The Wistar Institute () is an independent, nonprofit research institution in biomedical science with special focuses in oncology, immunology, infectious disease and vaccine research. Located on Spruce Street in Philadelphia’s University City neighborhood, Wistar was founded in 1892 as a nonprofit institution to focus on biomedical research and training.
Since 1972, Wistar has been a National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated cancer center, and in that time, the Institute has established itself as a well-regarded research nonprofit. The NCI gave Wistar the highest cancer center rating of “exceptional” in two consecutive cancer center grant renewals in 2013 and 2018. Additionally, the Institute was ranked in the 1st percentile for Innovation and 2nd percentile overall by the SCImago Institution Ranking (SIR) and number three in US Research Institutions by Heartland Forward.
Research
Cancer Research
The Wistar Institute Cancer Center researches prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer. The center is organized in three research programs:
The Gene Expression and Regulation Program, focusing on cancer genomics and epigenetics. The Immunology, Microenvironment and Metastasis Program, focusing on the roles of the tumor microenvironment and the immune system in tumor progression and therapy response. The Molecular and Cellular Oncogenesis Program, focusing on cancer signaling networks to improve cancer diagnosis and therapy.
Wistar also maintains one of the largest melanoma research programs in the U.S. outside the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The Institute’s significant cancer research findings include the identification of genetic alterations linked to the development of blood cancer; development of the monoclonal antibody technology and its development for clinical use; discovery of molecular markers for non-invasive diagnostic tests for lung cancer and cutaneous T-cell lymphoma; and the establishment of a Wistar melanoma cell line repository.
Immunology and Vaccine Development
The Wistar Vaccine & Immunotherapy Center researches next-generation DNA-based technologies for prevention of infectious diseases — both viral and microbial — and for cancer immunotherapy.
The Institute’s NIH-funded HIV-1 research program leads a consortium of several HIV investigators nationwide who develop and test combinations of novel immunotherapies in clinical trials.
Wistar’s vaccine and immune research has resulted in the development of several significant vaccines:
Rubella Vaccine: A vaccine for rubella was developed in 1969 at Wistar and has been administered in the U.S. as part of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) combination vaccine since the 1970s. The rubella vaccination campaign resulted in the disease’s eradication in the US by 2004. Rabies Vaccines: Wistar researchers developed a human rabies vaccine in the 1970s and a rabies vaccine for wildlife in the 1990s; both vaccines have decreased the incidence of rabies infection in humans and wildlife, respectively. Rotavirus Vaccine: Wistar scientists co-created a rotavirus vaccine that was licensed by the Food and Drug Administration in 2016. The vaccine is routinely administered in the U.S. and around the world to prevent diarrheal disease in children. Zika Vaccine: Wistar contributed technology needed to develop the first vaccine for the Zika virus approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to be tested in humans. Powassan Vaccine Candidate: Wistar created a vaccine candidate against Powassan virus.
Education and training
The Institute offers several programs for education and training, including a postdoctoral program; joint graduate programs with select partnering institutions; student apprenticeships in biomedical research technician work; high school fellowships in biomedical research; and the Biomedical Technician Training Program, a joint venture between Wistar and the Community College of Philadelphia that trains community college students for work as research assistants and technicians.
History
Beginnings
The Wistar Institute of Anatomy and Biology was named for Dr. Caspar Wistar (1761-1818), a prominent Philadelphia physician and chair of the anatomy department at the University of Pennsylvania. He wrote and published the first American textbook on anatomy—A System of Anatomy: Volume 1 (1811), Volume 2 (1814).