Joseph Salvino

Joseph Salvino, Ph.D. is a Professor in the Molecular and Cellular Oncogenesis Program at The Wistar Institute's Ellen and Ronald Caplan Cancer Center. He serves as Scientific Director of the Molecular Screening & Protein Expression Facility. As the first medicinal chemist to join Wistar's staff, Salvino brings over 30 years of experience in drug discovery, including hit-to-lead development, lead optimization, and preclinical development where several drug candidates have successfully completed human clinical trials.

• Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry, Brown University
• Postdoctoral Training in Synthetic and Medicinal Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania (mentored by K.C. Nicolaou and Ralph F. Hirschmann)
• Former Professor, Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Drexel University College of Medicine
• Prior Industry Experience: Sterling Winthrop, Rhone-Poulenc Rorer, Aventis, Rib-X Pharmaceuticals, Adolor Corporation, and Cephalon

Salvino's research focuses on drug discovery and development, with laboratory work centered on early drug discovery and small molecule tool compounds for in vivo target validation. His medicinal chemistry optimization work focuses on designing new chemical analogs to understand structure-activity relationships critical for optimizing potency and efficacy. Current research projects include compounds blocking HIV and other antivirals, glutamate transporter (EAAT2) stimulators, ACSS2 Inhibitors, PROTACs targeting CDK6, Mdm2, and Tert, small molecules targeting protein-protein interactions, and cancer/gram-negative bacteria targeting pro-drugs.

Analysis of Salvino's recent publications reveals a strong focus on cancer therapeutics, particularly targeting metabolic pathways and protein degradation mechanisms. His work spans multiple cancer types including breast cancer, pancreatic cancer, leukemia, and melanoma. The research demonstrates expertise in medicinal chemistry, target validation, and development of novel therapeutic approaches such as PROTACs and transition-state mimetics.

Salvino leads an active research laboratory with several postdoctoral fellows including Adi Narayana Reddy Poli, Jitendra Gour, and Nitesh Nandwana. His research is supported by multiple NIH grants (S10OD030245 and P30CA010815), Canadian Institutes of Health Research grant (CIHR PJT-153057), and Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Special Initiatives Grant for COVID-19 research.

As Scientific Director of the Molecular Screening & Protein Expression Shared Resource, Salvino oversees facilities that closely align with the lead optimization and hit-to-lead activities ongoing in his laboratory. His recent work on SARS-CoV-2 Mpro inhibitors demonstrates the lab's ability to rapidly respond to emerging health threats through innovative drug discovery approaches.