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A quest that began over a decade ago with a chance observation has reached a milestone: the identification of a gene that may regulate regeneration in mammals. The absence of this single gene, called p21, confers a healing potential in mice long thought to have been lost through evolution and reserved for creatures like flatworms, sponges, and some species of salamander. In a report published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers from The Wistar Institute demonstrate that mice that lack the p21 gene gain the ability to regenerate lost or damaged tissue.

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The Wistar Institute recently welcomed Douglas S. Briggs, Ronald L. Caplan, and Maida R. Milone, to its board of trustees.

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Wistar Institute researchers and collaborators from the University of Pennsylvania and New York University have identified immune system markers in the blood which indicate early-stage lung tumors in people at high risk for developing lung cancer. The findings, published online December 1 in Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, could lead to a simple blood test to detect lung cancer in its earliest phases, when it can be most successfully treated.

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Targeting the normal cells that surround cancer cells within and around a tumor is a strategy that could greatly increase the effectiveness of traditional anti-cancer treatments, say researchers at The Wistar Institute.

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Researchers at The Wistar Institute have identified a key gene (KLF17) involved in the spread of breast cancer throughout the body. They also demonstrated that expression of KLF17 together with another gene (Id1) known to regulate breast cancer metastasis accurately predicts whether the disease will spread to the lymph nodes. Previously, the function of KLF17 had been unknown.

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Russel E. Kaufman, M.D., president and CEO of The Wistar Institute, will receive the 2009 Professional Achievement Award from the Ohio State University Alumni Association in recognition of his superb record of distinguished career accomplishments and community service, and outstanding contributions to the fields of medicine and biomedical research.

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A team of researchers from The Wistar Institute have shown that a large non-coding RNA in mammals and yeast plays a central role in helping maintain telomeres, the tips of chromosomes that contain important genetic information and help regulate cell division. Since this RNA also facilitates the formation of DNA at telomeres—a process that can protect aging cells and destabilize tumor cells—manipulating its expression may be useful in treating cancer and other diseases.

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A team of researchers from The Wistar Institute has identified a protein that could serve as a target for reprogramming immune system cells exhausted by exposure to chronic viral infection into more effective "soldiers" against certain viruses like HIV, hepatitis C, and hepatitis B, as well as some cancers, such as melanoma.

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The winner of the 2009 Wistar Institute Science Journalism Award is John Carey, senior correspondent in BusinessWeek's Washington bureau. Carey's winning entry, which questions whether the benefits of cholesterol-reducing statins like Lipitor are overstated, is titled "Do Cholesterol Drugs Do Any Good?" For his work, he will receive a certificate of award and a cash prize of $5,000.

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A team of researchers from The Wistar Institute and the University of Pennsylvania reports new evidence refuting a popular hypothesis about the highly publicized failure in 2007 of the Merck STEP HIV vaccine study that cast doubt on the feasibility of HIV-1 vaccines. The findings were published on-line July 20 in Nature Medicine.

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Researchers at The Wistar Institute have defined a key target of an evolutionarily conserved protein that regulates the process of aging. The study provides fundamental knowledge about key mechanisms of aging that could point toward new anti-aging strategies and cancer therapies.

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Russel E. Kaufman, M.D., president and CEO of The Wistar Institute, today was formally inducted into the fellowship of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia "“ the nation's oldest professional medical organization.

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The Wistar Institute today obtained a U.S. patent for a novel synthetic vaccine technology with the potential for further development into a universal flu vaccine which could eliminate the need for annual flu shots and protect against future flu pandemics.

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The Wistar Institute and University of the Sciences in Philadelphia today announce their partnership in a new Center for Chemical Biology and Translational Medicine. Combining Wistar's strengths in basic biomedical research with University of the Sciences' expertise in medicinal chemistry and pharmacology, the partnership will enable more rapid translation of basic science discoveries into compounds with potential for refinement into new medicines and therapies for patients.

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The Wistar Institute recently welcomed Richard E. Fitzpatrick, M.D., to its board of trustees.

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Researchers at The Wistar Institute have found multiple receptors on the outside of the body's killer immune system cells which they believe can be selectively targeted to keep the cells in superb infection- and disease-fighting condition. In a study published online November 30 in Nature Immunology, the researchers describe their discovery of seven different receptors on T cells that can tamp down immune responses during a prolonged battle with an infectious pathogen or against developing cancer.

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The Scientist magazine named The Wistar Institute No. 11 on a list of "Best Places to Work in Academia," citing strengths in categories "management and policy" and "peers." The rankings, derived from surveys of scientists employed by the nation's research institutes and academic medical centers, appear in the November 1 issue.

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Russel E. Kaufman, M.D., President and CEO of The Wistar Institute, today received the Cancer Control Award from the American Cancer Society, Southeast Region in honor of his exemplary individual achievements in the field of cancer control.

