MISSION:

Biotechnology Foundation, Inc., is a Pennsylvania non-profit corporation that provides funding to support medical research and promotes medical advances through biotechnology. The Foundation is dedicated to the application of the methods and tools of biotechnology and to the development of novel delivery systems for drugs and vaccines. The specific programs supported by the Biotechnology Foundation aim to:

1. Development of innovative approaches to the production of vaccines against infectious diseases, including AIDS. Within this program, plants are transfected with genes of various infectious agents in order to produce low cost vaccines. Either the plants themselves become edible vaccines, or extracts from plants are processed to produce such vaccines.

2. Designing new natural prophylactic and therapeutic agents that will be safer, more effective, and more economical than those produced by conventional technology.

3. Development of innovative approaches to study neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and multiple sclerosis. The research project involves the study of free radicals as substances damaging to central nervous system tissue.

The Foundation is governed by a Board of Directors which meets quarterly to review the progress of supported research and to discuss other issues such as fundraising and facilities. The Board includes leaders of national and international prominence, whose vast experience in technology and science development, and in civic life, contributes to the Foundation's planning and program evaluation.

At present, the Foundation allocates 100 percent of its resources to the research conducted in Biotechnology Foundation Laboratories located at Thomas Jefferson University. These laboratories were established in 1992 by Dr. Koprowski. The research team includes investigators with expertise in virology, immunology, molecular biology, and plant pathology, as well as specific skills and experience in the use of recombinant DNA to engineer viral vectors and novel vaccines. Thomas Jefferson University provides an ideal environment for this program, focused on medical research oriented towards direct clinical applications.