112798W1 5/30/08 1:17 AM Page 1 MAKING AN IMPACT WISTAR SCIENCE IN THE WORLD ANNUAL REPORT 20 07 112798W1 5/30/08 1:17 AM Page 2
Products developed from Wistar science are protecting the lives of children and adults in the United States and across the globe. 112798W1 5/30/08 1:17 AM Page 3
Every lifesaving medical advance – every new medicine, vaccine, or diagnostic test – starts
with a question. How can this disease be treated?
How can we protect against infection by this
virus? How can we detect this illness sooner?
Questions like these drive the work of the
scientists at The Wistar Institute. But finding
answers is just the first step in helping people
to live longer, healthier lives. This is the story of
how Wistar’s scientific breakthroughs have
touched lives all over the world – and the exciting
research that offers new hope for the future. 112798W1 5/30/08 1:17 AM Page 4
FROM THE PRESIDENT
hances are that Wistar science has touched your life.
The “MMR” shot you received as a toddler included Wistar’s vaccine against rubella, along Cwith vaccines against measles and mumps. Thanks in part to Wistar, people living in the United States and other industrialized nations have little to fear from rabies. And babies born today in the United States and many other countries will receive a rotavirus vaccine co-developed by Wistar researchers that will protect them from a potentially deadly gastrointestinal illness.
Wistar’s focus on cancer research has contributed to new and better cancer drugs, as well as a diagnostic test for breast cancer patients. Therapies based on Wistar’s work are showing promise in the treatment of other serious diseases as well. The impact of Wistar’s research has been felt worldwide – in lives saved, suffering avoided, and knowledge gained.
Wistar is dedicated to basic research – investigation driven by a researcher’s interest in a fundamental scientific question. But Wistar also works to ensure that its scientific breakthroughs benefit people in need, from a child facing disease in a developing country to a cancer patient desperate for better treatments.
That’s why the Institute has been partnering for decades with biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies that can turn its scientific advances into products such as vaccines, medicines, and diagnostic tests.
Wistar’s efforts to commercialize its inventions produce other benefits as well. Through my work with the CEO Council for Growth, an affiliate of the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, I have come to appreciate the critical role of technology transfer – the process of moving a discovery from a laboratory into commercial development – in growing the economy. In fact, a recent report, commissioned by the council, identified technology transfer as the key to Philadelphia realizing its potential as one of the nation’s great centers of economic development. Commercialization activities can generate start-up companies, attract venture capital investment, and stimulate job growth.
Even more importantly, Wistar’s research contributes to another vital resource: knowledge. Our scientists distribute their findings through conferences and publications, contributing immeasurably to the work of other researchers in academic and industry labs.
None of this progress would be possible without the support of the many generous Wistar friends and donors who recognize the importance of the Institute’s mission and embrace it as their own.
In these pages, you will learn how Wistar’s research has improved public health. You will read about the dedicated Wistar scientists who are making inroads in the battle against deadly diseases. You will meet the people who are making a difference in the lives of others, both inside the lab and out. The vision, dedication, and determination of these individuals will continue to lead us to new discoveries – and new hope.
Russel E. Kaufman, M.D. President and CEO 112798W1 5/30/08 1:17 AM Page 5
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Journey of a Discovery: Working to Benefit Public Health ...... 4
In the Making: An Early Warning of Lung Cancer ...... 6
Looking Back: A Legacy of Impact ...... 8
On the Horizon: Targeting a Killer Enzyme ...... 10
The Year in Review: Scientific Highlights ...... 12
The Year in Review: The Institute at a Glance ...... 15
Looking Ahead: Finding New Hope Against Cancer ...... 16
Letter from the Chair ...... 19
Cumulative Giving ...... 20
Leroy Kean: Investing in Results ...... 21
Annual Giving ...... 23
Rich Beston: A Survivor’s Story ...... 25
Scientific Staff ...... 31
Administrative Staff ...... 32
Volunteer Leadership ...... inside back cover 112798W1 5/30/08 1:17 AM Page 6
JOURNEY OF A DISCOVERY
WORKING TO BENEFIT PUBLIC HEALTH
WISTAR WORKS TO MAKE SURE ITS SCIENTIFIC ADVANCES BENEFIT THOSE IN NEED—AND THAT TAKES FUNDING, PERSISTENCE, AND COLLABORATION.
istar’s mission is to improve global public health through its scientific achievements. But a discovery that takes place in a Wistar laboratory is just the first step in that process. WLong before many peer organizations, Wistar began to seek out industry partners who could develop the Institute’s research into medicines, vaccines, and diagnostic tests that could benefit the public.
“We want our scientific advances to improve the health of people worldwide, and we have a proud track record of making that happen,” says Russel E. Kaufman, M.D., Wistar’s president and CEO. “We make it a priority to get our inventions into the commercial sector so they can benefit the people who really need them.”
From the lab to the clinic
The path from the laboratory to your doctor’s office or medicine cabinet begins with an idea that a scientist wants to pursue. At this stage, funding is crucial.Without support from the government, foundations, and private donors, even the most promising project cannot get off the ground.
Once scientists receive funding, begin their experiments, and gather results, the process of transforming research advances into new products can still take many years.
“When you’re talking about early-stage research becoming a product in the pharmaceutical or biotechnology area, there is a huge lag,” says Meryle J. Melnicoff, Ph.D., director of business development at Wistar. “That’s one of the reasons we need to support early-stage research. It takes a lot of years, a lot of hard work, and a lot of money to bring these things to the market.”
Take the rotavirus vaccine co-developed at Wistar. Research on the project began in the 1980s, but the vaccine wasn’t approved for use until 2006. (See the timeline on pullout pages at right.) That “lag” occurred in part because of the need to conduct extensive safety and efficacy studies on the vaccine.
The journey of a discovery is also a story of collaboration. After Wistar researchers make discoveries that have the potential to help people, the Institute partners with organizations such as phar- maceutical and biotechnology companies that have the resources and expertise to further develop the technology and bring it to market.
“Our commercial partners play an essential role in delivering the benefits of our research to the public,” Melnicoff says. “We work actively to build and sustain these relationships so that our research has the greatest possible impact.”
4 ANNUAL REPORT 2007 112798W1 5/30/08 1:33 AM Page 7
FAST FACTS
• Funding from the government, foundations, and private donors helps research projects get off the ground. • Wistar was a pioneer in working with industry to deliver the benefits of research to the public. and • Developing a research discovery into a new drug, vaccine, or diagnostic test can take 10 to ex-smokers 20 years or longer. • Collaborations between Wistar in the and industry help to drive regional economic growth by creating jobs. United States.”
< < LIFT PAGE FOR TIMELINE. 112798W1 5/30/08 1:17 AM Page 9
ROTAVIRUS BIRTH OF A VACCINE
A STORY OF PATIENCE AND PARTNERSHIP
DEVELOPING A SCIENTIFIC ADVANCE INTO A NEW DRUG, VACCINE, OR DIAGNOSTIC TEST CAN TAKE 10 TO 20 YEARS OR LONGER. THAT TIME IS SPENT ON RESEARCH, COLLABORATION, AND TESTING. THE ROTAVIRUS VACCINE CO-DEVELOPED AT WISTAR WAS NO EXCEPTION.
Wistar scientists Stanley A. Wistar files the first patent Wistar and CHOP partner Plotkin, M.D., and H. Fred application on a promising with a major pharmaceutical Clark, D.V.M., Ph.D., begin early vaccine prototype. company to continue clinical research on a rotavirus development of the vaccine. vaccine. They are joined by Paul A. Offit, M.D., of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, launching a Wistar/CHOP collaboration that continues throughout the research project.
H. Fred Clark, D.V.M.,Ph.D., right, Stanley A. Plotkin, M.D., Wistar adjunct professor, Wistar professor emeritus research professor of pediatrics at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
Paul A. Offit, M.D., left, Wistar adjunct professor, chief of infectious diseases at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia . . . 1980 1985 1991 . . . 112798W1 5/30/08 1:17 AM Page 10
ABOUT ROTAVIRUS
Rotavirus causes severe dehydration illness in infants and young children. It infects virtually all American children by the time they reach age 5, causing some 250,000 emer- gency room visits and 70,000 hospitalizations annually. In the developing world, where medical facilities are limited, the infection kills 600,000 infants and children each year.
Major clinical trials are After the vaccine is proven The rotavirus vaccine is In addition to being widely launched to assess the safe and effective, the phar- approved for use by the used in the United States, vaccine’s safety and efficacy. maceutical company FDA and becomes part of the rotavirus vaccine has In the largest vaccine trial applies to the Food and the recommended vaccine been launched in 47 other ever performed by a phar- Drug Administration for schedule for all U.S. babies. nations, including several maceutical company, the approval to sell the vaccine developing countries. The vaccine is tested in 70,000 in the United States. vaccine has the potential to children in 11 countries save millions of lives in under close medical coming years. supervision. . . . . 2001 2005 2006 2008 . . . . 112798W1 5/30/08 1:17 AM Page 11
IN THE MAKING
AN EARLY WARNING OF LUNG CANCER
LOUISE SHOWE’S NEW BLOOD TEST FOR LUNG CANCER AIMS TO DETECT THE DEADLY DISEASE MUCH SOONER, SAVING COUNTLESS LIVES.
ung cancer is the top cancer killer, claiming more lives than breast cancer, prostate cancer, and colon cancer combined. That’s because by the time it is diagnosed, the disease usually has Ladvanced so far that treatment options are limited and survival rates much lower than for other forms of cancer.
More than 200,000 new cases of lung cancer are diagnosed in the United States each year. Eighty-five to 90 percent of them occur among the country’s estimated 45 million smokers. “Clearly, there’s a need to serve this at-risk population,” says Louise C. Showe, Ph.D., a professor in Wistar’s Molecular and Cellular Oncogenesis Program, “because there’s a huge cost in health care and personal pain and suffering.”
Showe and her colleagues believe they’ve found a way to detect lung cancer in its early stages, which would save countless lives.
The researchers compared the activity of 25,000 genes in blood samples from lung cancer patients to the activity of the same genes in a control group of patients with smoking-related lung disease, but no cancer. They identified a group of just 24 genes that Showe thinks can be the basis for a new, noninvasive diagnostic test. They have developed a prototype blood test that can diagnose early-stage lung cancer with nearly 90 percent accuracy.
Meeting a need
Showe believes that a test like the one she is developing is sorely needed. Early detection programs, which have helped to lower deaths from breast cancer, colon cancer, and prostate cancer over the past 15 years, have been slow in coming for lung cancer.
“There is an attitude that people with lung cancer have put themselves at risk, and that, as a result, they deserve less sympathy – an attitude I can’t really understand,” she says. “Smoking is an addiction. We do a lot of things we probably shouldn’t do in our lives. We really have to change this attitude toward lung cancer.”
Showe points out that lung cancer also occurs in nonsmokers; in fact, 10 to 15 percent of lung cancer patients are nonsmokers.
She and her colleagues will continue to develop and refine their test for clinical use. They are seeking funding to continue their research; early grant support from the Commonwealth Universal Research Enhancement Program of the Pennsylvania Department of Health recently ended. “These new technologies are great,” Showe says, “but to do this kind of work and do it right, you need the funding.”
