Author: The Wistar Institute

Jonathan Lax Memorial Award Lecture Streams Globally

Written by The Wistar Institute on June 23, 2022. Posted in Press Releases.

PHILADELPHIA—(June 23, 2022)—The Wistar Institute, a biomedical research leader in cancer, immunology, and infectious disease, announces that for the first time it will globally stream its 26th Annual Jonathan Lax Memorial Award Lecture, celebrating 26 years of providing state-of-research updates to the community, on Tuesday, June 28 from 9:30 to 11:00 a.m. EST. From across the globe, scientists, activists, advocates, and community leaders will come together online to share scientific strides and community progress on the global HIV cure agenda front.

Mike McCune, M.D., Ph.D., head of the HIV Frontiers Initiative and Biotechnology Accelerator Program of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, will deliver the 26th Annual Jonathan Lax Memorial Award Lecture at this virtual, Wistar-hosted event. McCune’s lecture will highlight the ongoing efforts to reach an HIV cure that is accessible to every community across the world. This year’s global health theme will be echoed by guest speakers including Luis J. Montaner, D.V.M., D.Phil., Herbert Kean, M.D., Family Endowed Chair Professor, leader of the HIV Research Program at The Wistar Institute, and co-principal investigator of the BEAT-HIV Delaney Collaboratory; Moses “Supercharger” Nsubuga, HIV advocate-musician-radio host; Jane Shull, chief executive officer of Philadelphia FIGHT; and others.

“26 years ago, we set out to provide clinicians, advocates, and people living with HIV/AIDS in Philadelphia a state-of-research update by bringing the most important developments affecting HIV/AIDS treatment strategies or cure-directed efforts,” said Montaner. “This year we are pleased to grow our community beyond the region and country and gain a network across the Americas, Europe, Africa, and Asia. Our mission hasn’t changed, but we have grown into a global center for the most groundbreaking HIV cure research.”

“To move scientific innovation forward for all humanity, we need greater inclusion and participation in the research process and collaborations of all kinds—across people, partnerships, sectors, countries, and beyond. These are a hallmark of Dr. Montaner’s HIV research program,” said Dario C. Altieri, M.D., Wistar president and CEO, director of the Ellen and Ronald Caplan Cancer Center and Robert and Penny Fox Distinguished Professor. “That collaborative might is embodied in the BEAT-HIV Martin Delaney Collaboratory. True impact is felt through their ability to articulate HIV cure goals to communities on an international scale, thereby bringing greater awareness to the goals of HIV cure research on the worldwide stage.”

The 2022 lecture is free and open to a global audience. Register here.

The Jonathan Lax Memorial Award Lecture was established by The Wistar Institute and Philadelphia FIGHT after Mr. Lax’s death to honor his legacy by bringing distinguished speakers to a lay audience. Past speakers have included luminaries in the HIV/AIDS field such as Nobel Laureate Françoise Barré-Sinoussi, Ph.D., emeritus professor at the Institut Pasteur; David D. Ho, M.D., professor of microbiology and immunology at Columbia University; and Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

The Lecture honors Jonathan Lax, President of the Board of Philadelphia FIGHT, who died from complications due to AIDS in 1996. A successful businessman, Mr. Lax was a leading advocate for bringing information directly to people living with HIV and their families. He devoted personal resources throughout his life to helping people learn how to make decisions that would affect their health care as a person living with HIV. In the pre-internet era, Mr. Lax helped FIGHT sponsor many public forums to assure that people living with HIV/AIDS had access to up-to-date information delivered by recognized specialists.

The 2022 Jonathan Lax Memorial Award Lecture global sponsors are: Canadian HIV Cure Enterprise (CANCure), EU2Cure, Federation of African Immunological Societies (FAIS), Global Gene Therapy Initiative (GGTI), HIV Cure Africa Acceleration Partnership (HCAAP), Indian Immunology Society (IIS), Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), Joint Adherent Brothers and Sisters Against AIDS (JABASA), Penn CFAR, Philadelphia FIGHT, Philadelphia Foundation, Sociedad Argentina de Infectología (SADI), and The Wistar Institute.

Editor’s Note: All awardees will receive the Jonathan Lax Memorial Award virtually. For more information or to cover the event, contact Darien Sutton at 215-870-2048 or dsutton@wistar.org.

