Hilary Koprowski, MD
Professor, Cancer Biology

Contact Dr. Koprowski

1020 Walnut Street
Room M-85
Philadelphia, PA 19107

(215) 503-4761

Education
Education

University Appointment
Professor, Cancer Biology
Thomas Jefferson University

Research and Clinical Interests
Dr. Hilary Koprowski is the discoverer of the first oral polio vaccine against poliomyelitis, which was based on oral administration of attenuated poliovirus. His work on polio started in 1947 and the attenuated poliovirus was fed to the first child on February 27, 1950. After vaccination of 1,000 children in the United States, Dr. Hilary Koprowski’s vaccine was the first used for mass of immunization trials against poliomyelitis, which took place in Zaire (then the Belgian Congo) where 250,000 children were immunized orally in six weeks time. At the same time, nine million children in Poland received the vaccine preventing paralytic poliomyelitis outbreaks. Today, the Western Hemisphere has been declared free of paralytic polio and eradication of polio in the world is within sight.

Besides the first polio vaccine, Dr. Hilary Koprowski was the co-discoverer of a new type of tissue culture derived rabies vaccine for both humans and animals. Dr. Hilary Koprowski and associates developed the first monoclonal antibody to be used in immunotherapy of infectious diseases and cancer. One monoclonal antibody is being used throughout the world for diagnosis of pancreatic cancer.

In 1978, use of Dr. Hilary Koprowski’s rabies vaccine in several wildlife animal species in the United States and in several European countries led to the control of rabies in these countries. Through mass vaccination of foxes in France and Belgium, it was possible to eliminate rabies from these two countries.

In the past decade, Dr. Hilary Koprowski directed his efforts toward the development of biomedical products in plants. He has succeeded in producing several vaccines in plants such as tomatoes, lettuce, and spinach and complete antibodies directed against rabies and cancer antigen in tobacco. Through cooperation with Polish scientists, it has been possible to conduct successful clinical trails with Hepatitis B vaccine in lettuce.

Publications

(This list reflects the most recent 20 publications)