Wistar Institute: Timeline of key events

Mouseover the event title for a more detailed description of the event (if available). To search for particular terms in the description of the event enter the term in the box below 'Event' on the table and press 'enter'. Alternatively use the dropdown lists to filter by Person, Place or Science. Click here to clear the filter.

Capsar's parents were Richard Wistar and Sarah Wyatt. He was the grandson of Caspar Wistar, a German immigrant, Quaker and glassmaker.1761-09-13T00:00:00+0000Caspar had developed an interest in medicine after attending to the wounded in the aftermath of the battle of Germantown. 1783-01-01T00:00:00+0000While in Scotland, Caspar was elected president of the Royal Medical Society of Edinburgh for two years due to his 'investigation of natural history'. Caspar dedicated his doctoral thesis to Benjamin Franklin and to William Cullen, a famous Scottish physician. 1786-01-01T00:00:00+0000He also succeeded Benjamin Rush as professor of chemistry at the College of Philadelphia.1787-01-01T00:00:00+00001793-01-01T00:00:00+00001808-01-01T00:00:00+00001811-01-01T00:00:00+00001818-01-22T00:00:00+0000The Institute was founded to honour the memory of the physician Caspar Wistar and preserve his collection of anatomical models as teaching aids and to further medical knowledge. It was founded by Caspar's great nephew, Isaac Wistar, a prominent Philadelphia lawyer and former Civil War Brigadier General. 1892-01-01T00:00:00+00001894-01-01T00:00:00+0000This was announced at a Conference of Anatomists convened at the Wistar Institute1905-01-01T00:00:00+0000Nearly half of all rats now used in research are descendants from the WistarRat. 1906-01-01T00:00:00+0000A virologist, Koprowski invented the world's first effective live polio vaccine while at Lederle Laboratories. He developed the vaccine by attenuating the virus in brain cells of a cotton rat. In January 1948 he injected the vaccine into himself. The vaccine had the advantage that it directly entered the intestinal tract and provided long-lasting immunity. Within a decade the vaccine had been adopted on four continents. Koprowski went on to become the director of the Wistar Institute where in the 1960s he led efforts to improve the rabies vaccine. He subsequently became the first scientist, together with colleagues, to hold a patent for monoclonal antibodies. Born to Jewish parents, Koprowski was forced to flee Poland in 1939 after Germany invaded the country. 1916-12-05T00:00:00+0000Key developer of vaccine against rubella virus1932-01-01T00:00:00+0000Klinman was an immunologist who developed the splenic focus assay, a tool that allowed analysis of antibody production derived from single clones of B cells. He used the tool to analyse immune tolerance and immune responses to influenza. In addition he invented the splenic fragment system, a technique that helped generate some of earliest monoclonal antibodies against viral antigens and cancer. 1937-03-23T00:00:00+00001952-01-01T00:00:00+00001957-01-01T00:00:00+0000Working with Hilary Koprowski, Plotkin worked on infectious diseases, including a report on the outbreak of anthrax among millworkers1957-01-01T00:00:00+0000The phenomenon was observed in human fibroblasts (WI-38). It was named the 'Hayflick Limit' after Leonard Hayflick who discovered it. His work was published in L Hayflick, PS Moorhead, 'The serial cultivation of human diploid cell strains', Experimental Cell Research, 25/3 (1961), 585-621. The Hayflick Limit is now known to relate to genetic instability in aging cells and the development of cancer.1961-12-01T00:00:00+0000Created by Leonard Hayflick and Paul S Moorhead.1962-01-01T00:00:00+0000
Date Event People Places Sciences
13 Sep 1761Caspar Wistar was born in Philadelphia Wistar Institute 
1783Caspar Wistar received his Batchelor of Medicine from the University of Pennsylvania Wistar Institute 
1786Caspar Wistar received his Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Edinburgh Wistar Institute 
1787Caspar Wistar appointed physician to the Philadelphia Dispensary, elected to the College of Physicians of Philadelphia and to the American Philosophical Society Wistar Institute 
1793Caspar Wistar became staff member of the Pennsylvania Hospital and elected curator of the American Philosophical Society Wistar Institute 
1808Caspar Wistar appointed sole professor of anatomy, midwifery and surgery at the University of Pennsylvania Wistar Institute 
1811 - 1814Caspar Wistar published his two volumes of 'A System of Anatomy for the Use of Students of Medicine', the first American anatomy textbook Wistar Institute 
22 Jan 1818Caspar Wistar died Wistar Institute 
1892Establishment of the Wistar Institute Wistar Institute 
1894Opening of new building for the Wistar Institute designed to house its museum of anatonmical models and foster research Wistar Institute 
1905Research made the principle objective of the Wistar Institute Wistar Institute 
1906Creation of the first standardised animal model for research - the WistarRat Wistar Institute 
5 Dec 1916Hilary Koprowski was born in Warsaw, PolandKoprowskiLederle Laboratories, Wistar InstituteVaccines, Monoclonal antibodies, Infectious diseases
1932Stanley Plotkin born in New York City, USAPlotkinWistar Institute
23 Mar 1937Norman Klinman was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USAKlinmanWistar Institute, University of PennsylvaniaAntibodies, Monoclonal antibodies, Immunology
1952Stanley Plotkin graduated from New York UniversityPlotkinWistar Institute 
1957Hilary Koprowski appointed fifth director of the Wistar InstituteKoprowskiWistar Institute 
1957Stanley Plotkin assigned to work temporarily at Wistar Institute by CDC of US Public Health ServicePlotkinWistar Institute 
Dec 1961Normal cell population discovered to only be able to divide a limited number of times before it stopsHayflickWistar InstituteCell culture, Genetics, Oncology
1962WI-38 cell line developed - important to development of vaccinesHayflick, MoorheadWistar InstituteVaccine, Virology

13 Sep 1761

Caspar Wistar was born in Philadelphia

1783

Caspar Wistar received his Batchelor of Medicine from the University of Pennsylvania

1786

Caspar Wistar received his Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Edinburgh

1787

Caspar Wistar appointed physician to the Philadelphia Dispensary, elected to the College of Physicians of Philadelphia and to the American Philosophical Society

1793

Caspar Wistar became staff member of the Pennsylvania Hospital and elected curator of the American Philosophical Society

1808

Caspar Wistar appointed sole professor of anatomy, midwifery and surgery at the University of Pennsylvania

1811 - 1814

Caspar Wistar published his two volumes of 'A System of Anatomy for the Use of Students of Medicine', the first American anatomy textbook

22 Jan 1818

Caspar Wistar died

1892

Establishment of the Wistar Institute

1894

Opening of new building for the Wistar Institute designed to house its museum of anatonmical models and foster research

1905

Research made the principle objective of the Wistar Institute

1906

Creation of the first standardised animal model for research - the WistarRat

5 Dec 1916

Hilary Koprowski was born in Warsaw, Poland

1932

Stanley Plotkin born in New York City, USA

23 Mar 1937

Norman Klinman was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

1952

Stanley Plotkin graduated from New York University

1957

Hilary Koprowski appointed fifth director of the Wistar Institute

1957

Stanley Plotkin assigned to work temporarily at Wistar Institute by CDC of US Public Health Service

Dec 1961

Normal cell population discovered to only be able to divide a limited number of times before it stops

1962

WI-38 cell line developed - important to development of vaccines

Respond to or comment on this page on our feeds on Facebook, Instagram, Mastodon or Twitter.