###

The Wistar Institute is an international leader in biomedical research with special expertise in cancer, immunology, infectious diseases, and vaccine development. Founded in 1892 as the first independent nonprofit biomedical research institute in the United States, Wistar has held the prestigious Cancer Center designation from the National Cancer Institute since 1972. The Institute works actively to ensure that research advances move from the laboratory to the clinic as quickly as possible. wistar.org

BEAT-HIV Delaney Collaboratory is part of an international consortium of more than 80 top HIV researchers from academia, industry, government, and nonprofit sectors working toward an HIV cure. The Collaboratory is leading three advanced trials to define effective ways to combine immunotherapy regimes towards a cure. BEAT-HIV.org

Philadelphia FIGHT is a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) offering HIV treatment and primary care to people living with HIV/AIDS and those at high risk, as well as community education and outreach programs on HIV, Hepatitis, and other topics impacting public health. During the COVID-19 pandemic, FIGHT has provided no barrier, walk-up COVID testing to over 19,000 people in low-income neighborhoods of Philadelphia, and partnered with ten community based organizations to bring COVID vaccines to these communities.

Wistar Scientists Identify Novel Therapeutic Approach to Re-activate Immune Response Against Tumors

Written by The Wistar Institute on June 21, 2022. Posted in Press Releases.

PHILADELPHIA — (June 21, 2022) — Due to the development of resistance to chemotherapy and recurring tumors, patients with ovarian cancer often have low survival rates. Therefore, new therapeutic options such as targeted therapy that boosts anti-tumor immunity are needed to improve ovarian cancer treatment efficacy and patient survival.

In a research paper published today in Cancer Immunology Research, Rugang Zhang, Ph.D., deputy director of the Ellen and Ronald Caplan Cancer Center, Christopher M. Davis Endowed Professor, and program leader of the Immunology, Microenvironment & Metastasis Program, at The Wistar Institute, and his team identified that inhibiting therapeutic target KDM5A boosts a person’s immune response to tumors.

“Understanding the basic mechanism guiding the infiltration of tumor-killing immune cells into the tumor microenvironment is key to leveraging the power of immune system to fight against cancer,” states Zhang.

Sergey Karakashev, a recent postdoctoral researcher in the Zhang lab and co-author on the paper, elaborates. “Tumor infiltration with immune cells is one of the best predictors for survival and for better prognosis for ovarian cancer patients. We were interested in finding a way to increase tumor infiltration with immune cells.” he says.

KDM5A is an oncogene that is often amplified in epithelial ovarian cancer and is known to repress multiple genes that are involved in tumor suppression. In this study, the scientists reveal the mechanism underpinning how KDM5A regulates immune cell infiltration and attack of tumors – by inhibiting genes involved in the antigen processing and presentation pathway. This biological pathway recognizes tumor cells and activates the immune system to invade and ultimately kill them.

“Tumor cells find a way to downregulate this antigen presenting pathway, and by doing so, they evade immune surveillance. One of the main questions for this paper was ‘How we can restore the function of the antigen presentation pathway to promote immune infiltration and immune cell activation?’” Karakashev explains.

To do this, the team conducted both in vitro and in vivo studies. In vitro, the team found that genes involved in the antigen presentation pathway were indeed upregulated when they knocked out KDM5A and saw the same results when they used a KDM5A specific inhibitor. For in vivo studies using mice and mouse ovarian cancer cells, the in vitro results were validated. According to the paper, KDM5A inhibition reduced tumor burden and improved survival of the tumor bearing mouse model. The in vivo experiments saw an increase in the presence of CD8 + cells which are the effector killing cells of the immune system. Additionally, more of these cells were activated, which means they were able to act against tumors in mice.

“This is a very early study,” Karakashev says, “We want to try more clinically relevant inhibitors of KDM5A and more models to increase the translatability of our findings to the clinic. Another interesting future direction would be to study KDM5A in other cancers as well.” The scientists hope that this paper will inspire more research into other epigenetic factors that regulate immune related pathways and see potential in combining this therapeutic target with other immune therapies to be effective against ovarian cancer.

Zhang says, “Our findings provide a scientific framework to target KDM5A to overcome immune evasion employed by cancer cells. In addition to ovarian cancer, the pathway appears to be broadly applicable to many cancer types. Thus, we believe the findings are broadly applicable and may have far-reaching implications in developing cancer immunotherapy.”

Co-authors: Heng Liu, Jianhuang Lin, Wei Zhou, Zhongping Dai, Andrew Kossenkov, Sergey Karakashev of The Wistar Institute; Renyta Moses, Ronny Drapkin from The University of Pennsylvania; Benjamin G. Bitler from The University of Colorado.

Work supported by: National Institutes of Health grants (R01CA202919, R01CA239128, and P50CA228991 to R. Zhang; K99CA241395 to S. Karakashev), the U.S. Department of Defense (OC180109 and OC190181 to R. Zhang), The Honorable Tina Brozman Foundation for Ovarian Cancer Research and The Tina Brozman Ovarian Cancer Research Consortium 2.0 (to R. Zhang), and Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance (Collaborative Research Development Grant #596552 to R. Zhang and the Ann and Sol Schreiber Mentored Investigator Award to W. Zhou #812528).

