Blog Posts

Besides groundbreaking science advanced by Wistar researchers, 2019 has seen several important accomplishments that expanded the Institute’s reach as a major player in Philadelphia’s life sciences scene, the nation and worldwide.

International Recognition 

Wistar scientists discovered a new function for a mitochondrial protein in cancer and described how specialized cells support metastatic growth in the brain.

Gretchen Alicea is a graduate student at The Wistar Institute and is enrolled in the Ph.D. Program in Cancer Biology overseen jointly by Wistar and University of the Sciences (USciences). She has a lot on her plate: She is conducting exciting research for her Ph.D. thesis, has just submitted a paper for publication and is preparing to graduate next year, all the while raising two small children. Yet, she exudes energy and enthusiasm.

Using enhanced DNA vaccine technology, Wistar scientists can speed the development of vaccines for emerging diseases creating impactful countermeasures against outbreaks.

While vaccines are considered the single most important health achievement in history, there is a mandate to stem the global threat of HIV/AIDS, headlines predict mosquito-borne diseases will infect half the globe, and many new disease catastrophes are popping up. Wistar researchers are putting their research “eggs” into two baskets: new vaccines and immune therapeutics.