Davor Solter, M.D., Ph.D.

Davor Solter, M.D., Ph.D., was an active researcher at Wistar from 1973 to 1991, rising from associate scientist to professor. Today he is director of the Max Planck Institute for Immunobiology in Freiburg, Germany.

In 1978, working with Wistar colleague Barbara Knowles, Ph.D., (http://www.wistar.org/research_facilities/knowles.htm), Solter was co-discoverer of an antibody called SSEA-1. This antibody has a particular affinity for stem cells, as well as for certain cancer cells and neutrophils, a type of white blood cell that travels through the body to sites of infection. SSEA-1 was later incorporated into an imaging agent called NeutroSpec™, approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2004 for detecting appendicitis. NeutroSpec™ is currently being investigated for use in diagnosing other hidden infections, such as bone infections, post-surgical abscesses, or even inhalation anthrax.

Solter has contributed significantly to many areas of mammalian developmental biology. His work has provided important insights into the differentiation of germ layers, the role of cell surface molecules in regulating early development, the biology and genetics of teratocarcinoma, the biology of embryonic stem cells, imprinting, and cloning. His current research interest focuses on genetic and molecular control of genome reprogramming and of activation of the embryonic genome.