News Releases

Wistar 2008 News Releases

Three New Members Join The Wistar Institute Board of Trustees
(April 22, 2008)

Los Angeles Times Writer Wins Wistar Institute Science Journalism Award; Honorable Mention Goes to Playboy Magazine Editor
(April 21, 2008)

The Wistar Institute Opens Center for Systems and Computational Biology (April 14, 2008)

The Wistar Institute Collaborates with the Coriell Institute to Distribute Cell Lines (March 24, 2008)

Local Principals, Teachers Attend Biotechnology Event at The Wistar Institute (March 12, 2008)

Scientists Solve Structure of Gene Regulator that Plays Key Role in Cancer (February 13, 2008)

Novel Vaccine Concept Developed by Scientists at The Wistar Institute: Protein from Herpes Virus Serves as Potent Vaccine Enhancer (January 31, 2008)

Two MicroRNAs Promote Spread of Tumor Cells: MiR-373 Could Be Indicator of Breast Cancer Metastasis
(January 28, 2008)

Photographs Taken Through Microscopes to Arrive at Wistar
(January 6, 2008)

Wistar 2007 News Releases

Why We Don’t Get Cancer All the Time: Study Sheds Light on Body’s Cell-Making Process (December 14, 2007)

Virus Used to Create Experimental HIV Vaccines Directly Impairs the Immune Response (November 15, 2007)

Telomerase Enzyme Structure Provides Significant New Target for Anti-Cancer Therapies (November 13, 2007)

Esteemed Cancer Researcher to Join New Wistar Institute Center
(November 12, 2007)

The Wistar Institute to Unveil State Historical Marker
(November 8, 2007)

How One Virus Uses Mimicry to Replicate Successfully
(October, 31, 2007)

John J. Lucas, Ph.D., Appointed Vice President of Academic Affairs at The Wistar Institute (October 19, 2007)

Immune Cells Fighting Chronic Infections Become Progressively ‘Exhausted,’ Ineffective: Potential Interventions to Restore Disease-Fighting Capability Outlined (October 18, 2007)

Smithsonian Magazine Names John Wherry One of 'America's Young Innovators': Researcher Is Part of Wistar Team Developing Universal Flu Vaccine (October 12, 2007)

Local Real Estate Developer to Receive Award from The Wistar Institute: Hal Davis and Wife Eleanor Climb Mountains for Cancer Research (October 10, 2007)

'The Bioterror Threat': Expert Panel to Discuss 'Dual-Use' Biomedical Research; 2007 Wistar Institute Journalism Award to Be Presented (Octoober 4, 2007)

Paul A. Offit, M.D., to Discuss New Book at The Wistar Institute: VACCINATED One Man’s Quest to Defeat the World’s Deadliest Diseases (September 17, 2007)

Study Details Regulation of Vital Tumor Suppressor Gene p53:
Related Modifications at Single Protein Site Seen to Have Contradictory Effects (September 5, 2007)

Novel HIV Vaccine Created at The Wistar Institute Funded for Clinical Development (August 31, 2007)

Gene-Transcription Machinery Seen Poised for Action, Held in Check Until Needed: Findings May Provide Insights into Stem-Cell Differentiation, Other Vital Processes (July 25, 2007)

12th Annual Albert R. Taxin Golf Classic to Support Brain Tumor Research (June 13, 2007)

Pennsylvania State Funding Supports Wistar Institute Vaccine Center: $4.2 Million to Pursue Universal Influenza Vaccine, Train Minority Students (May 31, 2007)

The Wistar Institute Launches New Vaccine Center:
Researchers Will Create Innovative Vaccines to Address Global Public Health Needs (May 31, 2007)

Newly Identified Mechanism for Silencing Genes Points to Possible Anti-Cancer Strategies (May 16, 2007)

The Wistar Institute Purchases Portrait of Prominent Physician and Namesake: Acquisition Celebrates Organization's Scientific, Cultural Heritage in Philadelphia (May 16, 2007)

2007 Wistar Institute Science Journalism Award Winner Announced:
Peter Aldhous, New Scientist Magazine, Takes Prize (May 10, 2007)

