"Discovering Retroviruses: Beacons in the Biosphere"by Fox Chase Cancer Center’s Anna Marie Skalka Available Now

Discovering Retroviruses: Beacons in the Biosphere by Anna Marie Skalka

PHILADELPHIA (April 16, 2019) – A new book by Anna Marie Skalka, PhD, professor emerita at Fox Chase Cancer Center, Discovering Retroviruses: Beacons in the Biosphere, has been published by Harvard University Press.

In the book, Skalka explains the history of retroviruses – approximately eight percent of human DNA contains retroviral sequences that are millions of years old – and scientists’ evolving knowledge of them.

Skalka is internationally recognized for her contributions to our understanding of the biochemical mechanisms by which retroviruses, including the AIDS virus, replicate and insert their genetic material into the host genome. Some present-day circulating retroviruses cause cancers in humans and other animals while others, like HIV, cause severe immunodeficiencies.

Anna Marie Skalka, PhD
Anna Marie Skalka, PhD
“This fascinating book aptly anchors retroviruses in groundbreaking discoveries that mark the ascent of biology over the past hundred years,” said Peter Vogt, professor at The Scripps Research Institute. “Discovering Retroviruses is elegantly written, with the clarity and insight only a leading scientist in the field can offer.”

Skalka is senior advisor to the president, professor emerita, and the former W.W. Smith Chair in Cancer Research at Fox Chase Cancer Center. She served as senior vice president for basic science at the Center from 1987 until 2008. 

Fox Chase Cancer Center (Fox Chase), which includes the Institute for Cancer Research and the American Oncologic Hospital and is a part of Temple Health, is one of the leading comprehensive cancer centers in the United States. Founded in 1904 in Philadelphia as one of the nation’s first cancer hospitals, Fox Chase was also among the first institutions to be designated a National Cancer Institute Comprehensive Cancer Center in 1974. Fox Chase is also one of just 10 members of the Alliance of Dedicated Cancer Centers. Fox Chase researchers have won the highest awards in their fields, including two Nobel Prizes. Fox Chase physicians are also routinely recognized in national rankings, and the Center’s nursing program has received the Magnet recognition for excellence six consecutive times. Today, Fox Chase conducts a broad array of nationally competitive basic, translational, and clinical research, with special programs in cancer prevention, detection, survivorship, and community outreach. It is the policy of Fox Chase Cancer Center that there shall be no exclusion from, or participation in, and no one denied the benefits of, the delivery of quality medical care on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity/expression, disability, age, ancestry, color, national origin, physical ability, level of education, or source of payment.

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