Under his watch, Wistar Institute raised nearly $80 million and added a new research center for cancer, immunology research and vaccine development in September, but CEO Russel Kaufman is stepping down after 13 years in the role, the institute said in a statement.
Dario Altieri, Wistar’s Chief Scientific Officer will take over the role in March 2015. Altieri joined Wistar as its first CSO in 2010 and is the director of The Wistar Institute Cancer Center. He came from University of Massachusetts Medical School where he was professor and chair of the department of cancer biology,
Robert and Penny Fox Tower was designed to reflect the increased collaboration that characterizes current scientific research. It added five new floors of laboratory space and increases the potential number of labs at the Institute from 30 to 45. Each floor is designed as a large, state-of-the art, open-plan research lab to help Wistar professors and their individual research groups to work collaboratively in scientific teams.
When Investment Rhymes with Canada
Canada has a proud history of achievement in the areas of science and technology, and the field of biomanufacturing and life sciences is no exception.
When I interviewed Kaufman about the plans for the center in 2011, he said it had been in the works for several years. “The principal that’s driving the future of biomedical research is team science [consisting of] basic biologists, chemists, mathematicians, computer biologists — these teams are critical now,” Kaufman said. “One of the things that’s apparent is when teams come together, they can go together for funding…Almost no one can do it by themselves anymore. Even huge medical centers need partnerships. It’s not about shared expense, [so much as] it’s about shared knowledge and resources.”
Earlier this year, Wistar added Heather Steinman, an executive director of technology transfer and a Vice President for Business Development. It’s a newly created role and is intended to revitalize its technology commercialization activities. Steinman previously worked at the University of Pennsylvania, where she was director of the Penn Center for Innovation at the Perelman School of Medicine Office.
Wistar has a long history. It’s the first independent biomedical research institute in the U.S. and was Philadelphia’s first NCI-designated Cancer Center.
Kaufman came to Wistar from Duke University School of Medicine where he was vice dean for Education and Academic Affairs and chancellor for Academic Affairs for the Duke University Health System.
