WI-38 is a diploid human cell line composed of fibroblasts derived from lung tissue of a 3-month-gestation female fetus. The fetus came from the elective abortion of a Swedish woman in 1963. The cell line was isolated by Leonard Hayflick the same year, and has been used extensively in scientific research, with applications ranging from developing important theories in molecular biology and aging to the production of most human virus vaccines . The uses of this cell line in human virus vaccine production is estimated to have saved the lives of millions of people.
34-754: The WI-38 cell line stemmed from earlier work by Hayflick growing human cell cultures. In the early 1960s, Hayflick and his colleague Paul Moorhead at the Wistar Institute in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania discovered that when normal human cells were stored in a freezer, the cells remembered the doubling level at which they were stored and, when reconstituted, began to divide from that level to roughly 50 total doublings (for cells derived from fetal tissue). Hayflick determined that normal cells gradually experience signs of senescence as they divide, first slowing before stopping division altogether. This finding
68-733: A fellow in 1787, and he was appointed one of its censors in 1794, which place he retained until his death. In 1787 he was elected to membership of the American Philosophical Society , served as curator until he was chosen its vice-president in 1795, and on the resignation of Thomas Jefferson , in 1815, served as president until his death. He also served as president of the Society for the Abolition of Slavery , succeeding Benjamin Rush . The botanist Thomas Nuttall named
102-608: A freezer, cells would remain viable and that an enormous number of cells could be produced from a single starting culture. One of the cell strains that Hayflick isolated, which he named WI-38, was found to be free of contaminating viruses, unlike the primary monkey kidney cells then in use for virus vaccine production. In addition, WI-38 cells could be frozen, then thawed and exhaustively tested. These advantages led to WI-38 quickly replacing primary monkey kidney cells for human virus vaccine production. WI-38 has also been used for research on numerous aspects of normal human cell biology. WI-38
136-615: A problem compounded by a fire in Logan Hall , the University of Pennsylvania building that housed the museum. The Wistar Institute contains the remaining twenty-two brains of eminent physicians and scientists collected by the American Anthropometric Society . Dr. Wistar's great-nephew, Isaac Jones Wistar (1827-1905) — a prominent Philadelphia lawyer, Civil War brigadier general, and vice president of
170-514: Is an independent, nonprofit research institution in biomedical science with special focuses in oncology , immunology , infectious disease , and vaccine research. Located on Spruce Street in the University City section of Philadelphia , Wistar was founded in 1892 as a nonprofit institution to focus on biomedical research and training. Since 1972, Wistar has been a National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated cancer center, and in that time,
204-592: Is organized in three research programs: Wistar also maintains one of the largest melanoma research programs in the U.S. outside the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The Institute’s significant cancer research findings include the identification of genetic alterations linked to the development of blood cancer; development of the monoclonal antibody technology and its development for clinical use; discovery of molecular markers for non-invasive diagnostic tests for lung cancer and cutaneous T-cell lymphoma; and
238-459: Is sometimes referred to as Caspar Wistar the Younger , to distinguish him from his grandfather of the same name . The plant genus Wisteria is named for him. He was born at Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , the son of Richard Wistar (1727–1781) and Sarah Wyatt (1733–1771). He was the grandson of Caspar Wistar (1696–1752), a German immigrant, Quaker and glassmaker . He was educated at
272-538: Is the basis for the Hayflick limit , which specifies the number of times a normal human cell population will divide before cell division stops. Hayflick's discovery later contributed to the determination of the biological roles of telomeres. Hayflick claimed that the finite capacity of normal human cells to replicate was an expression of aging or senescence at the cellular level. During this period of research, Hayflick also discovered that if cells were properly stored in
306-718: The University of Edinburgh (receiving his Doctor of Medicine degree in 1786). While in Scotland he was, for two successive years, president of the Royal Medical Society of Edinburgh , and also president of a society for the further investigation of natural history. Upon his return to the U.S. in January 1787, he entered on the practice of his profession in Philadelphia, where he was at once appointed one of
340-486: The genus Wisteria in his honour (some call it Wistaria but the misspelling is conserved under the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature ). The Wistar Institute of Anatomy and Biology at the University of Pennsylvania , founded in 1892 by his great-nephew, Isaac Jones Wistar , is also named for Caspar Wistar. Wistar was a friend of Thomas Jefferson , with whom he worked to identify bones of