Publication Information: KDM5A inhibits anti-tumor immune response through downregulation of antigen presentation pathway in ovarian cancer. Cancer Immunology Research, 2022. Online publication.

###

The Wistar Institute is an international leader in biomedical research with special expertise in cancer research and vaccine development. Founded in 1892 as the first independent nonprofit biomedical research institute in the United States, Wistar has held the prestigious Cancer Center designation from the National Cancer Institute since 1972. The Institute works actively to ensure that research advances move from the laboratory to the clinic as quickly as possible. wistar.org.

Wistar Institute Launches Bold Science // Global Impact Capital Campaign to Rechart the Future of Human Health

Written by The Wistar Institute on June 16, 2022. Posted in Press Releases.

PHILADELPHIA — (June 16, 2022) —The Wistar Institute, an international biomedical research leader in cancer, immunology and infectious disease, announces its Bold Science // Global Impact Capital Campaign to support a five-year plan that sets out Wistar’s roadmap for accelerated progress to drive breakthroughs in biomedical science and technology and educate and train the next generation of innovators.

“A once-in-a-century pandemic taught us the critical need to be nimble—to have the scientific freedom, capacity, and agility to rechart the course of human health,” said Dario Altieri, M.D., Wistar president and CEO, Ellen and Ronald Caplan Cancer Center director, and Robert and Penny Fox Distinguished Professor. “That’s why we’re taking bold action now with an Institute-wide commitment to push forward and deliver purposeful, transformative impacts on health and life science. The ambitious goals we’ve set for The Wistar Institute could not be achieved without the committed participation of our science collaborators and the Board of Trustees, who are dedicated to advancing the vision.”

The Institute’s ambitious Capital Campaign ensures that Wistar’s vision of Bold Science // Global Impact becomes a reality. Chaired by Ronald Caplan, president of PMC Property group and a long-term member of Wistar’s Board of Trustees, the successful campaign has already raised nearly 60 percent of its $75 million goal, including an anonymous $20 million gift, since the initiation of its silent phase in January.

“In my 20 years serving Wistar’s Board, I’ve witnessed the organization’s tremendous growth as an engine of indispensable research, and now it’s poised for even greater scientific leadership,” said Richard M. Horowitz, chairman and CEO of RAF Industries, Inc., and chair of Wistar’s Board of Trustees. “My day-to-day work is focused on making investments, and I believe that being able to influence the future of society’s health through trailblazing science is one of the greatest investments you can make.”

Philanthropic support of the Bold Science // Global Impact Capital Campaign will fund the expansion of the Ellen and Ronald Caplan Cancer Center and the Vaccine & Immunotherapy Center as well as the creation of the Center for Advanced Therapeutics and the Hubert J.P. Schoemaker Education and Training Center.

The recently renamed Ellen and Ronald Caplan Cancer Center will help transform the prevention and treatment of cancer by advancing fundamental and translational research into next-generation therapeutics. This will involve expansive recruitment of new leaders in cancer research focusing on key areas of treatment resistance, metabolic and cellular reprogramming, cancer systems biology, and personalized anticancer strategies.

The Vaccine & Immunotherapy Center will strengthen the Institute’s capacity to support pandemic preparedness as well as expand pioneering research to accelerate advances in drug development – including innovative platforms for novel drug candidates to halt disease resistance, advance diagnostics, and accelerate discovery of personalized treatment strategies.

The creation of the Center for Advanced Therapeutics, Wistar’s latest interdisciplinary endeavor, will come to fruition as part of the five-year strategic plan beginning this fall. The Center will integrate computational biology, artificial intelligence, and structural biology with next generation sequencing technologies and groundbreaking immunotherapy research. The Center aims to tailor medicines with the potential to radically transform the treatment of some of the most dangerous and widespread diseases by harnessing the immune system in truly novel ways.

The Institute will also create the Hubert J.P. Schoemaker Education and Training Center, whose mission is to broaden and enhance education and mentorship opportunities for current and aspiring researchers. Distinct programs designed for high school, pre-apprenticeship, and apprenticeship education as well as graduate and postdoctoral training will create career opportunities and foster a diverse life science talent pipeline. Within the new Center, the Institute’s flagship training program will be renamed the Fox Biomedical Research Technician Apprenticeship program and undergo expansion of students and partners across the state.

View the campaign video below.

