutic cancer centers in the U.S. standardized lab animal 1960s. Wistar Professor vaccine that is nearly from which more than Emeritus Stanley Plotkin, 100 percent effective half of all present-day M.D. created the vaccine in preventing infection laboratory rats trace their of choice in 1969. when given promptly as genealogy. part of post-exposure treatment.

3 FOCUS ON THE WISTAR INSTITUTE | SPRING 2017 Photo by Jeffrey Totaro

1979 late 1980s 1995 2006 NOW

• In 1979, Wistar rapidly • In the late 80s and 90s, • A second rabies vaccine • The rotavirus vaccine was • Today, numerous drugs moved to the forefront Centocor became one was created by William co-developed by Wistar (both in use and in of monoclonal antibody of the first and most Wunner, Ph.D. (who and Children’s Hospital of development) resulted research and licensed exciting biotechnology currently serves as Philadelphia researchers from the monoclonal this technology for companies. Founder Wistar’s director of Drs. Stanley Plotkin, M.D., antibody revolution drug development Hubert J.P. Schoemaker, Academic Affairs), H. Fred Clark, D.V.M., introduced by Wistar and to Centocor—a Ph.D., Michael Wall, Peter J. Curtis, Ph.D., and Paul A. Offit, M.D., its contemporaries. For suburban Philadelphia and partners Hilary and other Wistar to protect newborns example, monoclonal drug company. Koprowski, M.D., and scientists. It is an oral from a highly contagious antibodies against Il-12, Centocor eventually Vincent Zurawski, Ph.D., rabies vaccine that virus with symptoms a signaling molecule became Janssen, a developed diagnostic can be administered of diarrhea, vomiting, discovered by Wistar’s pharmaceutical company assays using monoclonal through bait. First fever, and abdominal Giorgio Trinchieri, M.D., of Johnson & Johnson— antibody technology approved in 1995 to pain. Rotavirus research, have led to Stelara, a for drug development. and cemented Wistar’s prevent raccoon rabies, which began in the 1980s medication to treat the footprint in the it is used worldwide to under Drs. Plotkin and skin disease plaque budding biotechnology protect wild animals and Offit was co-developed psoriasis, as well as landscape. indirectly, neighboring through Merck & Co., Inc. potential cancer drugs. human populations. and came to fruition as ROTATEQ®, a lifesaving vaccine recommended for infants since 2006.

FOCUS ON THE WISTAR INSTITUTE | SPRING 2017 4 RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS

MEGAN WISE, Ph.D., Inovio Inc., Postdoctoral Fellow, DAVID B. WEINER, Ph.D., Executive Vice President; Director, Vaccine Center; and the W.W. DNA vaccine technology Smith Charitable Trust Professor in Cancer Research, and AMI PATEL, Ph.D., holds promise to cure Postdoctoral Fellow, review vaccine development results. infectious diseases and cancer