The Wistar Institute grants PharmaNutrients exclusive worldwide rights to Kritchevsky-CLA patented method to reduce atherosclerotic plaques; PN seeking RX partner (May 3, 2007)

"Insulator" Helps Silence Genes in Dormant Herpes Virus (May 1, 2007)

Journalist Arthur Allen to Discuss New Book at The Wistar Institute: VACCINE: The Controversial Story of Medicine's Greatest Lifesaver (April 20, 2007)

Novel Antigen-Cloning Technique May Boost Efforts to Develop a Melanoma Vaccine: Experimental Vaccines Against Other Cancers and Infectious Diseases May Also Benefit (April 15, 2007)

Former Wistar Institute Director Hilary Koprowski, M.D., Wins 2007 Sabin Gold Medal: Biomedical Pioneer to Be Honored at May 1 Ceremony (April 10, 2007)

How Do the Rules of Immunity Change During Chronic Infections? New Study Finds an Altered Immune Response to Viruses Like HIV and Hepatitis C (April 9, 2007)

Killing the Messenger RNA - But Which One?
Small Gene-Silencing Molecules Subject to Redirection by Editing (February 22, 2007)

Opening and Closing the Genome: Newly Identified Enzyme Orchestrates Access to Genes for Transcription (February 22, 2007)

The Delbert W. Johnson Prostate Cancer Symposium at The Wistar Institute: Understanding Prostate Cancer Risk, Prevention, and Treatment in African-American Men (February 10, 2007)

Does a Component of Niacin Point the Way to Anti-Aging Drugs? (February 8, 2007)

American Cancer Society Names New Chairman of Council for Extramural Grants: Dr. Russel E. Kaufman, President and CEO of The Wistar Institute (January 16, 2007)

Wistar 2006 News Releases

Wistar Recycling to Benefit John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge

Winning Photographs Taken Through the Microscope to Arrive at Wistar: Science Teachers and Their Students Invited to Tour Nikon's Small World Exhibition

Nobel-Prize Winner Peter C. Doherty, Ph.D., and Philadelphia-Area Business Leader Vincent G. Bell, Jr., Named Emeritus Wistar Institute Board Members

Peering into the Shadow World of RNA: Crosstalk Between Different Forms of Non-Coding RNA May Control the Genome

BioAdvance Announces New Board Chairman: Dr. Russel E. Kaufman, President and CEO of The Wistar Institute, Appointed

David Kritchevsky, Ph.D. (1920-2006): Longtime Wistar Institute Professor Internationally Recognized for Research on Diet and Disease

Innovative Movies Show Real-Time Immune-Cell Activity within Tumors: Insights from New View May Lead to Improved Cancer Immunotherapies

Does Natural Selection Drive the Evolution of Cancer? Emerging Field Sees Cancer as an Evolutionary and Ecological Process

Novel Regulatory Mechanism Identified for Key Tumor Suppressor p53: New Pathway Could Prove Valuable for Diagnosis, Treatment of Cancers

Promising Target for New Atherosclerosis Therapies Linked to Leukemia

Philadelphia FIGHT and The Wistar Institute Host 11th Annual Jonathan Lax Lecture: Michael Saag, M.D., and Martin Delaney to Address Current Issues in the HIV Epidemic

Senator Arlen Specter to Accept 2006 Wistar Institute President’s Award: Cancer Survivor to be Honored for His Support of Cancer Research

Structure Determined for Key Molecular Complex Involved in Long-Term Gene Storage: Genome-Management System Seen as a Natural Protection Against Cancer

Single Molecular “Mark” Seen as Pivotal for Genome Compaction in Spores and Sperm: Evolutionarily Conserved Effect Seen in Yeast, Flies, and Mice

Innovative Method for Creating a Human Cytomegalovirus Vaccine Outlined

Structure Determined for p53 Tumor Suppressor Protein as Bound to DNA for Anti-Cancer Activity

Gene-Regulating Enzyme Is Also a Target for Anti-Depressive Drugs:
Anti-Cancer Possibilities Seen for Certain Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors

Summer Update: Melanoma Research Progress Suggests Optimism for Future Cures

11th Annual Albert R. Taxin Golf Classic Tops $1 Million
Raised for Brain Tumor Research at The Wistar Institute

2006 Wistar Institute High School Biology Essay Contest Winners Named;
2006 Wistar Institute High School Summer Fellows Announced

Louis C. Washburn Fund for Cancer Research Established at The Wistar Institute

"Running for Cover" at the Wachovia Complex

Robert and Penny Fox Distinguished Professorship Established at The Wistar Institute

2006 Wistar Institute Science Journalism Award Winner Announced

New Mechanism for Essential Genome-Wide Gene Silencing Identified

Evolutionary Biology Research Techniques Predict Cancer

Melanoma Vaccine Strategy Shows Promise in Laboratory Experiments:
Approach Might Benefit a Third of Melanoma Patients

The Long Research Road to a New Vaccine:
Rotavirus Vaccine Will Protect Children Against a Major Killer Worldwide

The Wistar Institute Licenses Rubella Vaccine Seed Stock to Microgen of Russia

Wistar 2005 News Releases

New Study Expands Understanding of the Role of RNA Editing in Gene Control

The Wistar Institute Sells Partial Royalty Interest in Merck’s ROTATEQ® to the Paul Royalty Fund

Twin Molecular Scissors Link Creation of MicroRNAs with Gene-Silencing: New Insights into Vital Genome Regulation Strategy Provided

Wistar Emeritus Professor Stanley A. Plotkin, M.D., Elected to
Institute of Medicine

Molecule Crucial for Processing Non-Coding RNA Identified
Long-Standing Scientific Question Resolved

Former Wistar Board Chair Kevin M. Tucker to be Honored at Black-Tie Gala
Tucker to Receive the Wistar Award on October 22

Cancer Gene MYC Shown to Activate Gene Involved in Metastasis
Study Points to Importance of Pathway in Cancer Progression

Molecular Partners Required for Appropriate Neuronal Gene Repression

Building Better Therapeutic Vaccines for Chronic Infections
Study Finds that Poor T Cell Responsiveness Limits Current Approaches

Molecular Steps Involved in the Creation of Gene-Silencing MicroRNAs Identified
Connections to HIV and Cancer Seen

Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf to Accept Wistar Institute President's Award: Prostate Cancer Survivor to be Honored for His Support of Cancer Research

Unchecked DNA Replication Drives Earliest Steps Toward Cancer

2005 Wistar Institute Science Journalism Award Winner Announced

Enzyme Shown to Help Protect Genomic Stability:
Findings May Provide Insights into Aging and Cancer

Wistar 2004 News Releases

• Common Lineage Suggested for Viruses that Infect Hosts from All Three Domains of Life
  
  
• Study Identifies Molecular Complex Vital to Creation of miRNAs
  Possible Links to DiGeorge Syndrome, Schizophrenia Also Seen
  
  
• Initial Sensor for p53 Tumor-Suppressing Pathway Identified
  
  
• Wistar Study Demonstrates Heritability of Non-Genomic Information
  
  
• Journalist Sam Donaldson to Receive First Annual Wistar Institute President's Award Melanoma Survivor Donaldson to be Honored for His Support of Cancer Research
  
  
• Awards Ceremony for Students in Unique Biomedical Careers Program
  
  
• Findings Suggest Need for New View of p53 Cancer Protein's Interaction with DNA
  
  
• Triple-Vaccine Strategy Stimulates Strong HIV-Specific Immune Response in Monkeys
  
  
• Wistar-Discovered Antibody Will Help Diagnose Appendicitis: FDA Approval of NeutroSpecT Reflects Philadelphia's
  Biomedical R&D Strengths
  
  
• Cancer Gene MYC Emerging as Key Research Target: New Technologies Are Shedding Light on MYC’s Complex Functions
  
  
• New Insights on Sirtuins, Involved in Gene Expression and Aging:
  Structural Details Could Inform Design of Anti-Cancer Drugs
  