###

Wistar’s Dr. Amelia Escolano Named 2022 Pew Scholar

Written by The Wistar Institute on June 14, 2022. Posted in Press Releases.

PHILADELPHIA — (JUNE 14, 2022) — The National Advisory Committee of the Pew Scholars Program in the Biomedical Sciences, has chosen Amelia Escolano, Ph.D., Assistant Professor in The Wistar Institute’s Vaccine & Immunotherapy Center, to join their 2022 cohort of Scholars. The honor provides Escolano with a grant of $300,000 over four years, starting in August 2022. A signature piece of the award provides support for Escolano to attend the annual five-day meeting with fellow Scholars to bolster a collaborative research community over the duration of the award.

Escolano completed her education and scientific training across several countries – Spain, Finland, and the United States. Recruited to Wistar in 2021, she has since made great strides in her work on new vaccination approaches for highly mutating viruses like HIV-1. The Pew Scholar funding will support her project to develop innovative approaches to investigate the immune response to vaccination that will be the basis to eventually design universal vaccines against mutating viruses – a pressing global health challenge.

“I want to thank The Pew Charitable Trusts (Pew) for this tremendous honor and for their support of my research. I look forward to participating in the annual meeting and engaging with the incredible community of Scholars, current and past.” expresses Escolano.

Pew Scholars are chosen from a pool of highly talented, early career investigators nominated by leading scientific universities and institutions around the United States. Pew supports these Scholars with research funding as they tackle unanswered biomedical questions and improve scientific innovation. The award also opens the door to a collaborative network of scientists and mentorship from leading scientific minds from the program’s national advisory committee.

“We are extremely proud of Amelia and this outstanding recognition in one of the most prestigious and competitive venues ever—she is one of 22 Scholars across the nation selected for this prestigious award,” said Dario C. Altieri, M.D., Wistar president & CEO, director of the Ellen and Ronald Caplan Cancer Center, and the Robert and Penny Fox Distinguished Professor. “The combination of bold ideas, innovative science, and commitment to improve human health is at the core of both The Wistar Institute and the Pew Scholars program: Amelia is an exceptional candidate who embodies those values as she tackles some of the most impactful, transformative research questions in immunology and infectious diseases.

The views expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Pew Charitable Trusts.

###

Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry and Legislator Tour Wistar

Written by The Wistar Institute on June 10, 2022. Posted in Featured News.

The Wistar Institute was awarded a PAsmart grant of $650,000 from the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry to expand education and training programs further across the region and create additional opportunities for more students to prepare for careers in the growing life science industry.

On June 9, 2022, Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry Secretary Jennifer Berrier and State Senator Vincent Hughes toured the Institute to learn more about how this investment into Wistar helps bolster the Pennsylvania workforce. In addition to hearing about the various ongoing research projects, Berrier and Hughes met some of the students who are participating in the Biomedical Technician Training (BTT) Program and summer internships following the Biomedical Research Methods course offered through a collaboration between Wistar and Cheyney University.

On the tour, the visitors saw Wistar’s Training Laboratory where students engage in hands-on training in practical laboratory skills to prepare them for working in the life sciences. They heard from Maureen Murphy, Ph.D., Ira Brind Professor and Program Leader, Molecular & Cellular Oncogenesis Program, Ellen and Ronald Caplan Cancer Center, on how her research on cancer genetics in people of African descent forms the basis for coursework in Wistar’s flagship pre-apprenticeship Biomedical Technician Training Program and the Biomedical Research Methods course. The tour included visits to the Altieri Lab, Montaner Lab, and Ertl Lab to discuss Wistar’s cancer research, HIV cure efforts, and infectious disease projects and students from the BTT Program and Cheyney University spoke about their experiences.

In closing with a roundtable conversation with President and CEO Dario Altieri, M.D., and Dean of Biomedical Studies Kristy Shuda McGuire, Ph.D., the secretary and senator discussed the importance of diverse talent pipelines, providing career growth and opportunity to underserved populations, and Wistar’s integral role in forwarding these goals.

“With our newly awarded PAsmart grant, we are on track to expand our pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship programs in southeastern PA and create additional programs, offered to more students, and including more employers,” said Dr. Kristy Shuda McGuire. “In this growing Pennsylvania life-science industry, the talent pipeline is vital for cultivating the next generation of leaders in biomedical science.”

Wistar Grows its Collaborative Network Offering Internships in Biotechnology and Life Sciences

Written by The Wistar Institute on June 7, 2022. Posted in Featured News.

Wistar’s Biomedical Technician Training (BTT) Program was developed with the commitment to provide its students hands-on training and industry experience not traditionally delivered in academic classrooms.