6 ANNUAL REPORT 2007 112798W1 5/30/08 1:17 AM Page 12
FAST FACTS
• Lung cancer kills more people than any other cancer. • More than 200,000 new cases of lung cancer are diagnosed in the United States each year. • Ten to 15 percent of lung cancer patients are nonsmokers. and • Three-quarters of lung cancer patients are diagnosed after the disease has spread to other ex-smokers parts of their body. • Wistar’s new blood test can in the diagnose early-stage lung cancer with nearly 90 percent accuracy. United States.” 112798W1 5/30/08 1:18 AM Page 13
LOOKING BACK
A LEGACY OF IMPACT
WISTAR DISCOVERIES HAVE LED TO NUMEROUS PRODUCTS THAT HELP TO PREVENT AND TREAT DISEASE, SAVING THOUSANDS OF LIVES AND UNTOLD SUFFERING.
or nearly 50 years, Wistar has been partnering with companies that translate its scientific advances into products. These inventions have made an impact worldwide. FProtecting against deadly diseases Wistar’s success in vaccine development means we have less to fear from several infectious diseases. • In the 1960s, a Wistar scientist developed a vaccine against rubella, or German measles, which can cause severe birth defects or miscarriage if it infects a pregnant woman. The vaccine eradicated the disease in the United States. • Wistar co-developed a vaccine against rotavirus that was approved in 2006 and recommended for all U.S. babies. Rotavirus infection kills 600,000 children worldwide each year. • Wistar’s rabies vaccines for humans and wildlife have helped to make the fatal disease a rarity in the United States and most other countries. • The Institute makes its rabies and rubella vaccines available to developing nations at a low cost to help these countries provide the vaccines to their populations.
Paving the way for new cancer drugs
Wistar research has furthered the understanding of cancer and the development of new treatments. • Wistar’s research into the biochemical pathways that regulate cancer cell growth laid the groundwork for a new class of drugs that selectively target cancer cells, sparing patients the side effects of traditional chemotherapy.
Basic research: the benefit of new hope
The basic research conducted at Wistar, which explores fundamental scientific questions, can produce unanticipated benefits. • Twenty years ago, Wistar scientists identified the IL-12 protein. Early tests of the protein for cancer treatment were not successful, but today, IL-12-based treatments are showing great promise for the treatment of autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis and psoriasis. • The Bcl-2 gene, discovered by Wistar scientists, was initially targeted as a cancer treatment. Today, the gene is part of a diagnostic test that helps to predict whether breast cancer will recur and helps patients and doctors to select treatment plans. • In 1978, Institute scientists made antibodies against a type of cancer cell for use in their research. Today, those antibodies are used worldwide by researchers studying embryonic stem cells, which may be helpful in treating and regenerating diseased organs.
“When you’re doing basic research, you don’t know what the impact is going to be 10, 20 years down the road,” says Meryle J. Melnicoff, Ph.D., Wistar’s director of business development. “As our scientists publish their findings, other researchers build on that knowledge, and the impact of that is huge.” 8 ANNUAL REPORT 2007 112798W1 5/30/08 1:18 AM Page 14
FAST FACTS
• Wistar developed or co-developed vaccines for German measles, rabies, and rotavirus. • Research by Wistar scientists paved the way for new cancer treatments with fewer side effects. • Companies are developing treatments for diseases such as multiple sclerosis and psoriasis that are based on Wistar research. • Wistar’s work in genetics contributed to a test that helps breast cancer patients select the best treatment. 112798W1 5/30/08 1:18 AM Page 15
ON THE HORIZON
TARGETING A KILLER ENZYME
EMMANUEL SKORDALAKES’S DECODING OF A CRITICAL REGION OF THE TELOMERASE MOLECULE COULD LEAD TO TARGETED NEW CANCER THERAPIES.
s a cancer researcher at Wistar, Emmanuel Skordalakes, Ph.D., has a personal investment in the search for a cure. A“Cancer has been very important to me,” says Skordalakes, an assistant professor in the Gene Expression and Regulation Program. “I’ve had relatives die of cancer. If we do find something that can help people, it will be extremely important. It’ll have a huge impact.”
Skordalakes’s investment has already paid dividends. Last year, he and his research team deciphered the three-dimensional structure of a key region of telomerase (“tuh-lom-uh-reys”), an enzyme whose inappropriate activation plays a huge role in cancer’s development.
“Telomerase is one of the most important targets – if not the most important – for cancer therapies right now,” he says. “Between 80 and 90 percent of human tumors have very high levels of activity of this enzyme. It’s universal; it’s not specific to one cancer.”
Besides being associated with cancer, telomerase is essential for normal cell division and survival. Its usual role is to add multiple repeats of short lengths of DNA, called telomeres, to the ends of chromosomes, preventing damage and the loss of genetic information during DNA replication. It performs this critical service in developing embryos and in a few specialized cell lines, including embryonic stem cells.
Deciphering a structure
In normal adult cells, telomerase is switched off almost entirely to prevent the dangers of runaway cell proliferation. But cancer cells often regain the ability to produce the enzyme, permitting them to replicate indefinitely.Though scientists have sought ways to inhibit telomerase, a lack of information on its structure has hindered progress.
“We’ve decoded one part of the enzyme that is essential for its function,” Skordalakes notes. “That could turn out to be a very useful drug target.”
His work holds promise because telomerase is active almost exclusively in cancer cells. A cancer therapy targeting telomerase would likely not produce side effects because it wouldn’t attack normal cells – and it would be universal to all cancers.
Because telomerase also plays a role in normal aging, Skordalakes’s research holds potential for the development of anti-aging treatments as well.
Skordalakes is hopeful that within a year or two, he may decode the structure of the entire enzyme, greatly expanding the opportunities for developing a new class of cancer drugs. “We’re in good shape,” he says. “We have something on our hands that could turn out to be very useful.”
10 ANNUAL REPORT 2007 112798W1 5/30/08 1:18 AM Page 16
FAST FACTS
• Telomerase is active in 80 to 90 percent of human tumors. • Deactivating telomerase would cause cells to cease dividing, killing the cancer. • Wistar scientists have decoded the three-dimensional structure and of an important region of telomerase; now they’re focused on the entire enzyme. ex-smokers • Wistar’s research on telomerase could lead to new cancer therapies in the that are low on side effects and universal to all cancers. United States.” 112798W1 5/30/08 1:18 AM Page 17
THE YEAR IN REVIEW:
SCIENTIFIC HIGHLIGHTS
RESEARCH ADVANCES FROM WISTAR LABS
COMPONENT OF NIACIN MAY POINT THE WAY TO ANTI-AGING DRUGS
A family of enzymes called sirtuins can dramatically extend life in organisms as diverse as yeast, worms, and flies. They may also be able to control age-associated metabolic disorders, including obesity and type II diabetes.
A study from professor Ronen Marmorstein, Ph.D., and his colleagues points to a strategy for activating sirtuins to unleash their anti-aging powers. A report on the research appeared in February in Molecular Cell.
The Wistar team demonstrated that a component of the common vitamin B3, known as niacin, binds to a site on the sirtuin molecule to inhibit its activity. This observation suggests that drugs designed to prevent the vitamin B3 component, nicotinamide, from binding at this site could activate sirtuins.
“Many drugs have unwanted side effects because in addition to the intended target, the drugs also hit other biologically active molecules that you don’t want to affect,” Marmorstein says. “This nicotinamide-binding site we’ve identified appears to be unique to the sirtuins, so that if we’re able to design a molecule to target it, it should be very specific for these sirtuin molecules.”
MicroRNA EDITING HAS IMPLICATIONS FOR VARIETY OF HEALTH ISSUES
Tiny molecules called microRNAs can effectively silence sometimes large sets of genes. They do this by binding to and neutralizing another form of RNA called messenger RNA, responsible for conveying the information from genes to the cellular machinery that uses that information to create proteins, the building blocks of the body. Several hundred species of microRNAs have been identified to date, and increasingly they are being seen as vitally important players in regulating the genome.
A recent study by professor Kazuko Nishikura, Ph.D., and her colleagues shows that these microRNAs can undergo a kind of molecular editing with significant physiological consequences. A single substitution in their sequence can redirect microRNAs to target and silence entirely different sets of genes from their unedited counterparts. Further, errors in the editing can lead to serious health problems. The team’s findings appeared in February in Science.
To explore the ramifications of microRNA editing in depth, the researchers chose one potentially affected gene at random. As it turned out, the gene they selected codes for an enzyme involved in synthesizing uric acid. If levels of the enzyme are poorly regulated, a number of health problems can arise, from gout to deafness. The findings suggest that a number of other as-yet unidentified disorders may also have their roots in microRNA editing.
12 ANNUAL REPORT 2007 112798W1 5/30/08 1:18 AM Page 18
STUDY FINDS ALTERED IMMUNE RESPONSE TO CHRONIC INFECTION
After a viral infection, a small percentage of the T cells that the body generates to kill virus-infected cells remain to establish long-term immunity.These memory T cells, derived from a family of immune cells known as CD8 T cells, engage in a self-renewal process that is essential to their persistence. This ongoing process ensures effective protection against any repeat infection by the same virus, even decades later.
Scientists at Wistar found that the CD8 T cells generated to fight chronic infections such as HIV and hepatitis C operate under a different maintenance scheme than the CD8 T cells that become memory T cells following acute infections. The T cells generated during chronic infection become dependent on the presence of the virus for their continuation and establish distinct patterns of cell division.
Understanding how the body’s immune response operates during chronic infections could help scientists design more effective therapies to fight chronic infections and some tumors, says assistant professor E. John Wherry, Ph.D. The findings were published in The Journal of Experimental Medicine in April.
‘INSULATOR’ HELPS SILENCE GENES IN DORMANT HERPES VIRUS
By adulthood, most people have suffered at least one bout of painful cold sores brought on by the Herpes simplex virus 1, or HSV-1. After the initial infection, the virus usually remains in the body, hiding out in nearby nerve cells where the victim’s immune defenses cannot reach it, causing no symptoms.
Wistar scientists discovered a molecular mechanism that keeps HSV-1 activation restricted to a single gene for months or even years. The researchers have identified an “insulator” – a stretch of DNA about 800 base pairs long – that serves as a barrier between active and inactive regions of the virus genome. Base pairs are the nucleotides on each side of the rungs that connect the strands of the DNA ladder.
“By establishing an insulator in early latency, the Herpes virus can protect this one small region of the genome from silencing, allowing infected cells to survive,” says associate professor Jumin Zhou, Ph.D. The findings, which appeared in May in Journal of Virology, mark the first time an insulator has been identified in a virus.
The study also showed that HSV-1 chromatin is organized in a manner similar to that of the host chromatin, which may work to the virus’s advantage, says Shelley L. Berger, Ph.D., the Hilary Koprowski Professor at Wistar. Cromatin is the material that makes up chromosomes.
Knowing what genes the virus uses to hide and re-emerge could give pharmaceutical companies targets for designing drugs that disrupt those mechanisms.
STUDY DETAILS REGULATION OF VITAL TUMOR SUPPRESSOR GENE
So vital is the tumor suppressor gene p53 in controlling cancer that its dysfunction is linked to more than half of human cancers. At the same time, the gene’s capacity for shutting down cell growth, even causing cells to commit suicide if necessary, is so absolute that it must be tightly regulated to maintain the optimal balance between protecting against cancer and permitting normal growth. 13 ANNUAL REPORT 2007 112798W1 5/30/08 1:18 AM Page 19
THE YEAR IN REVIEW: SCIENTIFIC HIGHLIGHTS continued
A study from the laboratory of Shelley L. Berger, Ph.D., the Hilary Koprowski Professor at Wistar, reveals new levels of subtlety in the body’s management of this all-important gene and the protein it produces.
When working properly, the protein produced by p53 is responsible for directing cells with damaged DNA, including cancer cells, to cease dividing until the damage is repaired. If repairs cannot be made, the protein commands the cells to self-destruct.
Berger’s experiments show that, while the addition of a specific molecule at a site on the p53 protein prevents it from acting, the addition of a second copy of the same molecule at the same site reverses the effect, sending the protein into action. Further, removal of the second copy returns the protein to its repressed state. A report on the study appeared in September in Nature.
