By Jen A. Miller
 Wistar Institute principal investigator Paul Lieberman, PhD, an expert in gene expression and regulation, was named the McNeil Professor of Molecular Medicine and Translational Research to lead the Center for Chemical Biology and Translational Medicine (CCBTM). |
In a perfect world, every discovery coming out of the lab would be shepherded into the hands of people who could take those findings and turn them into medicines, technologies, and practices that would lead to cures—and save lives.
This is not a perfect world, but a new partnership between USciences and The Wistar Institute is bridging the gap: the Center for Chemical Biology and Translational Medicine (CCBTM), a joint effort between USciences and an international leader in biomedical research that focuses on cancer research and vaccine development.
“We’re all grounded on the same concept, and the concept is innovation and creativity,” said Philip P. Gerbino P’69, PharmD’70, president of University of the Sciences, at a reception in May 2010 to introduce a new joint chair to oversee the center.
The primary goal of CCBTM is to develop and use small molecules to study and
probe the biology of living systems. It would then hopefully lead to identification of
new chemical agents that can be developed to work against biological targets like
genes and proteins known to cause human disease.
“As a result, we’re going to be able to take those resources and leverage them extensively, doing what we do really well at Wistar and being able to pass these discoveries downstream and interact with University of the Sciences,” said Russel E. Kaufman, MD, president and CEO of The Wistar Institute at that same reception. “We have two really distinct areas of experience that can be brought together.”
In 2008, the centerpiece of this partnership opened: a $1.1 million Molecular Screening Facility, that was unveiled late that year and is located at The Wistar Institute. The facility allows for advanced screening technologies that identify molecules and processes involved in the progression of cancers and viruses.
 University President Philip P. Gerbino P’69, PharmD’70 and President and CEO of The Wistar Institute Russel E. Kaufman, MD, cut the ribbon that dedicated the CCBTM , a $1.1 million lab and centerpiece for the partnership between Wistar and USciences. |
“We can now screen over 150,000 compounds that target various processes involved in cancer and in virus infection,” said Paul Lieberman, PhD, a Wistar Institute principal investigator. “Through that type of work, we really hope we will identify new entities. Then they can be moved further from hits into leads with the help of this partnership in medicinal chemistry, pharmacology, and pharmaceutical sciences. That expertise really lies at the University of the Sciences.”
Dr. Lieberman is the second part of the partnership. His role—McNeil Professor of Molecular Medicine and Translational Research—is a joint chair sponsored by USciences and Wistar to oversee the CCBTM.
The professorship was named in honor of the late Robert L. McNeil, Jr., P’38, HonDSc’70, who died in May 2010 at the age of 94 and was proud of the center’s development.
“He was a wonderful man and passionate about innovations and structures that would foster creativity and innovation,” said Dr. Gerbino. “Our conversations about what we were doing here and now, working with Wistar, were something that brought a smile to his face.”
“Wistar traditionally has been a very basic biomedical research institution committed largely to understanding the concepts of cell biology during normal and pathogenic conditions, cancer in particular,” said Lieberman. “The need for this kind of collaboration is urgent.”
This partnership, according to Russell
DiGate, PhD, provost and senior vice
president for academic affairs at USciences,
helps overcome challenges that those in the
academic world sometimes face in getting
their discoveries into the real world. “We do
not in many cases have the resources to take
something from the bench to the bedside,”
he said. “That’s where
the CCBTM comes in.
It was specifically
designed to promote
collaborative research
between two entities
so that the synergies
that occur will result
in a substantial gain in
our knowledge base.”
The timing of this partnership is crucial, added Lieberman. “The impact on individual patient lives must be seen more immediately, and the only way that can be achieved is to find ways to bring basic discoveries into a position where they can be delivered to patients,” he said. “Our vision is to translate basic discoveries into drug discovery and identify new ways in which we can treat disease.”
I am a student pursuing Masters in Bioinformatics at University of the Sciences in Philadelphia.
I was interested in CCBTM organization.
I would like to be a part of it and pursue my research in the cancer studies.
Please let me know how to get enrolled in this organization and start working.
Posted by: Shrey | 07/21/2011 at 12:36 PM