The Wistar Institute’s training program has a rewarding history with many innovative biotechnology companies. Industry leader Integral Molecular has been involved with the BTT Program for over 10 years and has trained 15 BTT students and two apprentices – both of whom are now full-time employees. “Wistar’s educational programs help fill a critical need for lab technicians in the greater Philadelphia area to keep up with the growth in cell and gene therapy. The students come to us with a solid foundation of laboratory skills due to the excellent training through the BTT Program.” shares Sharon Willis, Ph.D., Vice President of Sales and Customer Relations at Integral Molecular.

Lake Paul, Ph.D., President and founder of industry collaborator BioAnalysis LLC, states “The Wistar Institute is an invaluable resource and partner of BioAnalysis, LLC, and we especially treasure the time we spend working with our Wistar interns. Enabling the life science interns with practical knowledge is paramount to our mission at BioAnalysis, LLC, which includes creating opportunities in underrepresented populations in the field of biophysics and analytical chemistry.”

The Institute continues to grow its education and workforce development opportunities – specifically regarding the BTT Program – with its newest biotechnology industry collaborator Chimeron Bio who is mentoring two Wistar BTT Program students this summer in nanoparticle production, quality control, and assessment – a first for the biotech company. This industry experience allows participants to learn how a biotech company operates, and engage with industry experts in a supportive learning environment.

For Lois Tolvinski, a graduate of Wistar’s BTT Program and Chimeron internship mentor, her career has come full circle, stating “The BTT Program really built that foundation for me to enter a career in the lab. I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for the program and I’m very excited to be able to provide an opportunity for the next generation of BTT students to be able to learn what it’s like to work in an industry setting.”

Chimeron Bio Founders, Dr. Jolly Mazumdar, Ph.D., MBA, and Dr. Thimmaiah Chendrimada, Ph.D., MBA, issued a joint statement – “Our internship mission aligns very well with Wistar’s philosophy of training candidates, creating opportunities in a practical and engaging work environment, advancing quality research, and being a quality player in the Philadelphia research ecosystem. We have firsthand experience with graduates of the Wistar’s BTT Program via Lois Tolvinski, Manager of Lab Operations, and a key employee in the Company. This shows that the Wistar program is working, and we are thrilled to see a past graduate mentor future interns from within the program.”

Wistar’s BTT Program expansion is currently funded by a PAsmart Grant and a grant from the National Science Foundation. Kristy Shuda McGuire, Ph.D., Wistar’s Dean of Biomedical Studies and BTT Program lead, comments, “The support we have received at the local, state, and federal level shows their belief in this Wistar program of training strong biomedical science technicians for this growing Philadelphia life science ecosystem. We are committed to providing industry training to students to propel our strong science and innovative research community forward.”

In addition to the BTT Program expansion, Wistar will also grow the Biomedical Research Technician (BRT) Apprenticeship and magnify the reach of educational opportunities for all stages of the STEM pipeline across the region – incorporating emerging talent, academic institutions, and life science businesses into an impactful network of career opportunity.

Wistar Science Synergy Through Fostering International Collaborations

Written by The Wistar Institute on May 26, 2022. Posted in Featured News.

Inaugural graduate students from Leiden University Medical Center speak to their Wistar experience.

The Wistar-Schoemaker International Postdoctoral Fellowship is a special exchange of postdoctoral fellows between our two institutes. We sat down with Katarina Madunić and Tamas Pongracz to hear more about this important science interchange and what is next in their research careers

What is your scientific expertise and how is it connected to Wistar?

Katarina Madunić: My mentor Dr. Manfred Wuhrer got to know Dr. Mohamed Abdel-Mohsen during a collaborative seminar that we organized together with Wistar and LUMC to exchange current research results. We learned very early on that we have mutual interests and might benefit from each other’s expertise. Dr. Abdel-Mohsen’s work is focused on various aspects of HIV biology and glycoimmunology. My Ph.D. was in cancer research where I studied glycosylation of colorectal cancer – specifically a largely unexplored type of glycosylation called mucin type O-glycosylation.

In my research at Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), I discovered that sugar molecules attached to proteins (glycans) are specifically expressed by tumors, yet never appear in normal tissue of the patient. This makes glycans promising targets for antibody-based immunotherapy. At LUMC, our focus is on structural glycomics where we explore which glycans are expressed in different tissues and cells in different diseases. This is complementary to Dr. Abdel-Mohsen’s lab, which has more of a focus on the role of different glycans in the immune system, and in diseases like HIV.