VIRUS USED TO CREATE HIV VACCINES IMPAIRS IMMUNE RESPONSE
Efforts to create an HIV vaccine have hinged on the use of viruses as carriers for selected elements of the HIV virus. Recently, evidence has emerged that some viral vector systems may undermine the immune system and should not be used for vaccine development.
A study from the laboratory of professor Hildegund C.J. Ertl, M.D., provides strong support for the idea that some viral-vector vaccines may cause more harm than good.
The findings show that an HIV vaccine construct incorporating one of these viruses, called adeno-associated virus, or AAV, directly interferes with the immune response to the HIV virus. Specifically, while it induces HIV-specific T cells, as intended, those cells are functionally impaired in important ways.
“AAV vaccines against HIV may do more harm than good by robbing people of their natural immune response to HIV,” Ertl says. A report on the study was published in November in Journal of Clinical Investigation.
HIV VACCINE FUNDED FOR CLINICAL DEVELOPMENT
An HIV vaccine created in the laboratory of Hildegund C.J. Ertl, M.D., received $13.3 million in funding over five years for clinical development aimed at moving the vaccine into human clinical trials. Wistar scientists will collaborate on the project with researchers at Emory University, the University of Pennsylvania, Harvard School of Public Health, MRC/UVRI Uganda Research Unit, and the National Institute for Communicable Diseases in South Africa.
Many vaccines currently in development are based on modified human adenoviruses, known as vectors, which incorporate genetic elements from target pathogens to stimulate a protective immune response to those pathogens.
These vaccines can work well, but many people receiving them will have pre-existing immunity to the human viruses upon which they are based, largely negating the vaccines’ effectiveness. To circumvent this potential difficulty, the team at Wistar developed a series of vaccine vectors based on chimpanzee adenovirus strains, which possess the immunological strengths of human adenoviruses without their drawbacks.
14 ANNUAL REPORT 2007 112798W1 5/30/08 1:18 AM Page 20
THE YEAR IN REVIEW:
THE INSTITUTE AT A GLANCE
STAFF SOURCES OF FUNDS
Total number of employees 330 Federal grant funding $26,900,000 50% Number of laboratories 31 Foundation and other private funding $4,970,000 9% Number of postdoctoral fellows 63 State funding $3,668,000 7% Number of predoctoral trainees 28 Corporate-sponsored research $284,000 1% Number of visiting scientists 21 Unrestricted contributions $1,534,000 3% Number of countries of origin represented 30 Technology transfer $8,033,000 15% (Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, China, Croatia, Total return from invested funds $8,096,000 15% Ireland, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Hungary, India, Iran, Israel, TOTAL $53,485,000 100% Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Peru, Poland, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Singapore, Trinidad, United Kingdom, United States, Vietnam) USES OF FUNDS
U.S. PATENTS ISSUED Direct research $30,865,000 65% Administration and laboratory services $7,867,000 16% Compositions and Methods to Enhance Sensitivity of Cancer Cells to Operation and maintenance of plant $5,503,000 11% Mitotic Stress, Thanos Halazonetis, U.S. Patent No. 7,176,293 Library operation $397,000 1% Depreciation of capital assets $3,491,000 7% Peptides and Peptidomimetics with Structural Similarity to Human p53 TOTAL $48,123,000 100% that Activate p53 Function,Thanos Halazonetis, U.S. Patent No. 7,189,801
Methods for Detecting DNA Damage and Screening for Cancer Therapeutics, Thanos Halazonetis, U.S. Patent No. 7,217,532 $30,865,000 (65%) Direct research Organotypic Intestinal Culture and Methods of Use Thereof, Meenhard Herlyn, U.S. Patent No. 7,217,570 $7,867,000 (16%) Administration and laboratory services
RESEARCH CENTERS $5,503,000 (11%) Operation and maintenance of plant The Albert R. Taxin Brain Tumor Research Center The Center for Systems and Computational Biology $397,000 (1%) The Robert A. Fox Structural Biology Center Library operation The Wistar Institute Cancer Canter The Wistar Institute Vaccine Center $3,491,000 (7%) Depreciation of capital assets
SHARED FACILITIES
Animal Facility Bioinformatics Facility Flow Cytometry Facility Genomics Facility Histotechnology Facility Hybridoma Facility Microscopy Facility Mouse Genetics Facility Protein Expression Facility Proteomics Facility 15 Research Supply Facility ANNUAL REPORT 2007 112798W1 5/30/08 1:18 AM Page 21
LOOKING AHEAD
FINDING NEW HOPE AGAINST CANCER
EARLY-STAGE RESEARCH IS ABOUT POSSIBILITIES – FRESH IDEAS THAT MAY CREATE NEW HOPE AGAINST ILLNESS.
very day, Wistar scientists explore the unknown with creativity and dedication, following where their research leads.This kind of investigation can change our understanding of disease, opening up entirely new approaches to treating it. Read on to learn more about exciting early-stage cancer research projects at Wistar. EDESIGNING BETTER BRAIN TUMOR THERAPIES Brain tumors can be devastating diseases for patients and their families. Too often, treatments fail – and even successful treatments may cause severe side effects, from cognitive deficits to balance problems. Assistant professor Nadia Dahmane, Ph.D., is collaborating with Jeffrey Winkler, Ph.D., at the University of Pennsylvania to design new brain tumor therapies. Their work focuses on a molecular pathway that plays an important role in brain development. When disturbed, this pathway may give rise to brain tumors. Cancers associated with the pathway include medulloblastoma, the most common brain tumor in children, and glioblastoma multiforme, an aggressive and especially deadly brain tumor that primarily affects adults over 50. “We need to find new treatments to give patients better odds of surviving and reduce the side effects,” Dahmane says.
HARNESSING THE IMMUNE SYSTEM TO FIGHT LUNG CANCER
Lung cancer is the deadliest cancer, causing more deaths each year than breast cancer, prostate cancer, and colon cancer combined. The need for better treatment approaches is urgent. Working together,Wistar assistant professors Joseph Kissil, Ph.D., and E. John Wherry, Ph.D., are aiming to harness the immune system to help fight the disease. Kissil has developed a mouse model that enables researchers to study the most common type of human lung cancer, while Wherry is exploring how immune cells called T cells become “exhausted” and unable to perform effectively.The goal: to find a way to boost the immune response to the disease. “We each bring different expertise, which allows us to look at lung cancer in a new way,” Kissil says.Wherry adds: “The collaboration is enabling us to do work that neither of us could do alone.”
UNDERSTANDING BREAST CANCER METASTASIS
When diagnosed early, breast cancer can often be treated successfully. But when breast cancer spreads to other tissues – a process called metastasis – it becomes much harder to treat. Assistant professor Qihong Huang, M.D., Ph.D., is working to find the causes of breast cancer metastasis in order to develop better therapies. “Metastasis is the major cause of death in cancer patients,” Huang says. “That’s true not just for breast cancer but for cancers in general. If we can understand how metastasis happens, we can try to develop new drugs to stop the process.” Huang is studying the human genome, looking for promoters and suppressors of breast cancer metastasis. Already he has identified one target that may help in the early diagnosis of 16 metastatic breast cancer. ANNUAL REPORT 2007 112798W1 5/30/081:18AMPage22
E. John Wherry,Ph.D., left, and Joseph Kissil, Ph.D.
Qihong Huang, M.D., Ph.D ai amn,Ph.D. Nadia Dahmane, 112798W1 5/30/08 1:18 AM Page 23
“Wistar laboratories are the birthplace of new knowledge and new hope.” 112798W1 5/30/08 1:18 AM Page 24
MESSAGE FROM THECHAIR
istar’s scientists are among the most talented, creative, and dedicated in the world. They spend countless hours in the lab, working on experiments that can take years. Their motivation through it all is to gain knowledge that will save lives. Over the decades, these efforts have paid Woff in a rich history of Wistar discoveries that have improved the health of people worldwide. Not all of us can be scientists, but those of us who care deeply about this vital work still have an important role to play. Those who choose to support Wistar with their time, leadership, and financial contributions are essential to the Institute’s progress, especially now. Grant funding levels at the National Institutes of Health, Wistar’s primary research sponsor, have been flat or in decline for several years. Without sufficient financial resources, research projects will not get off the ground.
Wistar’s board of trustees provides excellent examples of the leadership that keeps the Institute strong – people like Hal Davis, a longtime Wistar supporter who received the Wistar Award in October, and Ruth Patrick, Ph.D., a pioneering biologist who has served on the board for more than three decades. In the past year, we welcomed three new members who will continue this proud tradition of service: Dani Paul Bolognesi, Ph.D.; George J. Vergis, Ph.D.; and Dan W. Matthias. We also prepared to bid farewell to two valued members: Susan R. Sullivan and Ira M. Lubert, who will remain close friends of the Institute.
Wistar also established the Leadership Council to provide even more opportunities for energetic community leaders to help the Institute forge new relationships and plan for its future.
Each of us who supports Wistar can take pride in our contribution, no matter how small or large. Wistar laboratories are the birthplace of new knowledge and new hope. The research that goes on there is vital if we are to make headway against the diseases that claim so many lives today – to understand the mysteries of cancer development, tumor progression, and HIV infection. These are the problems that Wistar scientists are grappling with, and making progress toward solving.
I’d like to thank everyone who participates in these noble efforts. If you don’t yet support research at Wistar, please consider joining us as we pursue today’s discoveries and tomorrow’s cures.