Vaccination is a practice with deep roots in history, dating back to well before the discovery of the immune system. The first rudimentary attempts were made centuries ago based on the idea of exposing the body to a weakened form of an infectious agent, like a virus or bacteria, to induce a mild version of the disease so that the host would be protected at the next encounter with that agent. Modern vaccination still consists of exposing the immune system to an infectious agent—now modified so that it won’t induce disease—or to some of its components to stimulate an immune response and help the immune system react properly if it encounters the same agent again. Research that began in the early 90s has led to the devel- opment of a radically new approach to vaccination based on What’s available and what’s in the making the introduction of DNA into the body. This DNA sequence A few DNA vaccines have already been approved for veterinary encodes an antigen, a protein that derives from the pathogen use, and many human DNA vaccines are being tested in clin- (foreign toxin, virus, or bacteria), for which an immune re- ical trials for HIV, malaria, flu, ebola, human papilloma virus sponse is sought. In other words, instead of being directly (HPV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), and most recently Zika. exposed to the pathogen, the host is provided with the mo- DNA vaccine expert David B. Weiner, Ph.D., Wistar executive vice lecular “instructions” to produce an immune response in situ president and director of Wistar’s Vaccine Center, in collabo- —inside the body. That way, the immune system can mount ration with Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and partners, have an attack against the infectious agent without actually being developed a synthetic Zika DNA vaccine that has proven ef- exposed to it. fective in protecting mouse and non-human primate models against infection, brain damage and death associated with the A DNA vaccine: how it works Zika virus. The vaccine is currently being tested on human The genetic sequence coding for a specific antigen is packed subjects in phase I clinical trials with results expected this year. into a small, circular DNA molecule with some other acces- DNA vaccination also has applications as a cancer im- sory instructions. The DNA vaccine is delivered into the munotherapeutic strategy to stimulate a patient’s immune muscle of the host, where muscle cells can internalize it, “read system to destroy cancer cells. Some types of cancer are caused the instruction” and use their inner machinery to synthesize by chronic infection with oncogenic viruses, such as HPV or the foreign antigen and present it to local immune cells. This HBV. In these cases, DNA vaccines designed to target viral will trigger a cascade of events culminating in a full spectrum proteins and prevent infection can hamper the onset of the immune response involving T cells that attack and destroy related cancer or, if infection has already occurred, can protect infected cells, B cells that produce specific antibodies, and against development or further progression. other specialized immune cells. The DNA vaccine VGX-3100, sponsored by Inovio, was DNA vaccines offer a number of advantages over tradi- the subject of the first successful phase IIb study against HPV tional approaches, including higher stability, improved safety and was able to eliminate the virus and ultimately clear vi- due to the absence of any infectious agent, and the possibil- rus-associated precancerous lesions in the cervix. This, too, ity for large-scale manufacturing at a lower cost. was the work of Dr. Weiner and collaborators. ■

5 FOCUS ON THE WISTAR INSTITUTE | SPRING 2017

AT WISTAR HEATHER STEINMAN, Ph.D., MBA, Vice President of Business Rising “Wi-Stars” in Development and Executive Director of Technology Transfer, Technology Transfer & with former Wi-STAR intern COLIN SMITH, Business Development Ph.D., Senior Associate Licensing & Business Development

Since 2015, the Wi-STARS internship offered through Wistar’s fit right in, so he applied and was offered the Wi-Stars intern- Business Development Office encourages smart, motivated ship, which he enthusiastically accepted. Smith remembers young scientists to dip their toes into the world of technology those days as very busy: working in the lab during the week transfer. Through experiential learning, interns are exposed and on internship assignments over the weekend, reading to the dynamic interchange between business and science, Wistar research papers and gleaning potential patent material, and, while acquiring new skills, these Wi-Stars also benefit and doing his best to show his supervisor that he appreciated from the office’s role as a connector in the local tech transfer the opportunity and was eager to absorb as much as possible. ecosystem, with a broad range of interactions between academia While a Wi-Stars intern, Smith realized that he loved the and pharmaceutical companies. job’s potential for creativity. “I found the experience extreme- The very first Wi-Stars intern was Colin Smith, Ph.D., who ly valuable on many levels,” said Smith. “Besides acquiring remained at Wistar after his internship and now serves as basic skills in the field, I got to expand my scientific background, Senior Associate in Licensing and Business Development. practice science writing to draft descriptions of Wistar tech- While completing his graduate research in neuroscience at the nologies for commercial audiences, and establish a network.” University of Pennsylvania, Smith knew from the start he He also got a taste of what it would be like to work for a didn’t want to become a research professor. He pondered over research institution like Wistar, where the technology transfer his skill sets and asked himself in which scientific endeavor process is agile and the office gets involved with the scientists would they be best applied. Smith wanted to focus on the at early stages in their research. More importantly, as his as- big-picture of scientific discovery. signments were being put into practice, his contribution to Talking over a cup of coffee with someone who worked in the office felt real, which gratified and motivated him. Smith Wistar’s Business Development office, he asked about day-to- tries to keep the same perspective now that he is on the other day life in academic technology transfer and realized he might side and gets to mentor his own Wi-Stars interns. ■