In HIV infection, there is an interplay between gut tissue, its glycosylation, and microbiota. Translocation of the microbiota during HIV infection causes long term inflammation leading to health complications. The key question this work is trying to answer is whether glycosylation of the gut cells is linked to the diversity of the microbiota and their translocation during HIV infection. At Wistar, I am exposed to different techniques such as lectin array and mass spectrometry to analyze gut glycosylation. My expertise is in mass spectrometry, so when I observed the data, I brought a different perspective to its interpretation.

Tamas Pongracz: Our antibodies – crucial in the fight against the SARS-CoV-2 virus – are coated with sugars in a process called glycosylation. Part of my Ph.D. research focused on antibody glycosylation signatures in COVID-19 infection. Using mass spectrometry, I identified these antibody-linked sugars and found specific coating patterns that are associated with disease severity at hospitalization. Based on these patterns, we could predict how a patient’s disease would progress. The study took place within the framework of a multi-disciplinary collaboration at LUMC, turning the pandemic into a scientifically fruitful period. This is a complementary time to be at Wistar and observing the research taking place Mohamed Abdel Mohsen’s lab. Interestingly, sugars can modify their inflammatory potential depending on how antibodies are coated —Mohamed’s lab specializes in this topic. During my time, I got to see how specific sugars affect antibody function

We are so grateful to be here and supported through this Fellowship that brings researchers from Leiden to Wistar to nurture new scientific collaborations. While we are here, the visit also has a diplomatic flavor because we are the first visitors from Leiden. We are pioneering the collaboration between the two labs.

What are some next steps for you both – scientifically and professionally?

KM: I accepted a postdoctoral fellowship in Copenhagen, Denmark on the team of Dr. Adnan Halim. There, my work will be more focused on understanding what specific function glycans have on a particular protein. My long-term plan is to come back to the Netherlands after the postdoctoral fellowship. Colon glycosylation and it’s interplay with the gut microbiota in the context of different inflammatory diseases as well as cancer is a subject that sparks my interest the most, and I would like to continue working on this subject in the future.

TP: Once we are back at Leiden, both of us will spread the news about how great Wistar is and that international collaboration is key for both institutes. I feel very much attached to glycobiology. In the future, I would like to be part of an interdisciplinary team studying the mechanistic aspects of glycosylation, a field currently gaining more and more attention.

Anything to add about your experience?

KM: Dr. Abdel-Mohsen and members of his lab welcomed us very warmly here. Samson, Ferlina, and Shalini gave us a thorough understanding of the assays they utilize. They also organized a lab night out where we went bowling and got to know each other better.

TP: Leadership has welcomed us so warmly. We dined with Anne Schoemaker—her late husband Hubert is who this Fellowship has been named after, and we heard how supportive and brilliant he was as a scientist and how human he was. That was touching, and we are very privileged to be supported by this Program. I think that this has been a great kickstart of the collaboration. We already have ideas on what to explore when we return home and it’s going to be fruitful for everyone.

Discussing the Mysteries of Melanoma

Written by The Wistar Institute on May 19, 2022. Posted in Featured News.

A Q&A with Drs. Chengyu Liang and Meenhard Herlyn on skin cancer research at The Wistar Institute, including a few questions from melanoma survivors.

Melanoma is the most aggressive form of skin cancer. Work at The Wistar Institute’s Melanoma Research Center aims to understand the biology behind the disease to help develop new therapies and improve existing treatments. In this Q&A, we spoke with Dr. Chengyu Liang, a professor in the Molecular & Cellular Oncogenesis Program at Wistar’s Ellen and Ronald Caplan Cancer Center who joined Wistar in 2020 and Dr. Meenhard Herlyn, director of The Wistar Institute Melanoma Research Center and Professor in the Molecular & Cellular Oncogenesis Program. The research they conduct aims to have impacts on melanoma patients and survivors. Thus, this National Melanoma and Skin Cancer Awareness Month, we included questions from melanoma survivors and staunch Wistar supporters Eleanor Armstrong and Pat Dean who organize an annual fundraiser walk for the Institute’s melanoma research program.

Dr. Liang, what attracted you to studying melanoma?

Dr. Chengyu Liang: My passion and curiosity! A few years ago, we identified a so-called “sunscreen” gene that helps cells to repair after they have been damaged by UV rays; and we know that UV-induced DNA damage is a major risk factor for melanoma – the most aggressive type of skin cancer. This inspired us to find out more about how this genetic sunscreen system plays in human beings and what it means to melanocytes (the origin of melanoma) and melanoma when the system is running out of order.

What are you working on now specifically regarding melanoma and what is this work’s potential impact on cancer treatments?