Brian H. Dovey Chair, Board of Trustees
19 ANNUAL REPORT 2007 112798W1 5/30/08 1:18 AM Page 25
CUMULATIVE GIVING
PRESIDENT’S COUNCIL CENTENNIAL SOCIETY Ms. Emily Brown Shields ($100,000 and over) Sibley Memorial Hospital ($1 MILLION and over) Mr. and Mrs. Edward Sickles The Hoxie Harrison Smith Foundation Dr. Miriam & Sheldon G. Adelson Charitable Trust The Mary L. Smith Charitable Lead Trust American Cancer Society American Health Assistance Foundation The Susan R. and John W. Sullivan Foundation American Institute for Cancer Research Mr. and Mrs. John W. Sullivan Arthritis Foundation Anonymous Mrs. Doris R.Taxin The Arcadia Foundation Howard S.Turner, Ph.D. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation Mr. and Mrs. David V.Wachs Mr. and Mrs. Harold M. Davis Mr. and Mrs.Vincent G. Bell, Jr. Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation Mr. and Mrs. Robert S. Blank Mr. C. Cresson Wistar Mr. and Mrs. Robert A. Fox Breast Cancer Alliance, Inc. The Wistar Science Trust Fund The Campbell Foundation Dr. Herbert Kean and The Cancer Research and Prevention Foundation PATRON’S SOCIETY Cancer Research Institute Honorable Joyce Kean CaP Cure ($50,000 and over) Jose Carreras International Leukemia Foundation F. M. Kirby Foundation, Inc. CLAWS Foundation Accelerate Brain Cancer Cure Concern Foundation for Cancer Research American Heart Association G. Harold & Leila Y. Mathers Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Anonymous Mr. Arthur Dantchik Barra Foundation, Inc. Charitable Foundation Meyer and Stephanie Eglin Foundation Ben Franklin Technology Center The Emerald Foundation Mr. Peter A. Benoliel and Ms. Willo Carey National Science Foundation First Union National Bank Mr. and Mrs. Ian J. Berg Charlotte Geyer Foundation The CFIDS Association Inc. The Pew Charitable Trusts GlaxoSmithKline Mr. and Mrs. Brian H. Dovey Irving A. Hansen Memorial Foundation The Dovey Family Foundation Philadelphia Health Care Trust The Hassel Foundation Mrs. Stephanie S. Eglin Mrs. Beverly Hattersley Federation Foundation of Greater Philadelphia W.W. Smith Charitable Trust Mr. and Mrs. Roger S. Hillas Mr. and Mrs. Joseph M. Field B.Wayne Hughes Friends of The Wistar Institute Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia Mr. John Kinderman ------Max Kade Foundation Leukemia Research Foundation Katie’s Kids for the Cure John M. Lloyd Foundation ISAAC WISTAR SOCIETY Mr. Leroy E. Kean Mellon Financial Services Mrs. Patricia Kind Mr. and Mrs. Alan B. Miller ($500,000 and over) Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation National Dairy Council Mr. and Mrs. Ronald J. Kozich Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers The Kresge Foundation of America Foundation Anonymous Leukemia Society of America, Inc. Philadelphia Heart Institute Mr. Ira M. Lubert Mr. and Mrs. Seymour S. Preston III The Breast Cancer Research Foundation Mrs. Louis C. Madeira IV Procter & Gamble Company The Maxfield Foundation RAF Industries Mr. Ira Brind The McLean Contributionship Mr. and Mrs. Robert H. Rock The Benjamin and Mary Siddons Measey Foundation Mrs. Julia Rousso The Ellison Medical Foundation Mrs. Martha S. Miller Mr. Ronald Rubin Mr. and Mrs. Marc Miller Dr. and Mrs. Karl F. Rugart, Jr. Edward Mallinckrodt, Jr. Foundation The Warren V.Musser Foundation Mary A. H. Rumsey Foundation National Medical Technology Testbed sanofi pasteur The Elsa U. Pardee Foundation National Multiple Sclerosis Society The Scholler Foundation Mrs. Agnes Eckhardt Nixon The Charles Spear Charitable Trust The Philadelphia Foundation Albert Ominsky, Esquire Susquehanna Foundation Robert Leet & Clara Guthrie Patterson Trust Mr. and Mrs. Sylvan M. Tobin Fannie E. Rippel Foundation The William Penn Foundation Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program Gustavus & Louise Pfeiffer Research Foundation Wawa Inc. The V Foundation for Cancer Research Mr. and Mrs. S. Edward Rhoads Daniel Wheeler, Esq. and Ms. Amy Fox Mr. and Mrs. Gerald B. Rorer Mr. and Mrs. Lester Rosenfeld Mr. and Mrs. Harold G. Schaeffer
20 ANNUAL REPORT 2007 112798W1 5/30/08 9:28 PM Page 26
LEROY E. KEAN INVESTING IN RESULTS
GUARANTOR’S SOCIETY Leroy E. Kean says that he supports Wistar’s lung cancer research for two important ($10,000 and over) reasons: the urgent need for better treatments and the fact that he can see results. More people die from lung cancer each year than from any other form of Mr. and Mrs. Robert S. Adelson Adler Foundation, Inc. cancer. Kean lost his wife Lois to the disease in 2002. Mr. and Mrs. Robert M. Alper “There is still so much we don’t know about lung cancer, such as why Alzheimer’s Association, Inc. American Association for Cancer Research some people are more susceptible to it than others,” he says. “Because of Wistar’s American-Italian Cancer Foundation small size and focus, I can meet the scientists and see directly how my support Mr. and Mrs. Robert Angevine is making a difference.” The Annenberg Foundation Anonymous Kean provided the seed money for Wistar assistant professors Joseph Atlantic Real Estate Group Kissil, Ph.D., and E. John Wherry, Ph.D., to begin a promising project aimed at Aventis Pasteur harnessing the immune system to fight lung cancer. (See page 16.) Based on EV Bell Foundation Morris S. Bender and Florence H. Bender Foundation their early results, they have since won a federal research grant amid stiff Binswanger national competition. Mr. John K. Binswanger Mr. and Mrs. Alan D. Bleznak “Leroy Kean made an investment in our early-stage research,” Kissil says. Old Original Bookbinder’s Restaurant “That was crucial, especially in today’s challenging funding environment.” Brain Tumor Society “We can’t say enough about the impact of his support,” Wherry adds. The Breast Cancer Fund Mr. and Mrs. Francis X. Bresnan “Without his vision, we couldn’t have gotten this project off the ground.” Fred J. Brotherton Charitable Foundation Leonard A. Bruno, M.D. Buckingham Mountain Foundation Mr. James D.Troyer and Ms. Kathleen Callan Louis N. Cassett Foundation Dr. and Mrs. James Cavanaugh Cephalon Mr. and Mrs. Robert E. Chappell Ms. Stacy Chern and Mr.Ty Wu Mrs. June H. Chern Citizens Bank of Pennsylvania Mrs. John B. Clapham* Mr. and Mrs. Alvin H. Clemens The Coca-Cola Foundation The Philadelphia Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Mr. and Mrs. Philip Cohen Comcast Spectacor Connelly Foundation Mr. and Mrs. Michael Coslov Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Allen Cozen Cozen O'Connor Linda Creed Breast Cancer Foundation Mr. David Cutler Daiichi Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. The Eleanor Naylor Dana Charitable Trust Robert C. Daniels, Esquire David Cutler Group Mr. C. Edwin Davis Mr. and Mrs. Rodney D. Day III Mr. and Mrs. Francis W.De Serio William B. Dietrich Foundation Dolfinger-McMahon Foundation Eagles Fly for Leukemia Electric Factory Concerts Mr. and Mrs. Stanley Elkman
*Deceased After losing his wife to lung cancer, Leroy E. Kean donated funds to launch a promising lung cancer research project at Wistar.
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CUMULATIVE GIVING continued
GUARANTOR’S SOCIETY Lisker Foundation ($10,000 and over) continued Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Lotman The Karen and Herbert Lotman Foundation Ms. Melissa Ludwig and Dr. Frank J. Rauscher III Mr. Julius W.Erving Lupus Foundation of America, Inc. The Expedition Inspiration Fund for Breast Lupus Foundation of Southeastern Pennsylvania, Inc. Cancer Research Mr. and Mrs. James J. Lynch Mr. and Mrs. Jerome M. Feig Mr. and Mrs. John A. Lynott Mr. David Feld Mr. and Mrs. Larry Magid Mr. and Mrs. Joseph J. Fenkel Mr. Nicholas V. Martell and Ms. Nancy Westin Fisher Scientific Merck & Co. Inc. Ms. Sara Jane Fitzpatrick Merck Research Laboratories Fleet Bank The Merck Society for the Arts & Sciences Mr. and Mrs. James W.Fordyce Midlantic Bank, N.A. Mr. and Mrs. Richard J. Fox Mr. Henry S. Miller, Jr. and Mr. Ken Nimblett The Richard J. Fox Foundation Mr. and Mrs. I. Wistar Morris III Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Frankel MSR Imports Mr. and Mrs. Stanton H. Friedman Noreen Friedman-French Foundation O’Neill Foundation for Melanoma Research The Eugene Garfield Foundation Oxford Foundation, Inc. GBH Foundation Mr. and Mrs. Timothy P. Pesce Mr. Joel Gershman and Ms. Elaine Levitt Mr. Carl D. Peterson Ruth Estrin Goldberg Memorial for Cancer Research Philadelphia Phillies Mr. and Mrs. Joseph A. Goldblum The PNC Financial Services Group Mr. and Mrs. Bruce A. Goodman PRWT Services Viola N. Goodrich Irrevocable Trust Mr. and Mrs. David Pudlin Mr. and Mrs. Irwin Govberg Quaker Chemical Foundation Mr. Joel K. Greenberg and Ms. Marcy Gringlas Mrs. Diane S. Raynes Helen D. Groome Beatty Trust Realen Properties Dr. Jennifer Gross and Mr. Eli A. Gross Dr. and Mrs. Donald Vail Rhoads Mrs. Samuel M.V. Hamilton Mr. and Mrs. William G. Rhoads Mr. and Mrs. Brian G. Harrison Rhone-Poulenc Rorer, Inc. Louise A. Havens Foundation for Diabetes Research Martha W.Rogers Charitable Trust & Treatment Mr. and Mrs. Marvin J. Rounick Ellen Heber-Katz, Ph.D., and David Sarfatti Giovanni Rovera, M.D. Drs. Meenhard and Dorothee Herlyn Safeguard Scientifics, Inc. The Honorable and Mrs. Harris N. Hollin Mr. and Mrs. George U. Sauter Mr. and Mrs. Richard M. Horowitz Mr. and Mrs. Paul J. Schmitt Howson & Howson, Ltd. Mr. Richard A. Scott IBEW/NECA SEI Investments Company Mr. and Mrs. Ira M. Ingerman Mr. and Mrs. Roy Shapiro Innisfree Foundation of Bryn Mawr Franz W.Sichel Foundation Invitrogen Sovereign Bank David W.Speicher, Ph.D. Mr. and Mrs. Jerry L. Johnson Mr. Benjamin Strauss Kaplan Pomerantz Schaeffer Foundation Mr. and Mrs. Barry E. Tague Mr. and Mrs. Harold Katz Mr. and Mrs. Larry Tanenbaum Dr. and Mrs. Russel E. Kaufman Mr. Myles H. Tanenbaum Mr. Larry A. Keinath and Ms. Rosemary Spingler Mr. and Mrs. Edward Tawil Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Kestenbaum Mrs. Jean M. Taxin Keystone Foods Corporation Robert M. Taxin, D.O. Mr. and Mrs. Sidney Kimmel Mr. and Mrs. Thomas J. Teesdale Mr. and Mrs. H. Lewis Klein Ten Pennies Florist & Decorators Lenore and Howard Klein Foundation TIAA-CREF Employee Giving Campaign Mrs. Lillian S. Kosloff Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert Tucker Mr. and Mrs. Ronald A. Krancer Mr. and Mrs. Kevin M. Tucker KYW-AM 1060 Universal Health Services, Inc. Ladies Auxiliary to the V.F.W. University of Pennsylvania Alzheimer’s Center Mr. and Mrs. Thomas F. Lafferty Mr. and Mrs. Richard A.Vermeil Mr. and Mrs. Harvey Lamm Mr. and Mrs. Morton B. Wapner Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell G. Leibovitz Mrs. Barbara R. Washburn Mr. and Mrs. H. F. Lenfest Mr. and Mrs. Larry Weiss Mr. and Mrs. Howard H. Lewis Ms. Monica Polowy Winter Harry A. Lieberman Foundation Mrs. Joan H. Wister Mr. and Mrs. Burton S. Lifson Mr. Steven Wynn
Cumulative giving levels reflect gifts since January 1, 1992. 22 ANNUAL REPORT 2007 112798W1 5/30/08 1:18 AM Page 28
ANNUAL GIVING