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Scientists at The Wistar Institute and their colleagues have identified, for the first time, a molecule that can regulate microRNAs "“ short strands of RNA that play a vital role in gene expression and are closely associated with cancer. The discovery points the way to the development of a new generation of cancer drugs.

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A Wistar Institute researcher's novel approach to understanding genetic causes of human disease has earned him an NIH Director's New Innovator Award and grant from the National Institutes of Health.

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In battles against chronic infections, the body's key immune cells often become exhausted and ineffective. Researchers at The Wistar Institute have found a way to restore vigor to these killer T cells by blocking a key receptor on their surface, findings that may advance the development of new therapies for diseases such as HIV, hepatitis B and C, and cancer.

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Researchers at The Wistar Institute have deciphered the structure of the active region of telomerase, an enzyme that plays a major role in the development of nearly all human cancers. The landmark achievement opens the door to the creation of new, broadly effective cancer drugs, as well as anti-aging therapies.

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Wistar Institute scientists have developed a new type of enzyme inhibitor capable of blocking a biochemical pathway that plays a key role in cancer development. Based on studies in human melanoma cells, the research paves the way for developing new ways to treat cancer by dampening the overactive enzyme activity that leads to uncontrolled tumor growth.

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The winner of the 2008 Wistar Institute Science Journalism Award is Terry McDermott, a Los Angeles Times staff writer. McDermott's winning entry, a four-part investigative study of research on memory, is titled "Chasing Memory: One Man's Epic Quest for Understanding." For his work, he will receive a cash prize of $5,000. For the first time, the judges also awarded an honorable mention"”to Chip Rowe, senior editor at Playboy magazine, for his articles on male sexuality.

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Cell lines developed by Wistar Institute scientists have been made available to researchers worldwide through the Coriell Institute for Medical Research. Researchers can now access the biological materials for use in the development of vaccines and treatments for melanoma, influenza, and other deadly diseases.

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Wistar Institute scientists have collaborated on a major advance in understanding a gene regulator that contributes to some of the deadliest cancers in humans. Their research paves the way for the development of new cancer therapies. They have elucidated the structure of a segment of the enzyme p300/CBP, which contributes to pancreatic, colon, and lung cancer and also can suppress tumors.

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A new vaccine design strategy developed by scientists at The Wistar Institute could help to develop vaccines against diseases like AIDS and cervical cancer. The secret is using a herpes simplex protein called glycoprotein D to block a receptor molecule on antigen-presenting cells.

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Scientists at The Wistar Institute and their colleagues have identified two microRNAs (miRNAs) that promote tumors' deadly spread, or metastasis. One of the miRNAs may provide an early warning of metastatic breast cancer and the need for aggressive treatment. In a study in Nature Cell Biology, the researchers describe how two miRNAs transformed non-invasive human breast cancer cells into cells that rapidly metastasized in cell cultures and laboratory mice.

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Leading efforts to create an HIV vaccine have hinged on the use of viruses as carriers for selected elements of the HIV virus. Recently, however, evidence has emerged that some of these so-called viral vector systems may undermine the immune system and should not be used for vaccine development. Now, a new study from scientists at The Wistar Institute provides strong support for the idea that some viral-vector vaccines may cause more harm than good.

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Inappropriate activation of a single enzyme, telomerase, is associated with the uncontrollable proliferation of cells seen in as many as 90 percent of all of human cancers. Scientists have long eyed the enzyme as an ideal target for developing broadly effective anti-cancer drugs. Now, researchers have brought this goal closer by deciphering the three-dimensional structure of a domain, or region, of the telomerase molecule essential for the enzyme's activity.

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Both viruses and cancers subvert the growth-control machinery in a cell to serve their own needs. According to a new study, at least one virus uses mimicry to gain access to that machinery.

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A new study of immune cells battling a chronic viral infection shows that the cells, called T cells, become exhausted by the fight in specific ways, undergoing profound changes that make them progressively less effective over time. The findings also point to interventions that would reverse the changes, suggesting that novel therapies could be developed to reinvigorate T cells that become depleted in their struggle against a virus.

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So vital is the p53 tumor suppressor gene in controlling cancer that its dysfunction is linked to more than half of human cancers. Now, a just-published study reveals new levels of subtlety in the body's management of this all-important tumor suppressor gene and the protein it produces. The findings, published in Nature, also outline an important new cycle of gene-regulating modifications that may be widespread in the genome.

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A promising new HIV vaccine created at The Wistar Institute has received funding for clinical development aimed at moving the vaccine into human clinical trials as soon as possible. With $13.3 million in funding over five years starting September 1, the planned trials will be conducted under the auspices of the Integrated Preclinical/Clinical AIDS Vaccine Development Program of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

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For some time, scientists have been tracking down the sequence of biochemical steps required to attract and assemble at the head end of a gene the molecular machinery needed to transcribe that gene to put to work the information it encodes. New findings suggest that the gene-transcription machinery, once in place, can remain poised for action but held in check until a triggering signal sends it on its way down the linear DNA molecule.

