Area Foundations Support Jefferson Research Projects 

The W. W. Smith Charitable Trust
The W. W. Smith Charitable Trust of Newtown Square, PA, recently awarded grants to Ulrich Rodeck, MD, Associate Professor of Dermatology and Cutaneous Biology at Jefferson Medical College and a member of the Jefferson Institute of Molecular Medicine and the Kimmel Cancer Center, and Yuri K. Sykulev, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at Jefferson and a member of the Kimmel Cancer Center. 

Dr. Rodeck will receive $157,000 from the Trust to study whether and how transforming growth factor b (TGFb) may have a role in suppressing or supporting the malignant expression of human melanoma. This work may lead to a determination of whether TGFb could be a target of tumor therapy in the future.

Dr. Sykulev will receive $59,000 from the Trust to support his research on the role of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) in providing immunity to HIV. This research may provide important information that could aid in the development of a safe and effective vaccine against HIV. 

The W. W. Smith Charitable Trust and the Mary L. Smith Charitable Lead Trust have awarded Jefferson more than $3 million for basic and clinical research in heart disease, AIDS and cancer. In addition, The W. W. Smith Charitable Trust awarded Jefferson Medical College a special onetime grant of $1.5 million to endow The William Wikoff Smith Chair in Cardiac Research.

The Margaret Q. Landenberger Research Foundation 
The Philadelphia-based Margaret Q. Landenberger Research Foundation awarded Hui Zhang, MD, PhD, a molecular biologist who is Assistant Professor of Medicine at Jefferson, a one-year grant of $35,000. Dr. Zhang’s scientific work has resulted in significant progress in the field of human virology, most significantly in the study of retroviruses, particularly HIV-1. His research was instrumental in discovery of a new phase of the retroviral life cycle – intravirion reverse transcription – and data from his investigations have been used in the design of treatment regimens to inhibit maternal-to-fetal transmission of HIV-1. The grant from the Landenberger Foundation will enable Dr. Zhang to continue his research, which holds promise for new, effective treatment protocols for HIV-1. 

Mrs. Landenberger, whose family has received treatment at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, established her foundation in 1993. Since then, it has provided Thomas Jefferson University with more than $215,000 to support medical research pertaining to HIV-1, cancer, diabetes and vascular disease.

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