CASPAR WISTAR SOCIETY GUARANTORS WISTAR FELLOWS SOCIETY ($1 MILLION and over) ($10,000 and over) ($1,000 and over) Barra Foundation, Inc. Albert Tire Company Philadelphia Health Care Trust Mr. and Mrs.Vincent G. Bell, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. William A. Albert Mr. and Mrs. Ian J. Berg ALC Environmental Incorporated Mr. and Mrs. Robert S. Blank Allentown, Inc. ------Mr. and Mrs. Francis X. Bresnan Alpha Office Supplies Mrs. June H. Chern American Financial Realty Trust The Dovey Family Foundation American Skin Association CENTENNIAL SOCIETY Mr. and Mrs. Brian H. Dovey Mrs. Jane T. Andress ($100,000 and over) EV Bell Foundation Mr. and Mrs. Robert Angevine Mr. and Mrs. Joseph M. Field The Annenberg Foundation Dr. Miriam & Sheldon G. Adelson The Hassel Foundation Atlantic Real Estate Group Mr. and Mrs. Joseph A. Goldblum Mr. Scott Barsky Charitable Trust Mr. Joel K. Greenberg and Ms. Marcy Gringlas Morris S. Bender and Florence H. Bender Mr. and Mrs. Brian G. Harrison Foundation Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation The Karen and Herbert Lotman Foundation Mr. Peter A. Benoliel and Ms. Willo Carey Innisfree Foundation of Bryn Mawr Binswanger CLAWS Foundation Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia Blank Rome LLP Max Kade Foundation The Besse & Louis M. Bleznak Foundation Mr. and Mrs. Harold M. Davis Mr. and Mrs. H. Lewis Klein Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Bleznak Mr. and Mrs. Ronald J. Kozich Ms. Joann Burke The Ellison Medical Foundation Mr. and Mrs. Ronald A. Krancer Mr. and Mrs. Robert Casciato Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Lotman Mr. and Mrs. Robert E. Chappell Mr. and Mrs. Robert A. Fox Mellon Financial Services Dr. Catherine Chern Mr. and Mrs. Marc Miller Ms. Stacy Chern and Mr.Ty Wu F. M. Kirby Foundation, Inc. Albert Ominsky, Esquire Chester County Community Foundation Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers Citizens Bank of Pennsylvania March of Dimes Foundation of America Foundation Citizens Charitable Foundation The PNC Financial Services Group Mrs. John B. Clapham* G. Harold & Leila Y. Mathers Charitable Mr. and Mrs. Seymour S. Preston III Mr. and Mrs. Norman Cohn Foundation PRWT Services Mr. Stephen J. Colletti RAF Industries Comcast Spectacor The Elsa U. Pardee Foundation Realen Properties Concord Advisory Group Mr.Thomas A. Reynolds III* Connelly Foundation The Pew Charitable Trusts Mr. and Mrs. S. Edward Rhoads Mr. and Mrs. Peter E. Corrado Mr. and Mrs. Gerald B. Rorer Mr. and Mrs. Michael Coslov Sibley Memorial Hospital Mr. Ronald Rubin Cozen O’Connor Mr. and Mrs. Harold G. Schaeffer Mrs. Margaret F. Cristofalo W.W. Smith Charitable Trust Mr. and Mrs. Edward Sickles CRW Graphics The Susan R. and John W.Sullivan Foundation David Cutler Group The V Foundation for Cancer Research Mr. and Mrs. John W.Sullivan Mr. and Mrs. Rodney D. Day III Susquehanna Foundation Deb Shops, Inc. Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation Mr. and Mrs. Sylvan M. Tobin Ms. Sylvia Di Bona United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania Mr. and Mrs. W.Joseph Duckworth Mr. C. Cresson Wistar Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program Electric Factory Concerts Wawa Inc. Mr. Steve Feig Mr. and Mrs. Joseph J. Fenkel ------Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund Firstrust Bank PATRONS Fishman and Tobin Ms. Sara Jane Fitzpatrick ($50,000 and over) Mr. and Mrs. P. Richard Frieder GBH Foundation Mr. Joel Gershman and Ms. Elaine Levitt Accelerate Brain Cancer Cure GlaxoSmithKline Mr. Adam S. Goldman Mr. Ira Brind Dr. and Mrs. Alfred E. Goldman Mr. and Mrs. Bruce A. Goodman The Emerald Foundation Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce
Mr. Leroy E. Kean *Deceased Mr. Ira M. Lubert
Edward Mallinckrodt, Jr. Foundation 23 ANNUAL REPORT 2007 112798W1 5/30/08 1:18 AM Page 29
ANNUAL GIVING continued
WISTAR FELLOWS SOCIETY Mrs. Julia Rousso Mr. and Mrs. Seymore Rubin WISTAR HERITAGE ($1,000 and over) continued Mr. and Mrs. Paul J. Schmitt SOCIETY Mr. and Mrs. Roy Shapiro Dr. Jennifer Gross and Mr. Eli A. Gross Ms. Emily Brown Shields Mr. and Mrs. Barry Group Franz W.Sichel Foundation Mr. and Mrs. Richard H. Gwinn Bernard W.Smalley, Esq. The Wistar Heritage Society recognizes the Mrs. Samuel M.V. Hamilton Ms. Judith E. Soltz and Mr. Richard S. Belas foresight and generosity of individuals who Mr. and Mrs. Frederick S. Hammer Sovereign Bank elect to perpetuate their support of biomedical Hangley Aronchick Segal & Pudlin Mr. and Mrs. Barry E. Tague Mrs. Beverly Hattersley Tawil Associates research by including the Institute in their Ellen Heber-Katz, Ph.D., and David Sarfatti Mr. and Mrs. Edward Tawil wills or estate plans. Membership is a partnership Drs. Meenhard and Dorothee Herlyn Mrs. Doris R. Taxin for life that offers the promise of discovery of Mr. and Mrs. Roger S. Hillas TIAA-CREF Employee Giving Campaign Mr. and Mrs. George Hirschhorn Ms. Eunice Trevor new treatments and cures for cancer and Mr. Andrew Hoffman Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert Tucker other diseases. Mr. and Mrs. Richard M. Horowitz Mr. and Mrs. Kevin M. Tucker Mr. and Mrs. Ira M. Ingerman Mr. Stephen Tustin Kaplan Pomerantz Schaeffer Foundation U.S.Trust Company, N.A. Questions regarding membership in the Wistar Mr. and Mrs. Harold Katz Universal Health Services, Inc. Heritage Society should be directed to Wistar’s Dr. and Mrs. Russel E. Kaufman Verizon Pennsylvania, Inc. Development Office at (215) 898-3930. Members Dr. Herbert Kean and The Honorable Joyce Kean Mr. and Mrs. Richard A.Vermeil Mr. Larry A. Keinath and Ms. Rosemary Spingler Wachovia Bank, N.A. as of April 11, 2008 are: Mr. and Mrs. Robert E. Keith Mr. and Mrs. Richard L. Weisberg Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Kestenbaum Mr. and Mrs. Larry Weiss Francis X. Bresnan Keystone Mercy Health Plan Mr. and Mrs. Alfred P.West, Jr. Lenore and Howard Klein Foundation Daniel Wheeler, Esq. and Ms. Amy Fox Ira Brind Ms. Susan S. Kozik ZS&M Wilf Foundation, Inc. June H. Chern Mr. and Mrs. Thomas F. Lafferty Mr. and Mrs. Mark Wilf Peter E. Corrado Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell G. Leibovitz Mr. and Mrs. James B. Wistar Mr. and Mrs. Mark Lenet Wolf, Block, Schorr and Solis-Cohen Harold M. Davis Mr. and Mrs. H. F. Lenfest Julia A. Felton Harry A. Lieberman Foundation SPONSOR Dr. Jerome I. Flicker Mr. Harry A. Lieberman Live Nation ($500 and over) Dr. and Mrs. Alfred E. Goldman Ms. Denise G. Loughlin Mr. and Mrs. Bruce A. Goodman Mr.William Luterman A Ambassador Travel Meenhard Herlyn, D.V.M. Mr. and Mrs. James J. Lynch Mr. and Mrs. Robert S. Adelson Mr. and Mrs. John A. Lynott Ms. Karlyn Rosen Aires Dorothee M. Herlyn, D.V.M. Mr. and Mrs. Larry Magid Anonymous The Honorable Harris N. Hollin Samuel P. Mandell Foundation Mr.Thomas J. Baldoni Mrs. Constance Jordan Ms. Carol McMichael Ms. Joyce C. Barrett Merck & Co. Inc. Mr. and Mrs. Henry S. Belber Miss Rivka Kaestner Merrill Lynch & Company Mrs. Murray Belman Russel E. Kaufman, M.D. Mr. and Mrs. Alan B. Miller Mr. and Mrs. Richard F. Biborosch Herbert Kean, M.D. Mr. and Mrs. William Mutterperl Mr. and Mrs. Frank G. Binswanger, Jr. National Analysts, Inc Bollinger Hilary Koprowski, M.D. Mr. and Mrs. Scott O’Neill Mr. and Mrs. Fred E. Braemer Kurtis L. Meyer Ruth Patrick, Ph.D. Mr. and Mrs. Douglas S. Briggs Paula R. Meyer Mr. and Mrs. Stuart Peltz The Capital Group Companies Charitable Pennsylvania Lumbermens Mutual Insurance Foundation Marc D. Miller Company Mr. and Mrs. Cummins Catherwood, Jr. Martha S. Miller Pepper Hamilton, LLP Mr. James A. Chafoulias Sandya Narayanswami, Ph.D. Mr. and Mrs. Frank Pesce Mr. Jack Cornish Mr. and Mrs. Timothy P. Pesce Mr. and Mrs. Edward C. Driscoll Elizabeth A. Pesce The Philadelphia Foundation Mr. and Mrs. Leonard Dubin Timothy P. Pesce Philadelphia Phillies Mr. and Mrs. Stanley Elkman Lt. Col. Carolyn Reinbold Dr. and Mrs. Stanley A. Plotkin Mr. and Mrs. Mack Emanuel Mr. and Mrs. David Pudlin Mr. and Mrs. Michael J. Emmi Karl F. Rugart, Jr., M.D. Radnor Trust Mr. and Mrs. Daniel E. Francis Emily Brown Shields Dr. and Mrs. Frank J. Rauscher III Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Frankel Family of Stephen M. Shoyer Realty Landscaping Corporation Mr. and Mrs. W.Roderick Gagne Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence S. Reichlin Dr. and Mrs. John H. Goodworth Ann G. Sickles Dr. and Mrs. Kenneth Scott Resnik Mr. and Mrs. Donald C. Graham Edward Sickles Dr. and Mrs. Donald Vail Rhoads Mr. Joseph F. Grusemeyer Howard S. Turner, Ph.D. Mr. and Mrs. William G. Rhoads Mr. and Mrs. John C. Haas Riesentoter Region PCA Mr. and Mrs. Christian M. Hoechst, Jr. Mrs. Joan H. Wister Rittenhouse Foundation The Honorable and Mrs. Harris N. Hollin Mr. and Mrs. Adam Rosenfarb HSA Management Company LLC
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RICH BESTON Mrs. Klaus Hummeler Mr. and Mrs. Alan D. Isen A SURVIVOR’S STORY Mr. and Mrs. James P. Kane Bonnie T. Kay, Ph.D. Mr. and Mrs. Jon S. Kean Keystone Industries Rich and Ann Beston had a young son and another baby on the way when they Mrs. Lillian S. Kosloff received the shocking news in February 2000 that Rich had stage IV melanoma. Mr. and Mrs. Dean W.Laskaris He underwent several grueling surgeries, a clinical trial of an experimental Mr. and Mrs. Christopher Loomis Mr. and Mrs. Gerard J. Lynott, Jr. therapy, and chemotherapy with Ann at his side. During the course of Rich’s Mr. and Mrs. Dan Matthias treatment, Ann founded a melanoma support group and became connected with Mr. Graham and Dr. Susan McDonald the Noreen O’Neill Foundation for Melanoma Research. Mr. and Mrs. Sam S. McKeel Mr. and Mrs. Gerald Moller Since then, they have become enthusiastic supporters of the foundation’s Mr. and Mrs. Dennis R. Moran annual Running for Cover race – and the Wistar research it funds. “We feel Mr. and Mrs. John Mullen Mr. and Mrs. Anthony A. Nichols good knowing the money is going directly to the scientists,” Ann says. Dr. Paul Allan Offit Qihong Huang, M.D., Ph.D., received the event’s 2007 proceeds, which Mr. and Mrs. Jeremiah P. O’Grady supported his research on genes that promote melanoma metastasis. “This Mr. and Mrs. Robert Oppenheimer Agneta S. Orleans funding is crucial for my research,” he says, “especially with the federal research Mr. Jeffrey P. Orleans budget so tight.” Mr. and Mrs. Adolf A. Paier, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Peter F. Pecoraio Today, Rich shows no sign of melanoma. He’s feeling great and enjoying Mrs. Asa W.Potts life with Ann and their two children, Ryan and Shannon. “I feel so blessed just George C. Prendergast, Ph.D. to appreciate every moment with my family,” he says, “and fortunate that I can Provincial Foundation The Honorable Marjorie O. Rendell help raise awareness about melanoma and the need for research.” Mr. and Mrs. Robert H. Rock Mr. Ed Rogers Dr. and Mrs. Harvey Rosen Mr. and Mrs. Martin Rosen Eileen Rosenau and Jerome Kurtz Mr.Wayne D. Rowland and Ms. Denise DiPangrazio Mr. and Mrs. William Schade Mr. and Mrs. K. George Schoeppner Mr. David W.Schusler Mr. Richard A. Scott Mr. and Mrs. Richard Seitchik Mr. and Mrs. A. Leonard Senker Mr. and Mrs. Howard A. Silverman Mr. and Mrs. Joseph V. Somers Mr. and Mrs. Harold A. Sorgenti Mr. and Mrs. David L. Spooner Mr. and Mrs. Paul T. Stefanik Stiletto Mr. and Mrs. James C.Vanderwaal Wilkie Chevrolet/Buick/Subaru Miss Caroline P.Wistar
Melanoma survivor Rich Beston helps to raise awareness of the disease – and funding to support research at Wistar.