DONOR STORY Dr. Harry Rosenthal For more than a decade, mathematician Dr. Harry Rosenthal has been a Wistar friend and supporter. A transplant from New York, Dr. Rosenthal learned about the Institute’s mission through close friends and Wistar donors and was excited to become involved in The Wistar Institute Heritage Society. Later, through sheer coincidence, Dr. Rosenthal would learn he had a Wistar connection of his own; a relative had been a Wistar scientist. As a Wistar supporter, he will leave a lasting legacy with a bequest and a charitable gift annuity (CGA) in memory of his family, including his grandparents who were Holocaust victims. A CGA is an easy, elegant gift that benefits the Institute and provides Dr. Rosenthal with a steady cash-flow for life. The CGA provides an immediate tax deduction for a portion of the gift donated as well as for each periodic payment. “Wistar is currently addressing major, worldwide concerns To learn more about setting up such as cancer and infectious diseases,” said Dr. Rosenthal. “It a charitable gift annuity, visit: is a national treasure that is helping the entire planet. Who wistar.plannedgiving.org DR. HARRY ROSENTHAL cannot be passionate about that?” ■

FOCUS ON THE WISTAR INSTITUTE | SPRING 2017 6 EDUCATION + SCIENCE Today’s Biomedical Technician Training Students Are Tomorrow’s Lab Technicians

But it doesn’t stop there. Students set their sights for higher degrees and a myriad of life sciences jobs that relay into successful workforce placement within Philadelphia’s life sciences community.

One pervading tenet of Wistar’s Biomedical Technician Training in clinical and medical labs and in academic research settings.” (BTT) Program is to best prepare students for careers in bio- Dr. Wunner and BTT mentors play a vital role guiding medical science. The many twists and turns that shape their each student to her or his biomedical research career. These time in the program will also determine their diverse and top postdoctoral fellows and faculty, with established con- immensely satisfying career and life journeys. nections to labs and scientists across the region, intrinsically Olamide Sanuth was born in Nigeria and, at 10 years old, know which student will be the best fit for each internship moved to the United States, settling in Richmond, Va. He placement. If a student doesn’t want to work directly in a lab, completed high school in the Midwest when his family moved the BTT team guides the student as she or he pursues higher to Hammond, Indiana. Sanuth remained degrees or combined degrees marrying in Indiana for college and took courses at science to business, law and even art, and Purdue University, but did not complete connecting them to creative jobs in sci- his bachelor’s degree before moving to Since 2000, CCP students majoring in entific illustration, technology transfer or Philadelphia. After enrolling at the Com- pharmacology. science with a strong STEM interest munity College of Philadelphia (CCP) to finish “It could have been any flyer [that I the degree he started, he noticed a flyer have applied for the Biomedical grabbed] because I was open to all career during his biology class, and as they say, Technician Training program. This possibilities,” Sanuth, a 2014 BTT gradu- the rest is history. opportunity, which accepts only 12 ate, said. “But luckily it was for Wistar’s “I was a blank slate when I got into students each year, pools the combined BTT internship that turned into a full- the BTT Program, and just like me, most scientific know-how of an academia- time position working at Wistar in Dr. students don’t have an exact idea of what Paul Lieberman’s lab. Next, I was working and industry-experienced mentorship they want to go into,” Sanuth said. with the lab manager and a Ph.D. student “Through the mentors and their guidance, team that teaches, develops and hones doing research and applying bench tech- they helped us figure out our interests and the individual strengths of each student. niques I’d done as an intern—though now put us all into a position of succeeding.” Learn more: wistar.org/BTTP I was an employee. The learning process The Biomedical Technician Training felt seamless in the lab setting.” program was created to strengthen the The value of the program lies in the Philadelphia life sciences workforce, but strong pedagogical foundation for carry- it has done far more than just that. The brainchild of The ing out lab techniques and experiments and the hands on Wistar Institute’s William Wunner, Ph.D., director of Academic lessons that can only be learned being a part of a working lab. Affairs, and developed through a partnership with the CCP, “I learned all about lab science, its applications, and how it is a program that gives its students a thorough exposure to to carry out techniques with accuracy, including buffers, pi- what a career in biomedical research looks like. pettes, western blots, tissue culture hoods,” Sanuth said. “The “This program offers the best of both worlds: classroom classwork and lab work gave me a great foundation that I’ll time learning the science, followed by lab time to put what they never lose. But it also taught all of us how to conduct and carry just learned into practice,” said Dr. Wunner. “They will land ourselves as professionals in research and industry worlds.” jobs with regional biomedical and biotechnology companies, Now, Sanuth is on the industry side of science, having

