Highlights from Remarks by Russel E. Kaufman, M.D.,
Wistar President and CEO
Inauguration of the Wistar Institute Vaccine Center
May 31, 2007

“The Wistar Institute has a rich and long tradition of excellence in vaccines. We also have some of the most outstanding vaccine investigators in the world here. We have marshaled our resources, the institution has made a commitment to this, and by focusing our efforts, we think that we can continue to provide outstanding world leadership in vaccines.”

“We developed the German measles vaccine, the rubella vaccine, which has basically eradicated German measles in the United States…[Rubella] was a feared disease, and now there are no cases in the United States. This shows the dramatic impact of vaccines on public health.”

“Recently, through the work of a number of scientists, we developed the rotavirus vaccine. Rotavirus causes a gastrointestinal illness and a diarrheal syndrome that kills hundreds of thousands of children worldwide. It’s responsible for many hospitalizations in the United States. This vaccine was developed at Wistar, in conjunction with Children’s Hospital, and was approved by the FDA last year. This will have a profound effect on public health worldwide.”

“Diseases such as hepatitis C and cancer…This is what the Wistar Institute Vaccine Center is going to attack. And we expect to be a world leader in this. And so I am very proud of our scientists, proud of our supporters who have helped us make this a reality.”