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ANNUAL GIVING continued
ASSOCIATES Mr. and Mrs. Mark Gushner Ms. Linda Recentio ($100 and over) Dr. Charles Hackett Mr. and Mrs. Robert J. Reichlin Ms. Julia H. Hansbarger Mr. and Mrs. Stanley Reichlin Mr. and Mrs. Roy Harvey Ms. Carolyn Reinbold Mrs. Edith R. Ackerman Mr. and Mrs. Geoffrey Haynes Mr.Wayne D. Reynolds Mrs. Mary Rhoads Alexander Ms. Bonnie Held Dr. Caroline S. Rhoads Ament Pool Service Dr. and Mrs. Scott H. Herbert Mr. Samuel Vail Rhoads Automobile Dealers Association of Greater Mr. Steve Hladczuk Mr. and Mrs. Richard M. Rosenbleeth Philadelphia Mr. and Mrs. Norman Hockman Mr. Abraham R. Rosenkrantz Mr. and Mrs. Robert A. Bacine Mr. Franklin Hoke Mr. and Mrs. Kevin Ross Mrs. JoAnne S. Bagnell Mr. and Mrs. David Holden Mr. and Mrs. Louis E. Rousso Mrs. Eileen M. Baird Mr. Charles R. Hooven Ms. Sue Goldstein Rubel Mr. and Mrs. Frederic L. Ballard, Jr. Ms. Anne Humes Mr. and Mrs. Howard I. Rubin Charles J. Bauernschmidt, Esq. Infiniti of Willow Grove Dr. and Mrs. Karl F. Rugart, Jr. Mr. James Beck Ms. Anna M. Jackson Mr. and Mrs. Joseph P. Ryan, Jr. Mr. Paul Belanger David A. and Constance Z. Jenkins Mr. George W.Samson Mrs. Dene K. Bernstein Mr. and Mrs. Jerry L. Johnson Mr.Terry Samway Mr. and Mrs. Howard Bleznak Mr. Robert Johnson Mr. and Mrs. Richard Schatz Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Boone Mr. Edward P. Kacer Mr. Gustave Scheerbaum, III Mr. and Mrs. Martin Brait Mr. and Mrs. Joseph M. Kalman Mrs. Jacqueline F. Schreider Mr. and Mrs. Jack Bridges Mr. and Mrs. Jackson K. Kao Ms. Nora Pincus Schwarz Mr. Gary Bromberg Mrs. Selma Katz Mr. and Mrs. Michael A. Scully Dr. and Mrs. T.Wistar Brown V Mr. and Mrs. Ary L. Kaufmann Ms. Sonia Seifert Mr. and Mrs. Edward G. Bussinger Mr. John J. Kelly, Jr. Gloria Marin Darthea Sharples, Ph.D. Mr. and Mrs. Robert B. Cahall Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey M. Knetsch Mr. Allan R. Shassian Mr. Jared Cannon Barbara B. Knowles, Ph.D. Mr. and Mrs. Robert W.Shavelson Mrs. Barbara Cantor Mr. and Mrs. Leonard I. Korman Mrs. Shirley Shils Mr. and Mrs. Howard M. Casper Mr. and Mrs. Harvey S. Kronfeld Mr. Michael Shore Cherokee Construction Co. Mr. and Mrs. Robert A. Lagas Ms. Leola V. Shumar Cichetti & Siegel Orthodontic Associates, Ltd. Mrs. Frances R. Lax Dr. Steven Silber Mr. and Mrs. Robert Hacker Clapham Mr. and Mrs. Ernest R. Leitenberger Mr. and Mrs. Charles H. Silverman Ms. Gwen A. Clendenning Mr. and Mrs. Bernard Lemonick Ms. Diana Slaymaker Dr.Walter Cohen Mr. and Mrs. Arnold Levin, Esq. Mr. and Mrs. Alan P. Smith Mr. and Mrs. Walter J. Conti Dr. and Mrs. Elliot M. Levine Mr. Richard D. Smith Ms. Julie Coryn and Mr. Austin Hyde Ms. Bernice Linden Mrs. Loretta R. Spadea Mr. Steve Cotterman Ms. Susan Lindenbaum Ms. Bonnie Squires and Mr. Sami Ouahada Ms. Helen T. Davis Mr. and Mrs. Ed Lipski Mr. Louis Starkman Mrs.Yvonne K. Davis John Loiselle, M.D., and Christine Reuther, Esq. Mr. Jacob Strauss Miss Clara S. Deily Ms. Anne S. Lynott Mr. and Mrs. Samuel S. Stroud Mr. and Mrs. Samuel E. Dennis Mr. and Mrs. Patrick J. Lynott Dr. Janine G. Tabas and Mr. Robert R. Tabas Denville Scientific Products Mr. and Mrs. Lee Maimon Mrs. Jean M. Taxin Mr. and Mrs. William M. Deuber Francine L. Marcus, M.D. Mr. and Mrs. Edward Tepper Ms. Barbara DeWilde Mrs. Donald McDonald Thompson Toyota Scion Mr. Scott Dillman Mr. and Mrs. Howard McPherson Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Thompson Dover Volkswagen Mercantile Bankshares Corporation Mr. James Burke and Ms. Georgine Tidmore Mrs. Louisa C. Dubin Dr. and Mrs. David Metz Mr. and Mrs. Philip Tigar Mr. Robert E. Dvorak Mr. and Mrs. Kurtis L. Meyer Dr. and Mrs. Lawrence W.C. Tom Mr. and Mrs. Edward Edelstein Mr.Thomas A. Meyers and Dr. Barbara Mrs. Betty F.Tomaselli Mr.Ted L. Edwards Knight-Meyers Mr. and Mrs. Merv Tuckman Drs. Judith Wolf and Howard Eisen Mr. Robert A. Miller United Way of Tri-State Mr. and Mrs. Joseph S. Elmaleh Mr.William McElwee Miller, Jr. VW Credit, Inc Mrs.Virginia Burt Eppinger Mr. and Mrs. Jack Moffat Mrs. Kathleen L. Walker Mr. Sam Epstein Mrs. Samuel W.Morris Mr. and Mrs. Morton B. Wapner Ms. Susan M. Erda Ms. Ann R. Morton Mrs. Helen B. Warner Ms. Roni L. Feierstein Mr. and Mrs. Jack D. Moses Dr. and Mrs. Leonard Warren Drs. Norman and Helen Felsenthal Dr. and Mrs. Steven J. Munzer Mr. and Mrs. John C. Weidman, Jr. Dr. and Mrs. Robert M. Fisher Sandya Narayanswami, Ph.D. Dr. Alan J. and Mrs. Margaret Ann Weir Ms. Anna Lois Flack Rise P. Newman, Esq. Mrs. Margaret W.Wellington Ms. Jackie Flaherty Ms. Elizabeth B. O’Brien and Mr. Philip Scott Mr. and Mrs. Raymond H. Welsh Mr. Richard L. Freundlich Mrs. Arlene D. Odell Mr. Reggie Wilkes Mr. and Mrs. Joseph H. Friedrich Mr. Robert D. Odell Mr. and Mrs. Charles E. Will GFW Enterprises Old York Road Sports Car Club Mr. and Mrs. Rob Wilson Ms. Judi Giberson-Smith Ms. Mae O’Neill Mr. Gil Wistar Mr. and Mrs. Henry A. Gladstone Edward B. O’Reilly & Associates Mrs.Veronica M. Wistar Ms. Adrienne Gliba-Barrett Harold J. Pendergrass, Esq. Mr. George C. Wood Mr. and Mrs. Marc Goldberg Mr. and Mrs. Roy T. Peraino Mr. and Mrs. Morris Wistar Wood, Jr. Rose and Joan Goldberg Ms. Gail Pesce and Ms.Virginia Haltmeier Mr. and Mrs. Alan B. Worthington Ms. Beatrice Goldman Mr. and Mrs. David N. Pincus Mr. and Mrs. John B. Wright Mr. and Mrs. Irwin Govberg Ms. Sherry R. Pirillo Mrs. Suzanne R.Yusem Ms. Jane E. Gulick Mrs. Alberta D. Proietta Mr. and Mrs. Bernard Zolot Mr. and Mrs. Gerald Gushner Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Ramsay Mr. and Mrs. David S. Randolph 26 ANNUAL REPORT 2007 112798W1 5/30/08 1:18 AM Page 32
IN HONOR OF
In honor of Susan Auerback’s 60th birthday In honor of Mac Lerner’s 80th birthday Mr. and Mrs. Edward Tepper Mr. and Mrs. Bernard Zolot
In honor of Clara Coan and Pat Knight In honor of Billy Lovett’s birthday Dr. and Mrs. Donald Vail Rhoads Mr. and Mrs. Irwin Govberg
In honor of Peter Corrado In honor of Willie Mooney’s speedy recovery Mr.Wayne D. Rowland and Ms. Denise DiPangrazio Mr. and Mrs. Irwin Govberg
In honor of Stephen Allen Cozen In honor of Tim and Elizabeth Pesce Ms. E. K. Pomerantz and Mr. Leslie Miller Mr. and Mrs. Ed Lipski
In honor of Hal Davis In honor of Mr. and Mrs. Wolfgang Puck’s wedding Mr. and Mrs. Sam S. McKeel Ms. Bernice Linden Ms. Maria Colelli In honor of David and Helen Pudlin In honor of Dr. and Mrs. Arthur Drazan’s 50th anniversary Mr. and Mrs. William Mutterperl Mr. and Mrs. Irwin Govberg In honor of David Rich’s 80th birthday In honor of Dr. Steve Fink’s speedy recovery Mr. and Mrs. Richard M. Horowitz Mr. and Mrs. Irwin Govberg In honor of Marion Rocker In honor of Ellen First’s 60th birthday Dr. Herbert Kean and The Honorable Joyce Kean Mr. and Mrs. Edward Tepper In honor of Ina Sue Ross’s speedy recovery In honor of Mr. and Mrs. Barclay W.Fitzpatrick Mr. and Mrs. Barry Wolf Mr. and Mrs. Peter E. Corrado In honor of Ed Sickles In honor of Robert Fox’s speedy recovery Mr. and Mrs. Martin Rosen Mr. and Mrs. Leonard I. Korman In honor of Albert W.Sheppard, Jr.’s speedy recovery In honor of Bob Fox Mr. and Mrs. Edward Edelstein Mr. Robert A. Miller Mr. and Mrs. Martin Rosen In honor of Johnnie Steven’s special birthday Mr. and Mrs. Harold Schaeffer In honor of Ben Frankel’s 75th birthday Mr. and Mrs. Irwin Govberg In honor of Mr. and Mrs. Lewis Stone’s 50th anniversary Mr. and Mrs. Harold Schaeffer Mr. and Mrs. Harold Schaeffer
In honor of Bunny Glick-Shapiro’s 75th birthday In honor of Lewis Stone’s special birthday Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Ney Mr. and Mrs. Harold Schaeffer
In honor of Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Gushner’s 55th wedding anniversary In honor of Frances Tobin Mr. and Mrs. Irwin Govberg Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Kestenbaum
In honor of Cathy Hart’s speedy recovery In honor of Shirley Weisman’s special birthday Mr. and Mrs. Edward Edelstein Mr. and Mrs. Marc Miller
In honor of Leslie Isen’s father In honor of David Wolfson’s bar mitzvah Mr. and Mrs. Harold Schaeffer Mr. and Mrs. Irwin Govberg
In honor of Selma Katz’s 92nd birthday Mrs. Jean M. Taxin