CL: The question that we are always intrigued by is: What makes melanoma melanoma? Compared to most other types of human cancers, one striking feature of melanoma is that its genome is flooded with mutations associated with UV-induced damage. Now, the burning questions are: What drives such genetic change? What are the molecular mechanisms underlying the UV-footprint in melanoma? Understanding these mechanisms not only enable early-risk prediction but also help oncologists and researchers to develop cancer treatments with responses that have long-term durability.

Second, melanoma originates from an easily spread and multipotent cell population, which can help explain the inborn aggressiveness and treatment resistance of the skin cancer. In addition to targeting specific pro-cancer mechanisms to kill cancer cells that are often, if not always, encountered by tumor resistance, is it possible to force cancer cells to resume the process of normal growth control or differentiation? To this end, we are trying to understand the molecular mechanisms that control melanoma differentiation. This work holds promise to identify new vulnerabilities in melanoma that can be targeted to revert the negative effects of mutations and strengthen anti-tumor immune responses to melanoma.

How important is a person’s immune system in preventing skin cancer and is there anything that can be done to strengthen a person’s immune system against melanoma?

CL: It can’t be more important! Our immune system is like the ‘shepherd’; its duty is to keep ‘sheep’ protected. Melanoma is like the ‘wolf’. A powered immune system is an experienced shepherd that could easily and quickly identify and target the wolf in the flock and clear it up. As a matter of fact, what immunotherapy does is release the built-in brake system of our immune system and revive and direct its killing energy to cancer cells.

The immune system is an ecosystem – a complex network of cells, tissues, and organs that orchestrate to maintain homeostasis to protect human bodies against internal and/or external assaults. If a well-balanced immune system is considered healthy to life, a well-balanced life would also be considered beneficial to the immune system. Many tips have been suggested such as healthy diet, exercise, mental and physical support, etc. Notably, fasting and calorie restriction (CR), have been shown experimentally and in clinical trials, to be able to slow and even stop the progression of cancer, kill cancer cells, boost the immune system, and significantly improve the effectiveness of chemotherapy and radiation therapy. With our growing understanding of this sophisticated system, we might be able to come up with more effective strategy to boost it or manipulate it to outsmart cancer.

You’ve previously done research on UV radiation causing mutations that contribute to melanoma. What are some daytime hours that have the highest risk of damaging UV radiation and sun exposure?

CL: This depends. The lighter the skin, the more sensitive to sunburn and/or skin damage by UV rays. Human skin pigmentation is an evolutionary adaptation to UV radiation. Fair skinned people may easily burn within 20 minutes of exposure to direct sunlight, thus wearing a broad-spectrum sunscreen is always encouraged. Certainly, you also want to have a strong genetic sunscreen system as noted before.

What future directions will you take your work?

CL: Our ultimate goal is to make melanoma a curable disease. The current challenge is that we still have more than 50% of melanoma patients who are not responsive to any treatment. We need to solve this puzzle. We also need to figure out what’s the right therapy to be used for the right patient at the right time. Why does therapy work in some patients, but not others? We believe that prevention is the most effective treatment of melanoma. Thus, identifying a new biomarker for early detection is equally important and urgent. All these challenges depend on a deeper understanding of the biology of melanoma as a cancer, and the biology of melanoma interaction with the human body as a system.

Dr. Herlyn, why is building the cancer research talent at Wistar important (eg. Dr. Chengyu Liang joining the Cancer Center)?

Dr. Meenhard Herlyn: Every research field needs a critical mass of researchers, both junior and senior. Any institution needs ‘new blood’, meaning investigators who may have experience, knowledge, and connections in the critical field. Dr. Liang brings important expertise not only to Wistar but the entire larger field here and beyond. Her work on DNA damage and repair fills an important gap for us.

What would you like to see for the future of melanoma research at Wistar?

MH: Melanoma has been a major focus for research at Wistar. We have developed a strong outreach program in which we collaborate not only with our colleagues at Penn but also with numerous national and international research laboratories. Melanoma research at Wistar should remain multi-disciplinary. Our strong biology is the foundation and platform for collaborations that ensure continuing progress. Melanoma investigators should incorporate cutting edge technologies and strategies. We have developed strong ties to our clinical colleagues, and we expect that in the future these ties will strengthen as our research more and more directly benefits patients. Thus, we not only translate research from bedside-to-bench but also from bench-to-bedside.

Why are supporters such as those fundraising and donating to the Institute important?

MH: There are many areas of research that are essential to run a successful program but that cannot be funded through National Institute of Health or industry grants. For example, there are meetings with other scientists to exchange ideas and develop new collaborative strategies, seed funding for new projects that are still in the exploratory phase, collaborations with clinicians for specimens and preparing reagents for diagnostic studies, developing high risk/high gain projects and ideas, and obtaining new research tools. Supporters like our donors and fundraisers are integral to our work at Wistar, without whom we could not have as great an impact as we do.

