The Power of Preparation: The Wistar Institute Commemorates the Opening of its HIV Cure and Viral Diseases Center
Gathering friends, local dignitaries, community collaborators, and staff, The Wistar Institute celebrated its milestone expansion and the opening of the HIV Cure and Viral Diseases Center at 3675 Market St. in Philadelphia with a ribbon cutting ceremony at the facility on June 2.
Wistar President & CEO Dr. Dario Altieri kicked off the event by speaking about the intent of the Center. “This is about the future,” he explained. “The HIV Cure and Viral Diseases Center was established with the intent to pursue science and arrive at discoveries that will have a lasting impact on the future of human health.”
Philadelphia Health Commissioner Dr. Palak Raval-Nelson said the Center played a crucial role in pursuing a cure to HIV and ultimately improving public health. “This Center continues to advance the important work of finding a cure for HIV and other diseases, and giving people hope for a healthier future.”
According to Wistar Board Chair Rick Horowitz, the Center’s location in the University City area of Philadelphia is ideal for pursuing next-generation cures and therapies. “Basic research is the bedrock of all future medicines,” he explained. “This Center allows us to collaborate externally with other leading research and biopharma organizations in Philadelphia’s ‘Innovation Corridor.’”
Dr. Luis Montaner, who was named Center Director in addition to his roles as Executive Vice President and Herbert Kean, M.D., Family Professor, said the Center is the culmination of decades of preparation. “Louis Pasteur once said, ‘Chance favors only the prepared mind.’ Today, as we open the first major expansion of Wistar science beyond 3601 Spruce St., we celebrate the power of preparation meeting opportunity.”
BEAT-HIV Community Advisory Board representative Rease Maddox also marked the event by reading a letter of congratulations from the group. “We come not just as observers, but as partners, as people whose lives have been shaped by this journey, and who carry deep hopes for the future you are helping to build,” he said.
The 25,000 square foot facility, located on the 14th floor of 3675 Market Street, is a state-of-the-art facility with open lab and office space. The configuration enables researchers to work collaboratively with other scientists and biostatisticians to accelerate the pursuit of research that has the potential to cure HIV and other viral diseases such as Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), herpesviruses, and HPV.
Ultimately, Dr. Montaner explained, the Center combines and leverages Wistar’s strengths in pursuit of a cure for HIV and other viral diseases. “The HIV Cure and Viral Diseases Center builds on Wistar’s history of strength in virology, our international collaborative networks, our industry partnerships, and importantly, long-standing alliance with communities of people living with HIV,” he said. “With the launch of this Center, Wistar makes a clear and bold statement to the world that the time to get us to an HIV cure is now.”