374-476: The megalonyx and through whom he tutored Meriwether Lewis , including recommendations for scientific inquiry on the Lewis and Clark expedition. In 1788 he married Isabella Marshall, who died in 1790. He married Elizabeth Mifflin in 1798. His brother Richard (20 July 1756 – 6 June 1821) was a Philadelphia merchant who built a large four-story store in 1790 where he conducted an iron and hardware business. With
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#1732775939501408-516: The yellow fever epidemic of 1793, he suffered an attack of the disease contracted while caring for his patients. It was his habit to throw open his house once every week in the winter, and at these gatherings students, citizens, scientists, and travelers met and discussed subjects of interest. These assemblies, celebrated in the annals of Philadelphia under the title of Wistar parties, were continued long after his death by other residents of that city. The American College of Physicians elected him
442-480: The 1980s, Institute scientists were among the first to develop antiviral and antitumor monoclonal antibodies that have been widely used as tools for basic research and to develop therapies against cancer and immune diseases. The Robert and Penny Fox Research Tower, the newest major addition to the Wistar research facility, was completed in 2014. The expansion added nearly 90,000 square feet of modern laboratory space to
476-720: The Community College of Philadelphia that trains community college students for work as research assistants and technicians. The Wistar Institute of Anatomy and Biology was named for Dr. Caspar Wistar (1761-1818), a prominent Philadelphia physician and chair of the anatomy department at the University of Pennsylvania . He wrote and published the first American textbook on anatomy — A System of Anatomy : Volume 1 (1811), Volume 2 (1814). To augment his medical lectures and illustrate comparative anatomy , Dr. Wistar began collecting dried, wax-injected, preserved human specimens. Two years prior to his death in 1818, he gave
510-459: The Friends' school in his native city, where he received a thorough classical training. His interest in medicine began while he was aiding in the care of the wounded after the battle of Germantown , and he made his first studies under the direction of Dr. John Redman . He studied medicine, first at the University of Pennsylvania (receiving his Bachelor of Medicine degree in 1782), and then at
544-560: The Institute and in laboratories around the world. By the 1970s, Wistar was devoting major effort and financial resources to cancer research, and in 1972, the National Cancer Institute designated Wistar an official NCI Cancer Center in basic research. A new cancer research building and a vivarium were erected in 1975. Wistar continued its research as an official NCI Cancer Center after receiving its designation; in
578-663: The Institute has established itself as a well-regarded research nonprofit. The NCI gave Wistar the highest cancer center rating of “exceptional” in two consecutive cancer center grant renewals in 2013 and 2018. Additionally, the Institute was ranked in 2024 in the 1st percentile for Innovation by the SCImago Institution Ranking (SIR) and third in US Research Institutions by Heartland Forward. The Wistar Institute Cancer Center researches prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer. The center
612-559: The Institute with a more collaborative lab design. As of 2023, the Wistar Institute employs 31 Principal Investigators and receives over $ 25 million in NIH funding. In July 2024, the Wistar Institute announced a $ 24 million investment to open a center dedicated to HIV research. Caspar Wistar (physician) Caspar Wistar (September 13, 1761 – January 22, 1818) was an American physician and anatomist . He
646-515: The Pennsylvania Railroad — founded The Wistar Institute of Anatomy and Biology in 1892. Approached by the University of Pennsylvania about donating to preserve the Wistar and Horner Museum, Gen. Wistar instead decided to fund a new building. His vision soon expanded to create the Wistar Institute, which would sponsor and publish new medical research and "any other work for the increase of original scientific knowledge." A plot of land
680-593: The University of Pennsylvania Campus Historic District, and the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission recognized the Wistar Institute of Anatomy and Biology with a state historic marker in 2007. At the beginning of the 20th century, The Wistar Institute began to pursue new biomedical research, particularly experimental and investigative biology, under the leadership of Milton Greenman, M.D., and Henry Donaldson, Ph.D. Between 1908 and 1910, Wistar scientist Helen Dean King, Ph.D., developed and bred
714-452: The WI-38 genome has not acquired major rearrangements such as translocations . More importantly, the de novo phased assembly confirms that the genome has in fact remained diploid and retained its heterozygosity throughout. It is therefore a good model for genome sequencing and serves as another reference genome. Wistar Institute The Wistar Institute ( / ˈ w ɪ s t ɑːr / )
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#1732775939501748-500: The Wistar rat, the first standardized laboratory animal model from which more than half of all laboratory rats today are thought to be descended. The Institute also began publishing scientific journals under the Wistar Press. Between 1905 and 1925, Wistar scientists published 227 original scientific papers, and by 1925, the Institute had solidified its reputation as a center of American biology. The modern era of Wistar began under