A Cheyney University student working in a Wistar Lab

Spotlighting Wistar’s Cheyney University Student Scientists

Written by The Wistar Institute on May 5, 2022. Posted in Featured News.

Read some reflections from the Cheyney University students who participated in Wistar’s Biomedical Research Methods course during Spring 2022.

Lights, lab coats, action! The click of pipettes and low murmur of voices fill the open lab space as students set up experiments. Each undergrad is seated at their own lab station equipped with a row of pipettes, colorful tube holders, and other tools they need for today’s lesson. It is one of the final weeks of Wistar’s Biomedical Research Methods course, taught by Dr. Kristy Shuda McGuire, The Wistar Institute dean of Biomedical Studies, and Dr. Ian Tietjen, research assistant professor in Wistar’s Montaner Lab.

This educational collaboration between The Wistar Institute and Cheyney University engages STEM undergraduates in a hands-on laboratory experience focused on practical bench skills including cutting-edge biomedical research techniques. The students are working on real Wistar science with a focus on cancer biology. The curriculum uses a project based on Wistar research from the laboratory Dr. Maureen Murphy, program leader, Molecular & Cellular Oncogenesis Program, Ellen and Ronald Caplan Cancer Center, which centers on African-centric variants of the p53 tumor suppressor gene—the most frequently mutated gene in cancer. Once students successfully complete the course, they have opportunities to continue conducting research through summer internships at Wistar.

Below are some students’ reflections of the BRM course.

“I got to do some of the things here that we only spoke about in virtual lab, so actually pouring the agar plates was really cool. I really liked that, and it was so fun.”

– Sophia Kurian, sophomore. She is studying biology with an interest in pursuing a career involving forensic science and plans to continue research at Wistar through the summer internship program.

“I took this course because I wanted to get a research background. It’s a very fun environment and a program that really showed me practical applications of science. It made me realize science is a lot more of an art. … My favorite skill to learn was definitely working with cell lines in the cell culture lab. I loved using the aspirator.”

– Abdiel Mandella Reynolds, sophomore. He is studying biology with a pre-medicine focus and plans to go to med school. He plans to continue research at Wistar through the summer internship program.

“I picked Wistar’s course because of the hands-on experience. I started school during the pandemic, and it was so different. But here, we get that in-person, hands-on experience, that allows us a broader understanding of science in a lab.”

– Michelle Lucas, sophomore. She is studying biology and her current career goal is to be a travel nurse.

“This course really makes you think about how people use certain tools or mechanisms for all these different applications. It shows you how to use different devices and use your knowledge in a lab. I heard that researchers from UPenn come over here to use some of these really advanced tools which is something I’m happy that I’m around.”

– Mohamedanwar Idress, sophomore. He is studying biology with a pre-medicine focus and plans to go to med school.

Wistar’s Shark Tank Pitch Competition Goes Swimmingly

Written by The Wistar Institute on May 4, 2022. Posted in Featured News.

The hybrid event marked the conclusion of the Institute’s Life Science Innovation Course that provides experience in biotechnology entrepreneurship.

Students enrolled in The Wistar Institute’s Life Science Innovation course entered the shark tank. They shrugged off nerves, put their best selves forward, and made mock business pitches to a panel of expert biotechnology investors. The students had been preparing their pitch in teams based off technology leveraging Wistar intellectual property and interacted with inventor scientists and industry experts to design solutions to development and commercialization issues.

The competition included pitches from Wistar predoctoral students, Wistar postdocs, Wi-Star interns, and undergraduate students from Cheyney University and La Salle University. Pitch topics covered unique biotechnology and scientific discoveries with clinical potential such as HIV and pregnancy biomarkers and diagnostic testing for ovarian cancer and COVID-19.

The panel of judges included Anthony Green, Ph.D., chief scientific officer of Ben Franklin Technology Partners; Donna Cordner, cofounder and managing partner of OKM Capital; and Tom Penn, partner of MVP Capital Partners. After each pitch, the judges evaluated the teams and discussed detailed breakdowns of investment plans, appropriate funding requests, important legal distinctions around Intellectual Property, and establishing an appropriate market model.

“The Shark Tank event is the culmination of months of effort by teams of undergraduate students and Wistar trainees to develop compelling business strategies for Wistar technologies. By examining the complexity of technology commercialization, participants have expanded their understanding of translational science and will hopefully be inspired to apply an entrepreneurial lens to their own research.” says David Zuzga, Ph.D, associate dean of Biomedical Studies.

A reception followed the competition. Please see the album below for photos of the event.