  
• 2004 Wistar Institute Science Journalism Award Winners Announced
  
  
• Study Suggests Insect-Derived Antimicrobial Peptides Could be Used as Drug-Delivery Vehicles
  
  
• Research to Create Lung-Cancer Blood Tests
  Receives $3.4M in Pennsylvania Tobacco Settlement Funds
  
  
• Author of New Book on the 1918 Flu Pandemic to Speak at
  The Wistar Institute

Wistar 2003 News Releases

• Science as Art: Nikon’s 2003 Small World Competition Travels to
  The Wistar Institute
  
  
• Breast Cancer Susceptibility Genes Play Role in DNA Repair:
  Novel Proteins Might Be “Guilty by Association” with BRCA1 and BRCA2
  
  
• Study Suggests New View of Gene Activation as a Dynamic Process
  
  
• Activity Detailed for Sirtuins, Involved in Metabolism, Aging, Gene Expression
  
  
• New Vaccines May Address Need to Protect Newborns in the Developing World
  
  
• Wistar Institute Launches Free "Biology in the Movies" Film Series
  
  
• Study Provides New Insights into Emerging Theory of Gene Regulation
  
  
• New Mechanism for Gene Silencing Identified:
  Discovery Suggests New Targets for Cancer Therapies
  
  
• Biomedical Careers Program Prepares Community-College Students for Success in Science
  
  
• Strategy to Treat AIDS Patients in Africa with Less Drug, Reduced Toxicity Set for Clinical Test - But Government Funding "Catch 22" May Derail Study's Launch
  
  
• DNA Arrays Diagnose, Predict Survival for Sezary Syndrome Cancer Patients - New Technology Validated, Dozens of Potential Drug Targets Identified
  
  
• Novel Flu Vaccine Shows Promise in Mice - If Successful in Humans, Vaccine Could Eliminate Annual Flu Shot
  
  
• Shelley L. Berger, Ph.D., Named to Koprowski Endowed Professorship at Wistar
  
  
• Newly Identified Molecules Contribute To Normal Silencing Of Most Human Genes
  
  
• Fighting Fire with Fire? Vaccine Based on Chimp Virus Shows Promise Against HIV

Wistar 2002 News Releases

• Wistar-Developed Antibody Shows Promise Against Brain Tumors in Drexel Trial
  
  
• Biomedical Careers Program Wins Enterprise Award
  
  
• “Ping-Pong” Mechanism Seen in Gene-Controlling Enzyme
  
  
• Wistar Participates in AIDSWalkPhilly 2002
  
  
• Newly Revealed Viral Structure Suggests a Continuum in the Evolution of Viruses
  
  
• While Some Immune Cells Aim to Fight Cancer, Others Hold Them in Check

• Essential Cell Division "Zipper" Anchors to So-Called Junk DNA:
  Mechanism May Provide Insights Into Development and Cancer
  
  
• Study Finds Link Between Common Neurological Disorder and Alzheimer's Disease
  
  
• New Insights Into Insect Antimicrobials Point the Way to Novel Antibiotics
  
  
• Wistar Director Russel E. Kaufman, M.D., on WHYY-FM
  
  
• Awards Ceremony for Students in Unique Biomedical Careers Program
  
  
• Wistar Announces Winners of Annual High School Biology Essay Contest
  
  
• Wistar Researchers Race for the Cure
  
  
• Keeping Autoimmunity in Check May Depend on Balance in the Immune System
  
  
• Herbert Kean, M.D., Family Professorship Established at The Wistar Institute
  
  
• New Gene-Silencing Enzyme Discovered:
  Implications Seen for Treating Aggressive Cancers
  
  
• Russel E. Kaufman, M.D., Appointed Director and CEO of The Wistar Institute
  
  
• Epstein-Barr Virus Mechanism for Long-Term Survival Discovered:
  Implications Seen for Treating Virus-Associated Cancers
  
  
• Chimpanzee Virus May Be Key to Better Vaccines, Study Shows
  
  
• Morphotek and The Wistar Institute Announce Collaborative
  Research Agreement on Monoclonal Antibodies
  