782-399: The collection to Dr. William Edmonds Horner, another Philadelphia physician. Dr. Horner expanded the collection, which became known as the Wistar and Horner Museum. The collection was further expanded by its next curator, Dr. Joseph Leidy , who added animal specimens , fossils and anthropological samples. By the late 1880s, the collection was beginning to show signs of neglect and wear,
816-502: The development of several significant vaccines: The Institute offers several programs for education and training, including a postdoctoral program; joint graduate programs with select partnering institutions; student apprenticeships in biomedical research technician work; high school fellowships in biomedical research; and the Biomedical Technician Training Program, a joint venture between Wistar and
850-501: The establishment of a Wistar melanoma cell line repository. The Wistar Vaccine & Immunotherapy Center researches next-generation DNA-based technologies for prevention of infectious diseases — both viral and microbial — and for cancer immunotherapy. The Institute’s NIH-funded HIV-1 research program leads a consortium of several HIV investigators nationwide who develop and test combinations of novel immunotherapies in clinical trials. Wistar’s vaccine and immune research has resulted in
884-421: The leadership of virologist and immunologist Hilary Koprowski, M.D., who served as director from 1957 to 1991. During his tenure, the Institute established its respected vaccine and cancer research programs. Wistar’s significant advancements from this period include the creation of the WI-38 cell line by Leonard Hayflick, Ph.D., and Paul S. Moorhead, Ph.D.; their cell line was used to develop several vaccines both at
918-553: The physicians to the Philadelphia Dispensary. He was professor of chemistry and the institutes of medicine in the College of Philadelphia from 1789 till 1792, when the faculty of that institution united with the medical department of the University of Pennsylvania, of which he was adjunct professor of anatomy, midwifery, and surgery until 1808. In that year, on the death of his associate, Dr. William Shippen Jr. , he
952-773: The profits, he purchased lands and houses in the vicinity of Philadelphia. During the Revolutionary War , Richard advocated the defense of his property by arms, which resulted in his being disowned by the Society of Friends. Richard was an inspector of prisons, and was one of the early friends and supporters of the Library Company of Philadelphia and the Pennsylvania Hospital. Caspar was a cousin of Revolutionary diarist Sally Wister and nephew of Samuel Morris . Wistar died on January 22, 1818, of
986-423: The virus, and can be cultured in large volumes suitable for commercial production. Virus vaccines produced in WI-38 have prevented disease or saved the lives of billions of people. Vaccines produced in WI-38 include those made against adenoviruses , rubella , measles , mumps , varicella zoster , poliovirus , hepatitis A and rabies . The WI-38 cell line was one of the first cell lines whose diploid genome
1020-519: Was given the chair of anatomy, which he retained until his death. He was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1803. For his teaching at the University of Pennsylvania, he developed a set of anatomical models—human remains preserved by injecting them with wax—to assist with the teaching of anatomy. He published A System of Anatomy in two volumes from 1811 to 1814. His fame attracted students to his lectures, and he
1054-479: Was invaluable to early researchers, especially those studying virology and immunology, since it was a readily available cell line of normal human tissue. Unlike the HeLa cell line , which were cancerous cells, WI-38 was a normal human cell population. Researchers in labs across the globe have since used WI-38 in their discoveries, most notably Hayflick in his development of human virus vaccines. Infected WI-38 cells secrete
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1088-439: Was largely the means of establishing the reputation of the school. Meanwhile, he was chosen physician to the Pennsylvania Hospital, where he remained until 1810. His reputation as an anatomist was increased by his description of the posterior portion of the ethmoid bone with the triangular bones attached, which received universal recognition as an original treatment of the subject. He was an early promoter of vaccination . During
1122-424: Was secured, and Wistar hired architects George W. and William G. Hewitt to design the museum/laboratory. The building was dedicated on May 21, 1894. Dr. Horace Jayne served as its director from January 1894 to December 1903. A bronze bust of Gen. Wistar by sculptor Samuel Murray is exhibited in the Institute's museum. The Institute's original building is a National Register of Historic Places contributing property in
1156-460: Was sequenced. This is critical because most human genome sequences have not been resolved to chromosome level, that is, it remained largely unclear which genetic variant is on which of the two chromatids . Besides being an important cell line for experimental studies (e.g. on aging), the WI-38 line is believed to have remained diploid since it was originally established in 1961. Nearly 60 years later, karyotyping by Soifer et al. (2020) showed that
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