7 FOCUS ON THE WISTAR INSTITUTE | SPRING 2017 BTT graduate OLAMIDE SANUTH with WILLIAM WUNNER, Ph.D., Director of Academic Affairs

worked his way up at Invisible Sentinel during the last five program is and that they can find success if they have the years. In 2006, Invisible Sentinel was a fledgling startup that interest and drive,” said Sanuth. “One of my friends through manufactured a molecular diagnostic test devised to detect the program ended up in law school, another was an artist food pathogens such as salmonella and listeria and certain who didn’t want to just do art. But all of my fellow students, types of yeast. Based out of the University City Science Center, like me, were looking for a change, or wanted to move further it’s a fast-rising company that’s branching into wine and beer in the direction of biomedical research, and this program has industries worldwide and has developed contamination tests definitely affected us positively and prepared us for careers for food manufacturers, food producers, wineries and brew- at universities, biomed research facilities, research institutions, eries. In 2014, Sanuth was promoted to manufacturing su- biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies.” ■ pervisor and currently oversees how the test cassettes are constructed and quality controlled. “I learned on the fly through training from Invisible Sentinel co-founders Nick Siciliano and Ben Pascal,” said This program would not be possible without external Sanuth. “They taught me all aspects of manufacturing these funding from the federal Government, the Commonwealth contamination test kits. From Standard Operating Procedures, of Pennsylvania, foundations and corporations. In 2016 specifications, ranges, to the actual manufacturing of the alone, Wistar was very fortunate to partner with The Con- test—I manage the product from the plastics end, which is nelly Foundation, The Anne M. and Philip H. Glatfelter, III the design and welding, to the assay itself, which takes into Family Foundation, The Gray Charitable Trust, The Hassel account chemistry and biology. Our test works like a preg- Foundation, Janssen Biotech, the Christian R. and Mary F. nancy test in that you see one line versus two lines to test Lindback Foundation, and The Scholler Foundation. This contamination.” network of funders believe in supporting this program that The BTT Program has inspired and motivated Sanuth to continue on to a creative field that combines industry and takes students from the Community College of Philadelphia research. It has motivated him to press further… and see just all the way to careers in the life sciences—a­ real workforce how far he can go. development pipeline that positively impacts the Philadel- “I’ve made the best I can of all my experiences, from the phia Life Science community. BTTP to Invisible Sentinel,” Sanuth said. “My work experience In the 17-years that the program has been operating, and skills have grown and I look forward to eventually ap- 130 trainees have completed the two-year program (55% plying my passions to a graduate school program in bioen- underrepresented minorities and 72% women) and 63% gineering. Bioengineering is a multidisciplinary field that have filled research assistant/technician positions with involves manipulating biology and engineering to come up companies and academic institutions after completing the with a product, tools and instruments.” In the midst of rigorous career prep, future BTTP students program. Wistar is grateful to our engaged donors who learn quickly the great resources they have in front of them— allow us to do what we do best and bring this program to both in mentorship and access. the community. “Students find out just how open and welcoming the BTT

FOCUS ON THE WISTAR INSTITUTE | SPRING 2017 8 WELCOME TO MY LAB JOSEPH SALVINO, Ph.D. (left), and VALLI YELLAMELLI, Ph.D. (right) Finding The Chemistry With Wistar’s First Medicinal Chemist

Joseph Salvino, Ph.D., joined The Wistar Institute and is using his skills to help take the discoveries of fellow Wistar scientists to the next stages of drug development.