  
• Recovery from Spinal Cord Injury Seen in Mice When Scarring Is Minimized

Wistar 2001 News Releases

• Required Activation "Cascade" Identified for p53 Tumor-Suppressor Protein
  
  
• Structure of Virus that Infects Bacteria Offers Insights into Evolution, Therapies
  
  
• Major Reduction in Cardiovascular Diseases Seen in Mice Lacking CD44 Gene
  
  
• New Support for a "Histone Code" Theory of Gene Regulation
  
  
• Regeneration in the Mammalian Heart Demonstrated
  
  
• Graduation Day for Students in Unique Biomedical Careers Program
  
  
• Mechanism for Generating Autoimmunity-Suppressing Cells Identified
  
  
• Laboratory Study Confirms Skin Cancer Risk of Sun Exposure
  
  
• Wistar Scientists Add Difficult-to-Sequence Stretches to Human Genome Data
  
  
• Cancer-Linked BRCA2 gene Plays Previously Unsuspected Role in Cell Division
  
  
• Atomic Structure Identified for Gene-Regulating Molecule: Broad Implications for Cancer, Autoimmunity, Developmental Disorders

Wistar 2000 News Releases

• Infections May Trigger Autoimmunity Via Rare, But Normal Process
  
  
• RNA Editing Process Plays Essential Role in Embryo Development
  
  
• Common Mode of Action Likely in Gene-Activation Molecules Linked to Cancer
  
  
• Insect Defenses Point the Way to Defeating Bacterial Antibiotic Resistance
  
  
• No AIDS-Related Viruses or Chimpanzee DNA Found in 1950s-era Polio Vaccine
  
  
• Drug Treatment Interruptions Boost Immune Response to HIV in Patients
  
  
• New Gene Monitors Cell Divisions, Cancer Clinical Applications Seen
  
  
• BRCA1 Cancer Gene Plays Pivotal Role in DNA Control Complex
  
  
• Program Opens New Biomedical Career Path
  
  
• "Drug Holidays" to Counter HIV                         (Back to top)

Wistar 1999 News Releases

• Wistar Scientist Receives Award from National Cancer Institute
  
  
• Director of Partners AIDS Research Center to Give Wistar Institute's 1999 Jonathan Lax Memorial Lecture
  
  
• Director of Max Planck Institute to Give Wistar Institute's1999 George Khoury Memorial Lecture
  
  
• Director of Emory Vaccine Center to Give Wistar Institute's 1999 Tadeusz J. Wiktor Memorial Lecture
  
  
• Wistar Scientist Receives Arthritis Foundation Award
  
  
• Wistar Scientists Find Striking Similarities Between Bacterial Virus and Human Adenovirus
  
  
• The Albert R. Taxin Brain Tumor Research Center at The Wistar Institute to be Dedicated September 14
  
  
• Wistar Institute Scientist Find Key Piece in Gene Regulation Puzzle
  
  
• Doris Rousso Taxin to Be Honored at 1999 Wistar Award Gala
  
  
• Wistar Immunologists Awarded Grants to Promote the Development of Vaccines Against HIV-1 and Human Papilloma Virus
  
  
• Wistar Institute Facility Distinguished As Center of Excellence by Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania for Second Consecutive Year
  
  
• National Cancer Institute Awards Wistar Institute $6.6 Million for Melanoma Research
  
  
• Pennsylvania Voters Believe Tobacco Settlement Funds Should Be Used For Cancer Research
  
  
• Wistar Scientist Awarded American Cancer Society Grant for Research on Tumor Killing Cells
  
  
• Wistar Institute to Host Symposium on Regeneration in the 21st Century
  
  
• Wistar Institute to Host Third International Conference on Molecular and Clinical Genetics of Childhood Renal Tumors and Mitchell Ross Symposium
  
  
• Wistar Scientist Awarded Philadelphia Foundation Grant for Work in AIDS
  
  
• Wistar Professor Awarded W.W. Smith Charitable Trust Grant for Work in Heart Research
  
  
• Wistar Scientist Awarded Cancer Research Foundation of American Grant to Develop Vaccine for Human Papilloma Virus

                                                                                          (Back to Top)