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The Wistar Institute will announce the establishment of the Wistar Institute Vaccine Center. Extending Wistar's history of accomplishment in vaccine development, the new center will focus the Institute's scientific strengths in immunology, virology, and other research disciplines on creating new or improved vaccines against some of the most dangerous and widespread diseases in the world: HIV, influenza, rabies, hepatitis C, malaria, and others.

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Scientists are only beginning to appreciate the extraordinary degree of control exercised over every step of the gene-to-protein production process. Only about 10 percent of human genes, for example, are active in a given cell at a given time, with the remaining 90 percent silenced by a various mechanisms. In a just-published study in Nature, scientists report an important new gene-silencing mechanism that points to promising potential targets for anti-cancer interventions.

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The winner of the 2007 Wistar Institute Science Journalism Award is Peter Aldhous, San Francisco bureau chief for New Scientist magazine. He won for a set of articles that investigated important questions in key areas of current biomedical research, including stem cell and bioterror research.

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By adulthood, most people have suffered at least one bout of painful cold sores brought on by Herpes simplex virus 1. After the initial infection, the virus usually remains in the body, hiding out in nearby nerve cells where the victim's immune defenses cannot reach it, activating periodically to cause symptoms. Now, scientists have discovered a molecular mechanism that allows the virus to escape detection by the body's immune system for months or even years.

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Experimental vaccines to help the immune system fight tumors have rarely been designed to directly stimulate helper T cells, one of the body's most critical immune responders, because of the difficult process required to isolate and clone antigens for vaccine development. Now, a new technique may allow scientists to create a melanoma vaccine able to stimulate helper T cells.

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After an acute viral infection, some T cells generated to kill virus-infected cells remain on guard to establish long-term immunity. These so-called memory T cells, which derive from CD8 T cells, engage in a self-renewal process essential to their persistence. Now, a new study shows that the CD8 T cells produced to fight a chronic infection operate under an entirely different maintenance scheme than do the CD8 T cells that become memory T cells.

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A dynamic cast of gatekeeper enzymes controls access to the DNA for gene transcription, adding and removing particular molecules to open or close the genome as needed. Researchers have identified an important new player in this gene-control system, an enzyme responsible for removing certain molecules, or marks, involved in opening or closing chromatin, the material that makes up chromosomes.

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Tiny molecules called microRNAs are able to effectively silence large sets of genes. They do this by specifically binding to and neutralizing another form of RNA called messenger RNA. Now, a new study shows that microRNAs can undergo a kind of molecular editing, and a single substitution in their sequence can redirect them to silence entirely different sets of genes from their unedited counterparts. Further, errors in the editing can lead to serious health problems.

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In recent years, scientists have discovered that a family of enzymes called sirtuins can dramatically extend life in organisms as diverse as yeast, worms, and flies. A number of scientific groups and biotechnology companies are eagerly searching for drug candidates able to boost sirtuin activity, hoping to develop an "anti-aging" drug. Now, a new study points to another strategy for activating sirtuins to unleash their anti-aging powers.

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The popular view is that DNA and genes control everything of importance in biology. The genome rules all of life, it is thought. Increasingly, however, scientists are realizing that among the diverse forms of RNA, a kind of mirror molecule derived from DNA, many interact with each other and with genes directly to manage the genome from behind the scenes.

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Using advanced new microscopy techniques in concert with sophisticated transgenic technologies, scientists have for the first time created three-dimensional, time-lapse movies showing immune cells targeting cancer cells in live tumor tissues. Immune cells called T cells can be seen actively migrating though tissues, making direct contact with tumor cells, and killing them.

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The dynamics of evolution are fully in play within the environment of a tumor, just as they are in forests and meadows, oceans and streams. This is the view of researchers in an emerging cross-disciplinary field that brings the thinking of ecologists and evolutionary biologists to bear on cancer biology. Insights from their work may have profound implications for understanding why current cancer therapies often fail and how radically new therapies might be devised.

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Collaborating scientists from The Wistar Institute in Philadelphia and The Vienna Biocenter in Austria have identified a novel mechanism involved in normal repression of the p53 protein, perhaps the single most important molecule for the control of cancer in humans. The new molecular pathway described in the study suggests intriguing approaches to diagnosing or intervening in the progression of many types of cancer.

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In recent years, scientists studying inflammation and atherosclerosis have seen their respective fields converging, with research findings showing chronic inflammation as a driver of the atherosclerotic process. Now, in a new study, scientists at The Wistar Institute pursuing a promising new immune-system target for anti-atherosclerosis therapies have discovered another convergence: An unwanted potential side effect of any such therapies is a dangerous blood cancer called chronic myelogenous leukemia, or CML.

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The human genome keeps selected genes readily available for use while other genes are kept securely stored away for long periods of time, sometimes forever. Candidate genes for such long-term storage include those required only for early development and proliferation. Researchers have successfully determined the structure of a key two-molecule complex involved in long-term gene storage.