Scientists at The Wistar Institute work hard to understand “In some cases, these scientists have the therapeutic target how proteins function, what genetic mutations lead to disease, they want to study but are overwhelmed by the process of and other cellular changes at the microscopic level that could determining which drugs could act on that target,” Salvino said. provide the basis for the next great drug to combat diseases “In other instances, the target is already druggable, but the like cancer. While these targets are a critical first step, taking design needs to be improved in order to reduce toxicity of the these discoveries and turning them into drugs can often prove drug, which can cause adverse affects in patients. The goal is a daunting task. to demonstrate the effectiveness of these targets and drugs here That’s where Joseph Salvino, Ph.D., comes in. In February, so that we can more quickly move them into clinical trials.” Dr. Salvino joined Wistar as professor in the Molecular and While most scientists who lead their own labs focus on Cellular Oncogenesis Program and Scientific Director of the their own projects, Dr. Salvino is providing support to re- Institute’s Molecular Screening Facility. In this role, he has searchers across the Institute, personifying Wistar’s mission been helping Wistar’s scientists take their discoveries to the to foster greater collaboration between its researchers. For next stage. example, he’s working with Maureen Murphy, Ph.D. to tar- “Having a better understanding of chemistry allows me geting HSP70, a stress-survival protein found in many differ- to find the proper molecules that will act on therapeutic targets,” ent types of tumors, as well as Zachary Schug, Ph.D., on a Salvino said. “In my career, I’ve worked on drug design proj- project that will exploit metabolic vunerabilities in cancer. ects in a variety of disease types. I may not have a deep un- He is also overseeing Wistar’s Molecular Screening and derstanding of disease quite like biologists do, but what I’ve Protein Expression Facility. Dr. Salvino is using throughput been able to do is take their findings and determine how to screening that allows him to test multiple compounds for design a drug that can be tested clinically.” biochemical activity, saving considerable time in taking these Dr. Salvino comes to Wistar from Drexel, meaning that promising targets and finding the drugs that act upon them. he’s already very familiar with the life sciences community in “I have enough experience to look at the structure of a Philadelphia. He also comes to Wistar with the advantage of molecule and, in many cases, I’ll know whether there are drugs having already worked with some of the Institute’s scientists available that may act on it,” Salvino said. “In any event, screen- on their drug discovery projects. For example, since 2012, he’s ing helps get these discoveries to the lead optimization stage, worked with Paul Lieberman, Ph.D., on an Epstein-Barr virus where compounds can be improved to be more selective and reactivation project that would allow for the development of specific after viable targets are discovered, thus moving things therapies that better target disease. forward in the drug discovery process.” ■

9 FOCUS ON THE WISTAR INSTITUTE | SPRING 2017 EVENT RECAPS

FRIDAY, JANUARY 20

OPENING NIGHT 42ND ANNUAL NIKON SMALL WORLD PHOTOMICROGRAPHY COMPETITION Art and science collided at this popular public event. The opening reception kicked off an exhibit of photomicrography (microscope photos) that made one stop in Pennsylvania at The Wistar Institute. The Nikon Small World exhibit of 20 winning images comes to Wistar and each year never fails to bring guests fascinated by the beautiful complexity of cells, plants, and animals at the molecular level.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 26

WOMEN & SCIENCE PROGRAM WHAT IS AGING? AN INSIDE LOOK AT HOW CELLS CHANGE OVER TIME Ashani Weeraratna, Ph.D., Ira Brind Associate Professor and Program Leader of the Tumor Microenviron- ment and Metastasis Program at The Wistar Institute, gave an in-depth presentation on how the changes that occur in the skin microenvironment with aging may affect how melanoma develops and progresses. She also drove home the point that women scientists are making huge strides in science and research. This is opening up opportunities to women in STEM fields and significantly enriches the biomedical research enterprise.

