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- EIN 23-6434390
- (215) 898-9910
- 3601 Spruce St Philadelphia PA 19104 USA
- http://www.wistar.org
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Nonprofit Overview
Causes: AIDS, AIDS Research, Brain Disorders Research, Cancer, Cancer Research, Health
Mission: The Wistar Institute, established in 1892, is America''s first independent medical research institution. Wistar scientists are improving world health through development of vaccines; discovery of molecules; and location of genes that contribute to the development of diseases like breast, lung and prostate cancer. Their discoveries may revolutionize treatment of certain diseases, reduce unnecessary suffering, and extend useful life. Wistar scientists bred the first standardized laboratory animal, developed vaccines for rabies and German measles, and discovered a molecule that may hold the secret to fighting AIDS and cancer.
Programs: Research at The Wistar Institute is grouped into four research programs: Molecular Genetics, Tumor Biology, Tumor Immunology and Structural Biology. Scientists in Molecular Genetics are scrutinizing the genetic differences between normal and cancerous cells in order to determine why human genes choose either to enhance or suppress cancer growth. One of their primary goals is to explain the pathways and mechanisms used by DNA binding transcription factors that lead to changes in gene expression. Cancer biologists, developmental biologists and neurobiologists in Wistar's Tumor Biology Program are studying the molecular events, including cell death and differentiation, that lead to the development of tumors and metastatic disease. Scientists in Tumor Immunology are analyzing immune system functions and failures in order to develop immunotherapies and vaccines that elicit specific immune system responses to a variety of diseases, including cancer. To learn more about the functions of specific molecules, scientists in Structural Biology are examining their 3-D shapes. Their findings are making it possible to design small-molecule inhibitory drugs to halt cancer as well as inherited, infectious and degenerative diseases.