The Wistar Institute

Bigger isn’t always better. On the cutting edge of therapeutics research, self-assembling nanoparticles from scientists at The Wistar Institute leverage the cellular manufacturing machinery of human biology to produce nanoparticles within the body – with implications of everything from potential vaccines to immunotherapies. As Dr. Jesper Pallesen of Wistar’s Vaccine & Immunotherapy Center says these technologies are vital to the future of human health. “Most of the vaccine tech on the market is ancient, scientifically speaking. So, there’s tremendous demand and need for next generation vaccine technologies like nanoparticle design to vaccinate people against all the pathogens we don’t have many defenses for.” #nationalnanoday

More than ever, biomedical research requires bioinformatics support — but just what does that entail? We sat down with The Wistar Institute’s new director of the Bioinformatics Facility, assistant professor Dr. Jozef Madzo to learn more about why his field is so vital to so many different areas of biomedical research. Read our story to learn more about how advanced coding techniques drive the research mission: https://bit.ly/3ZSrHjX #bioinformatics #coding #data #research #AI

The 2024 Penn CFAR Scientific Symposium happens Friday, October 18, and features the latest in HIV/AIDS research. Hear from renowned experts in the field, including Wistar's Dr. Amelia Escolano, who will present new work on HIV vaccine design. Register here: https://bit.ly/3Y7VvHY

The Wistar Institute extends our heartfelt congratulations to the winner of this year's Helen Dean King Award Dr. Katalin Kariko, 2023 Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine. Just as Dr. King blazed the trail for women scientists as the first female scientist at Wistar, so too has Dr. Kariko set a leading example for contributions to the development of mRNA used to create the FDA-approved COVID-19 mRNA vaccines. Thank you, Dr. Kariko, for joining us in celebrating you, our 2024 Helen Dean King Awardee. #womeninscience #nobelprize #mrna

New from The Wistar Institute’s Salvino lab: a new series of SARS-CoV-2 Mpro inhibitors could improve upon therapies for COVID-19 variants. By designing a new highly selective Mpro inhibitor, medicinal chemist Dr. Joseph Salvino and his team have identified a compound that synergizes with other antiviral treatments. “As we continue to refine the chemistry through further testing and optimization, we look forward to achieving improved potency in anti-coronaviral therapies,” said Salvino. Our story here: https://bit.ly/3XVlcKI #drugdiscovery #therapy #antiviral

Rubella, or German measles, used to be a prevalent disease in the United States – one that posed particular risk to children through congenital rubella syndrome. However, thanks to collaborative research from The Wistar Institute, a vaccine for rubella – co-administered with the vaccines for mumps and measles – has drastically reduced the number of cases, to the point that it is no longer considered endemic in the U.S. All told, the MMR vaccine has saved millions of lives around the world: a tremendous accomplishment in the face of disease. Vaccines remain one of the most effective life-preserving technologies that foundational biomedical research can produce, and Wistar continues our commitment to that mission. #nationalchildhealthday #childhealthday #vaccines

TOMORROW! Join The Wistar Institute as it celebrates this year’s awardee for the Helen Dean King Award, Nobel Laureate Dr. Katalin Karikó. Here’s your chance to hear the remarkable story of one woman’s passion for science and her journey to develop an mRNA theory that would reshape history. This virtual, no-charge event is taking place from 12 to 1pm ET. Registration closes soon – sign-up today. https://bit.ly/4dp4dG2

Join The Wistar Institute as it celebrates this year’s awardee for the Helen Dean King Award, Nobel Laureate Dr. Katalin Karikó. Here’s your chance to hear the remarkable story of one woman’s passion for science and her journey to develop an mRNA theory that would reshape history. This virtual, no-charge event is taking place from 12 to 1pm ET. Registration closes soon – sign-up today. https://bit.ly/4dp4dG2

More than 39 million people around the world live with HIV, depending on life-long treatment to manage their disease and stay alive. Wistar is committed to finding new strategies aimed not just at keeping HIV in check but eradicating it once and for all. Our researchers are working on projects to supercharge natural immune cells to attack and destroy HIV, and identify the virus' weaknesses to make it "killable." HIV researcher Dr. Luis Montaner says it best: "I am confident we will advance towards an HIV cure in my lifetime." Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/e_GSdZxr #HIVCure #GlobalHealth #BiomedicalResearch #StopHIVTogether #WistarScience

A new collaboration between The Wistar Institute’s Lieberman Lab and the Collman Lab at @Penn’s Perelman School of Medicine reveals a surprising ally of chronic HIV: RSAD2/Viperin, a gene typically associated with antiviral activity. In their new paper from The Journal of Virology, the researchers show how targeting RSAD2/Viperin reduces HIV’s activity in one of the most common HIV reservoirs — a key target in the search for a cure. “Looking closely at RSAD2/Viperin in these HIV-infected MDMs, we’ve identified yet another paradox of HIV infection,” said Dr. Paul Lieberman. “Our data show that while, yes, this is an antiviral gene that can come to the body’s defense against the virus at first, it also seems to maintain HIV’s ability to persist as a chronic infection. That makes RSAD2/Viperin a compelling candidate for further research and possible targeting of HIV reservoirs — which is critical to future cure research.” https://bit.ly/4dzObtg