In honor of Peal Klemow’s speedy recovery Mr. and Mrs. Irwin Govberg
In honor of Carol and Harry Kutcher’s wedding Mr. and Mrs. Irwin Govberg
27 ANNUAL REPORT 2007 112798W1 5/30/08 1:18 AM Page 33
IN MEMORY OF
In memory of Alvin Ackerman In memory of Fred Cohen Mrs. Edith R. Ackerman Dr. Herbert Kean and The Honorable Joyce Kean
In memory of Elsa Alper In memory of Miki Cohen Mr. and Mrs. Robert A. Fox Dr. Herbert Kean and The Honorable Joyce Kean
In memory of John Aposotola In memory of Sandy Cohen Mr. and Mrs. Irwin Govberg Mr. and Mrs. John Martino
In memory of Carol Barrett In memory of Jessica Coleman Mr. and Mrs. Edward Edelstein Mr. and Mrs. Edward Edelstein
In memory of Judge Myrna Field Baum In memory of F. Rogers Cooper Dr. Herbert Kean and The Honorable Joyce Kean Mellon Financial Services
In memory of Harold Bellmuth In memory of Vincent Cristofalo Mr. and Mrs. Edward Edelstein Mr. and Mrs. Gary Blum
In memory of Louise Binswanger In memory of Christopher Davis Mr. and Mrs. Howard M. Casper Ms. Joyce C. Barrett Mr. and Mrs. Ronald J. Kozich Mr. and Mrs. Harold M. Davis Mrs. Arlene D. Odell Mr. and Mrs. Richard H. Gwinn Mr. and Mrs. John A. Lynott In memory of Barbara Blessington Mr. and Mrs. Barry E. Tague Mrs. Mae Taxin Brody In memory of Joanne Durbin In memory of Kenneth Powell Blomerth Ms. Ann R. Morton Ms. Janna Hardy In memory of Annabelle Ambler Dvorak In memory of Bobby Blount's brother Ms. Jane W.Deprado Mr. and Mrs. Richard Schatz Mr. Robert E. Dvorak Mr. and Mrs. Richard Gerber In memory of Albert Sonny Borish Mr. Edward P. Kacer Mr. Louis Starkman Ms. Jean D. Long Mr. and Mrs. Howard McPherson In memory of Is Brodsky Ms. Dorothy Nicholson-Brown Mr. and Mrs. Harold Schaeffer Mr.Wayne D. Reynolds Mr. Dan Rowlands In memory of Charlotte Ms. Gayle B. Watts Mrs. Eileen M. Baird In memory of Stanley (Chicky) Feldman In memory of Warren Cheston Mrs. Jean M. Taxin Mr. and Mrs. Kurtis L. Meyer In memory of Mary Fenkel’s mother In memory of Edwin Clarke Mr. and Mrs. Harold Schaeffer Mr. and Mrs. Bernard Zolot In memory of Brad Fenton’s father In memory of Nickey Cohen Mr. and Mrs. Harold Schaeffer Mrs. Eileen M. Baird
NOW MORE THAN EVER
Donor support has never been more important to Wistar’s research, given the recent decline in grant funding from the National Institutes of Health. The success rate of first-time NIH grant applicants has dropped by 59 percent in the past eight years; only 12 percent were funded in 2007, compared to 29 percent in 1999.
28 ANNUAL REPORT 2007 112798W1 5/30/08 1:18 AM Page 34
In memory of William Forbush In memory of Delbert Johnson Mr. and Mrs. Kevin M. Tucker Alpha Office Supplies Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Boone In memory of Gert Fox Mr. James Brown Mr. and Mrs. John Martino Mr. James A. Chafoulias Mr.Ted L. Edwards In memory of Harry Ginsburg Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Johnson Mr. and Mrs. Harold Schaeffer Mr.Willie Johnson Keystone Mercy Health Plan In memory of Mrs. Arnold Glatter’s sister Mercantile Bankshares Corporation Mr. and Mrs. Richard Schatz Merck & Co. Inc. The Philadelphia Foundation In memory of Tyler Goldberg PRWT Services Mrs. Eileen M. Baird Radnor Trust Mr. Robert C. Schlotthauer In memory of Olga Goldstein Bernard W.Smalley, Esq. Mr. and Mrs. Edward Edelstein Mr. Reggie Wilkes
In memory of Harry Goodman In memory of of Joy L. Kanter Mr. and Mrs. John Martino Francine L. Marcus, M.D.
In memory of Laurence J. Hogan In memory of Colonel Theodore Katz and Natalie Makler Katz Mr. R. Joseph Barnes Ms. Sherry R. Pirillo Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Cerino Mr. Robert H. Quinn In memory of Bernie Kauffman Mr. and Mrs. C. Lawrence Rutstein In memory of Robert Holbert Mr. and Mrs. K. Frederick Achenbach, Jr. In memory of Sarah Kauffman Ament Pool Service Mr. and Mrs. C. Lawrence Rutstein Automobile Dealers Association of Greater Philadelphia Dr. Herbert Kean and The Honorable Joyce Kean Mr. and Mrs. Stefan Bogdan Mr. and Mrs. Jack Bridges In memory of Judith Kenyon Ms. Carol Christine Dr. Herbert Kean and The Honorable Joyce Kean Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Cohn Mr. and Mrs. Walter J. Conti In memory of Arthur Klein Ms. Helen T. Davis Mr. and Mrs. Daniel E. Francis Dover Volkswagen Provincial Foundation Edward B. O’Reilly & Associates GFW Enterprises In memory of Walter Kristoff Goldenberg Rosenthal LLP Mr. and Mrs. Howard M. Casper Mr. and Mrs. David Holden Infiniti of Willow Grove In memory of Adolf Kurtzman Mr. Robert Johnson Mr. and Mrs. Bernard Zolot Mr.William Kurz Mr. and Mrs. Joseph S. La Rosa In memory of Joanne Leibovitz’s mother Ms. Marianne Lanzetta Long Mr. and Mrs. Bernard Zolot Mr. Samuel Longo Mr. Ronald J. Lorch In memory of Robert E. Leitenberger Mr. and Mrs. Hugh McCloskey Mr. and Mrs. Ernest R. Leitenberger Old York Road Sports Car Club Ms. Doris Rafaeli In memory of Marni Lindenbaum Ms. Linda Recentio Ms. Carol Crnobori Riesentoter Region PCA Mr. and Mrs. Marc Goldberg Mr. and Mrs. Thomas H. Ronan Ms. Leni Goldsmith Mr. and Mrs. William Schenck Ms. Bonnie Held Mr. and Mrs. Harry M. Stephey Michael Stumpf & Associates, Inc In memory of Betty McCloskey Thompson Toyota Scion Mrs. Doris R. Taxin Mr. and Mrs. Glen Van Fossen VW Credit, Inc In memory of Sylvia Meyers Dr. and Mrs. Jerome I. Flicker In memory of Ellis Ivker Meryle J. Melnicoff, Ph.D. In memory of Albert Miller Mrs. Jean M. Taxin In memory of Fred Jaron Mr. and Mrs. C. Lawrence Rutstein In memory of Selma Mones’ daughter Mr. and Mrs. Harold Schaeffer
In memory of Samuel Needleman Mr. and Mrs. Howard M. Casper 29 ANNUAL REPORT 2007 112798W1 5/30/08 1:18 AM Page 35
IN MEMORY OF continued
In memory of Elaine M. Ominsky, Ph.D. In memory of Philip S. Seltzer Mr. and Mrs. Leonard Dubin Mr. and Mrs. Sylvan M. Tobin Dr. and Mrs. David Metz Albert Ominsky, Esquire In memory of Erwin Sharps Mr. Abraham R. Rosenkrantz Mr. and Mrs. John Martino Dr. Janine G. Tabas and Mr. Robert R. Tabas Ms. Eunice Trevor In memory of Marion Stettler Ms. Barbara DeWilde In memory of Shirley O’Neill Mr. and Mrs. Scott O’Neill In memory of Kattie Mae Stevens Dr. and Mrs. Elliot M. Levine In memory of Diego Orgasan Mr. and Mrs. Scott O’Neill In memory of Albert Taxin Mrs. Loretta R. Spadea In memory of Louis Oswald Mr. and Mrs. Edward Edelstein In memory of Lawrence Timms Mr. and Mrs. Richard Schatz In memory of Bernice Patlove Mr. and Mrs. John Martino In memory of Richard James Tredinnick Ms. Sara Jane Fitzpatrick In memory of Eileen Patterson Mr. and Mrs. Richard M. Horowitz In memory of Jim Walden Mr. and Mrs. Kevin M. Tucker In memory of Max Paul’s father Mr. and Mrs. C. Lawrence Rutstein In memory of Louis C. Washburn Bollinger In memory of Elaine Phillips Ms. Margaret Gouzie Mrs. Eileen M. Baird Ms. Anne Parkin Pierpoint Ms. Gail Pesce and Ms.Virginia Haltmeier In memory of Allan Portnov Mr. and Mrs. Timothy P. Pesce Mr. and Mrs. Richard Schatz Ms. Diana Slaymaker Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Thompson In memory of Irv Rappoport Mr. and Mrs. Philip Tigar Mr. and Mrs. Leonard A. Jackowski In memory of Ailsa Wistar In memory of Anita Rubin Mrs. Murray Belman Mrs. Jean M. Taxin Miss Caroline P.Wistar Mr. C. Cresson Wistar In memory of Doris Samitz’s brother Miss Caroline P.Wistar Mrs. Eileen M. Baird In memory of Karen Yoh In memory of Heidi Schulz Mr. and Mrs. Ronald J. Kozich Dr. and Mrs. Jerome I. Flicker Mrs. Arlene D. Odell
In memory of Scott A. Schwartz, Jr. In memory of Irene Ysenchak Dr. and Mrs. Jerome I. Flicker Mr. James Burke and Ms. Georgine Tidmore
In memory of Ted Seidenberg In memory of Matt Zamites’ mother Mr. and Mrs. Irwin Govberg Mr. and Mrs. Edward Edelstein Dr. Herbert Kean and The Honorable Joyce Kean
BRIDGING THE GAP
Donor contributions are especially critical to the work of young investigators. Because of the recent decline in federal research funding, scientists are receiving their first major governmental grants later in their careers. Private funding helps to support young researchers – and launch innovative projects that otherwise might never get off the ground.