THURSDAY, APRIL 6

WOMEN & SCIENCE: DINNER & PROGRAM RECOGNIZING OUTSTANDING THURSDAY, APRIL 13 WOMEN IN BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH AUTHOR SERIES FEATURING PAUL A. OFFIT, M.D. Helen D. King Award Ceremony Honoree: Nancy H. Hopkins, Ph.D., Amgen Professor of Biology, PANDORA’S LAB Massachusetts Institute of Technology What happens when ideas presented as science lead us in the wrong direction? History is filled with brilliant ideas that gave rise to disaster, Wistar’s Women & Science Program recognized Dr. Nancy Hopkins and this book explores the most fascinating—and significant—missteps. as the inaugural Helen Dean King Award Honoree for the breadth of her outstanding scientific research and her highly relevant social Renowned author and speaker Paul A. Offit, M.D. used these lessons to stance against gender discrimination in academia. In this third investigate how we can separate good science from bad, using some event of the 2016-2017 season, Hopkins delved into cancer research of today’s most controversial creations. For every “Aha!” moment that and gender equality for women in science. To drive home the point, should have been an “Oh no,” this book is an engrossing account of how Hopkins told attendees, “Progress has been made, but there is still science has been misused disastrously—and how we can learn to use its so much more to be done.” power for good.

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What’s Inside...

125 Years of Research Discoveries

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UPCOMING EVENTS PRESIDENT & CEO Focus On The Wistar Institute is published for donors, friends, faculty, and staff of The Wistar Institute. THURSDAY, JUNE 22 AT 6 P.M. Dario C. Altieri, M.D. To contact the editor, call 215-898-3826 or email Women & Science: Your DNA: What Does it COMMUNICATIONS & MARKETING [email protected]. Mean to Have a Genetic Cancer Mutation & How Does That Inform Cancer Therapy Tara Yates, Director of send address changes to: Communications & Marketing Presentation by Maureen Murphy, Ph.D., Office of Institutional Advancement Program Leader of the Molecular and Cel- Darien Sutton, Senior Media The Wistar Institute Relations Associate lular Oncogenesis Program, Associate Vice 3601 Spruce Street President for Faculty Affairs and Associate Ben Leach, Digital Content Philadelphia, PA 19104-4265 Director for Education and Career Develop- Specialist Or email [email protected]. ment at The Wistar Institute. Silvia Licciulli, Ph.D., Science Writer The Wistar Institute is an international leader in SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 16 AT 6 P.M. biomedical research with special expertise in cancer INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT research and vaccine development. Founded in 1892 The Wistar Institute 125th Anniversary Gala Anita Pepper, Ph.D., Vice President as the first independent nonprofit biomedical research DILWORTH PARK, CITY HALL, PHILADELPHIA of Institutional Advancement institute in the country, Wistar has held the prestigious Save the date for this special event as we Jessica Cestone, Director of Cancer Center designation from the National Cancer Institute since 1972. The Institute works actively to celebrate Wistar’s rich history, research Principal Gifts & Foundation achievements and impact improving human Relations ensure that research advances move from the laboratory to the clinic as quickly as possible.The Wistar Institute health. Elyse Hoffmann, Director of is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. Donor Relations & Special Events THURSDAY, OCTOBER 19 AT 6 P.M. Christina Bruno, Senior Associate wistar.org Laurel Hill Cemetery Tour LAUREL HILL CEMETERY 3822 RIDGE AVE., PHILADELPHIA 19132 The Wistar Institute is a National Cancer Institute-designated Cancer Center.

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