The Wistar Institute

The Wistar Institute, founded in 1892 on the University of Pennsylvania campus, has held NCI basic laboratory designation since 1972. Hilary Koprowski and Zenon Steplewski's 17-1A antibody (edrecolomab) was among the first monoclonal antibodies tested in cancer patients; Meenhard Herlyn built one of the world's leading melanoma biology programmes and 3D skin and tumour models; David Weiner pioneered DNA vaccines, including candidates for glioblastoma; Rugang Zhang identified the ARID1A-EZH2 synthetic lethality in ovarian clear-cell carcinoma. President Dario Altieri studies survivin and mitochondrial signalling. Wistar has no clinic and translates through Penn, Jefferson, Fox Chase and industry partners.