30 ANNUAL REPORT 2007 112798W1 5/30/08 9:31 PM Page 36
SCIENTIFIC STAFF
President and CEO RESEARCH PROGRAM: Systems Biology Division Russel E. Kaufman, M.D IMMUNOLOGY Professors Vice President for Academic Affairs Professors David W.Speicher, Ph.D., Program Co-leader John J. Lucas, Ph.D. Hildegund C.J. Ertl, M.D., Program Leader Ellen Heber-Katz, Ph.D. Andrew J. Caton, Ph.D. Ellen Puré, Ph.D. Professor and Associate Vice President for 1 Jan Erikson, Ph.D. Ramin Shiekhattar, Ph.D. Academic Affairs Walter Gerhard, M.D.3 Louise C. Showe, Ph.D. Ellen Puré, Ph.D. Dorothee Herlyn, D.V.M. Luis J. Montaner, D.V.M., D.Phil. Associate Professors Professor and Deputy Director of Ellen Puré, Ph.D.1 Harold C. Riethman, Ph.D. The Wistar Institute Cancer Center Frank J. Rauscher III, Ph.D. Assistant Professors Assistant Professors Hui Hu, Ph.D. Qihong Huang, M.D., Ph.D. Hilary Koprowski Professor Wolfgang Weninger, M.D.4 Carlton C. Maley, Ph.D. Shelley L. Berger, Ph.D. E. John Wherry, Ph.D. Senior Staff Scientists Senior Staff Scientists Michael Showe, Ph.D. RESEARCH PROGRAM: Livio Azzoni, M.D., Ph.D. GENE EXPRESSION AND REGULATION Jihed Chehimi, Ph.D. Staff Scientists Rajasekharan Somasundaran, Ph.D. Lise Clark, D.V.M., Ph.D. Kiranmai Gumireddy, Ph.D. Professors Rolf Swoboda, Ph.D. Michele Jacob, Ph.D. Frank J. Rauscher III, Ph.D., Program Leader Zhi Quan Xiang, M.D. Elena Nikonova, M.D. Shelley L. Berger, Ph.D. Xiang Yang Zhou, Ph.D. Paul M. Lieberman, Ph.D. Associate Staff Scientists Ronen Marmorstein, Ph.D. Staff Scientists Celia Chang, M.D. Gerd G. Maul, Ph.D. Emmanouil Papasavvas, Ph.D. Dmitri Gourevitch, M.D. Kazuko Nishikura, Ph.D. Dongming Zhou, Ph.D. Linda Hanlon, Ph.D. Ramin Shiekhattar, Ph.D. Associate Staff Scientists Paulus Mrass, M.D. Associate Professors Nadeem Ali-Khan, Ph.D. Anthony J. Capobianco, Ph.D. Brian Hondowicz, Ph.D. Jumin Zhou, Ph.D.2 Marcio Lasaro, Ph.D. SHARED FACILITY DIRECTORS Hua Li, M.D. Assistant Professors Ping Jiang, Ph.D. Susan Janicki, Ph.D. John Rux, Ph.D. Ken-ichi Noma, Ph.D. RESEARCH PROGRAM: David Schultz, Ph.D. Emmanuel Skordalakes, Ph.D. MOLECULAR AND CELLULAR ONCOGENESIS Staff Scientists Cancer Biology Division Zhong Deng, Ph.D. Professor Laureate Min Gyu Lee, Ph.D. Hilary Koprowski, M.D. Professors Dimitri Negorev, Ph.D. Meenhard Herlyn, D.V.M., Program Co-leader Professors Emeriti Hongzhuang Peng, Ph.D. 1 Dorothee Herlyn, D.V.M. Clayton A. Buck, Ph.D. Russel E. Kaufman, M.D. Associate Staff Scientists Roger M. Burnett, Ph.D. Qi Chen, M.D. Walter Gerhard, M.D.5 Assistant Professors 6 Jayaraju Dheekollu, Ph.D. Elliot M. Levine, Ph.D. Nadia Dahmane, Ph.D. Jing Huang, Ph.D. Stanley A. Plotkin, M.D. Joseph Kissil, Ph.D. Thanuja Krishnamoorthy, Ph.D. Robert Roosa, Ph.D. Fang Lu, Ph.D. Leonard Warren, M.D., Ph.D. Senior Staff Scientists Yong Tang, Ph.D. Zofia Wroblewska, M.D. Keiran Smalley, Ph.D. Pu Wang, Ph.D. Mingyuan Zhou, Ph.D. Jing Zhou, Ph.D.
Staff Scientists 1 Secondary appointment Mizuho Kalabis, Ph.D. 2 Promoted to associate professor January 1, 2008 Hsin-Yao Tang, Ph.D. 3 Retired September 1, 2007 Tao Wang, M.D., Ph.D. 4 Appointment ended May 4, 2007 Tianqian Zhang, Ph.D. 5 Effective September 1, 2007 6 Effective January 1, 2008 Associate Staff Scientists Valerie Baubet, Ph.D.
31 ANNUAL REPORT 2007 112798W1 5/30/08 1:18 AM Page 37
SCIENTIFIC STAFF continued
ADJUNCT FACULTY Associate Professors Horace M. DeLisser, M.D. ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF Professors University of Pennsylvania Stephen M. Albelda, M.D. University of Pennsylvania Phyllis A. Gimotty, Ph.D. Russel E. Kaufman, M.D. University of Pennsylvania President and CEO Richard Assoian, Ph.D. University of Pennsylvania Ann K. Jeglum,V.M.D. Larry A. Keinath, C.P.A. Veterinary Oncology Services and Research Center Vice President for Finance and Administration Timothy M. Block, Ph.D. Drexel University Steve McMahon, Ph.D. Elizabeth O’Brien, Esq. Thomas Jefferson University Vice President for Legal and External Affairs Garret M. Brodeur, M.D. Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Laszlo Otvos Jr., Ph.D. John J. Lucas, Ph.D. Temple University Vice President for Academic Affairs H. Fred Clark, D.V.M., Ph.D. Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Omaida Velaquez, M.D. Ellen Puré, Ph.D. University of Pennsylvania Professor and Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs Dennis E. Discher, Ph.D. University of Pennsylvania Assistant Professors Frank J. Rauscher III, Ph.D. Michael Betts, Ph.D. Professor and Deputy Director of The Wistar Institute Chaitanya R. Divgi, M.D. University of Pennsylvania Cancer Center University of Pennsylvania Keith T. Flaherty, M.D. Peter Corrado Wafik S. El-Deiry, M.D., Ph.D. University of Pennsylvania Director of Institutional Development University of Pennsylvania Mark S. Lechner, Ph.D. Denise DiFrancesco David E. Elder, M.B., Ch.B. Drexel University Director of Animal Facility University of Pennsylvania Eric Meggers, Ph.D. Abbey J. Porter Beverly S. Emanuel, Ph.D. University of Pennsylvania Acting Director of Public Relations Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Van Cherington, Ph.D. EXTERNAL SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY COMMITTEE Nigel W.Fraser, Ph.D. Director of Science Administration University of Pennsylvania Chair Nina Long, M.L.S. Edward Ziff, Ph.D.1 Mark I. Greene, M.D., Ph.D. Director of Library Services and Curator of New York University Medical Center University of Pennsylvania The Wistar Museum Collections Members Thanos Halazonetis, D.D.S., Ph.D. Ronen Marmorstein, Ph.D. Riccardo Dalla-Favera, M.D.2 University of Geneva Director of Training Irving Comprehensive Research Center Katherine S. High, M.D. Meryle J. Melnicoff, Ph.D. Olivera J. Finn, Ph.D. Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Director of Business Development University of Pittsburgh Paul A. Offit, M.D. Jo-Ann Mendel Todd R. Golub, M.D. Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Director of Human Resources The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard Reynold Panettieri, M.D. Marianne O’Neill Peter E. Lipsky, M.D. University of Pennsylvania Director of Grants and Contracts Administration National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases George C. Prendergast, M.D. Ray Preis Lankenau Institute for Medical Research Director of Information Systems Lynn M. Matrisian, Ph.D. Vanderbilt University Thomas D. Stamato, Ph.D. Kenneth J. Sulkowski Lankenau Institute for Medical Research Director of Facilities Joseph S. Pagano, M.D. University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive James M. Wilson, M.D., Ph.D. Stephen E. Tustin, C.P.A. Cancer Center University of Pennsylvania Director of Finance Hidde Ploegh, Ph.D. John H. Wolfe,V.M.D., Ph.D. Willian H. Wunner, Ph.D. Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research University of Pennsylvania Director of Outreach Education and Technology Training Danny Reinberg, Ph.D.1 Wolfgang Weninger, Ph.D. Smilow Research Center, University of Sydney New York University School of Medicine
Richard A.Young, Ph.D. Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research
1 Effective March 2008 2 Effective April 2008 32 ANNUAL REPORT 2007 112798W1 6/2/08 2:27 PM Page 38
VOLUNTEER LEADERSHIP
BOARD OF TRUSTEES Hilary Koprowski, M.D. EMERITUS MEMBERS Professor Thomas Jefferson University Vincent G. Bell, Jr. OFFICERS Professor Laureate President The Wistar Institute Verus Corporation Brian H. Dovey Chair Faye Olivieri Kozich Peter C. Doherty, Ph.D. Nobel Laureate Harold M. Davis Ira M. Lubert1 Chairman, Department of Immunology Co-Vice Chair Lubert-Adler Management, Inc. St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
Helen P. Pudlin, Esq. Dan W.Matthias Jean Bellet Green Co-Vice Chair CEO Mothers Work Harris N. Hollin Doris Taxin President Secretary Albert Ominsky, Esq. Conquer Fragile X Foundation Ominsky and Ominsky, P.C. Ian J. Berg Isadore M. Scott Treasurer Ruth Patrick, Ph.D. Francis Boyer Chair Howard S. Turner, Ph.D. The Academy of Natural Sciences MEMBERS Seymour S. Preston, III 1 Resigned March 2008 Ian J. Berg The Millrace Group Managing Director ETF Venture Funds Helen P. Pudlin, Esq. Senior Vice President and General Counsel Robert S. Blank The PNC Financial Services Group Partner LEADERSHIP COUNCIL Whitcom Partners Samuel V. Rhoads Senior Vice President Max Berger Dani P. Bolognesi, Ph.D. Philadelphia Industrial Development Corp. MBA Equities, Ltd. Chairman and CEO B3Bio, Inc. Robert H. Rock Eric Bernstein, M.D. President Main Line Center for Laser Surgery Ira Brind MLR Holdings, LLC President Arnon Dreyfuss, M.D. Brind Investments, Inc. Gerald B. Rorer Joseph A. Goldblum Ronald J. Daniels Adele K. Schaeffer Goldblum Hess Provost University of Pennsylvania Paul J. Schmitt Scott H. Herbert, M.D. Managing Director The Rosenfeld Cancer Center Harold M. Davis Novitas Capital Abington Memorial Hospital Chairman Realen Properties Edward Sickles Richard M. Horowitz RAF Industries Inc. Brian H. Dovey Judith E. Soltz General Partner Sharon Kestenbaum Domain Associates Arthur L. Stokes, M.D. Fishman & Tobin 1 Robert A. Fox Susan R. Sullivan Susan Schwartz McDonald, Ph.D. Chairman and CEO National Analysts R.A.F.Industries, Inc. Doris Taxin Patrick M. Oates, Ph.D. Roger S. Hillas Kevin M. Tucker Wyeth Pharmaceuticals
Richard M. Horowitz George J.Vergis, Ph.D. Elizabeth A. Pesce President President and CEO Beco-Designs R.A.F.Industries, Inc. Neose Technologies, Inc. Kenneth S. Resnik, M.D. Herbert Kean, M.D. David V. Wachs Institute for Dermopathology
Daniel H. Wheeler Jim Schaeffer Ruby’s of Pennsylvania
Aubrey Watkins Merck & Company 112798W1 5/30/08 1:18 AM Page 39
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The Wistar Institute’s 2007 Annual Report was produced by the Office of Public Relations.
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Published June 2008