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Wistar Institute is opening a new center to research vaccines that could treat and prevent cancer

The Center for Advanced Therapeutics is intended to position Wistar as an appealing research partner for pharmaceutical companies.

The Wistar Institute is planning to open a new Center for Advanced Therapeutics that will bring together its expertise in vaccines and cancer. Above, a University of Pennsylvania Penn graduate student conducts analysis of different versions of the coronavirus vaccine in 2020.
The Wistar Institute is planning to open a new Center for Advanced Therapeutics that will bring together its expertise in vaccines and cancer. Above, a University of Pennsylvania Penn graduate student conducts analysis of different versions of the coronavirus vaccine in 2020.Read moreMONICA HERNDON / Staff Photographer

The Wistar Institute, a National Cancer Institute-designated research center in Philadelphia, plans to open a new research hub to explore how vaccines may be used to treat and prevent cancer.

The new Center for Advanced Therapeutics, backed by a $20 million anonymous donation, will combine Wistar’s specialization in early-stage research in treating cancer and developing vaccines. With the new center, Wistar seeks to position itself as a research partner for pharmaceutical companies.

Such partnerships would enable Wistar to play an important role in advancing the future of cancer care, which is increasingly zeroing in on highly personalized treatments and vaccines, said Dario C. Altieri, Wistar’s CEO.

“We’ve hit a crossroads,” Altieri said of progress in the field of cancer research. “We’ve made great advances — people live longer, they live healthier — but still, there is a lot to be done.”

Founded in 1892 as the nation’s first independent biomedical research institution, Wistar is not part of a health system or university, which means it must partner with outside organizations to continue its research beyond early-stage discovery.

Wistar already works closely with University of Pennsylvania’s Abramson Cancer Center and Fox Chase Cancer Center.

Partnerships with drug companies would enable Wistar to be more involved in developing new therapies for cancer and other diseases, and could diversify funding sources for the nonprofit, which is primarily supported by federal research grants.

The center will be housed within Wistar’s Spruce Street property. The nonprofit is planning a $5-to-8 million renovation to convert 12,000 square feet of administrative space left vacant after the COVID-19 pandemic into wet labs designed for analyzing biological matter, and testing chemicals and drugs.

The renovation will include specialty rooms for radioactive materials, tissue culture analysis, and advanced laboratory equipment. Wistar expects to begin renovations next year.

The institute plans to hire between eight and 10 researchers for the new center, plus a director.