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Charitable gifts propel research forward

Supporting Wistar Science is a vital way to help propel research forward. Wistar offers several internal funding mechanisms designed to advance the work of early-career researchers, support high-risk, high-reward science, or help move innovations toward commercialization.

One of these funds, the Wistar Science Discovery Fund, recently supported three projects:

  • Drs. Chengyu Liang and Joseph Salvino – Discovery of small molecule inhibitors against Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) infection.
  • Drs. Irene Bertolini, Dan Claiborne and Colby Maldini– Restoring the normal function of a key cancer-fighting protein called p53 by correcting certain genetic changes, an approach that may help slow tumor growth and improve the body’s ability to detect and fight cancer.
  • Drs. Jessie Villanueva and Joseph Salvino – Development of next-generation S6K2 inhibitors that may help stop cancer

A second fund, the Vincent J. Cristofalo Fund for Aging Research, has helped advance research by Dr. Kavitha Sarma and Dr. Amelia Escolano. Dr. Sarma is studying two cellular states—senescence and quiescence—to better understand their role in age-related illnesses. Dr. Escolano is developing cutting-edge technology to observe how B cells, the immune cells that produce antibodies, respond to vaccines as people age.

The Louis C. Washburn Fund for Cancer Research awarded funding to Dr. Katherine Aird for her studies on the role of diet and metabolism in cancer. Dr. Aird studies how disrupted cellular metabolism and cell cycle regulation converge to fuel cancer progression and treatment resistance in tumors.

Finally, thanks to the generosity of the Chern family and the Dr. Ching Jer Chern Postdoctoral Fellowship and Memorial Award, two early-career researchers received support for the next steps in their scientific careers. Dr. Ignacio Rodriguez Relano, a postdoctoral fellow in the Escolano lab, received the 2-year Ching Jer Chern Postdoctoral Fellowship in 2025, while Dr. Alessio Ugolini, a postdoctoral fellow in the Veglia lab, received the 2026 Ching Jer Chern Memorial Award.

Congratulations to all the recipients on their promising research!

Watch a video of her Dr. Aird’s recent Benchmarks event below.