Edward F. Fritsch
{{Short description|American molecular biologist}}
Edward Francis Fritsch (born June 1, 1950) is a scientist in the field of molecular biology and cancer immunology.{{cite web |title=Synthesis and structure of avian retrovirus DNA |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/302817320/37AD92330577464CPQ |website=ProQuest |publisher=ProQuest |access-date=9 November 2023}}
Fritsch completed his PhD at the University of Wisconsin–Madison under Howard Temin.{{cite web |title=About us |url=https://www.ucir.org/about-us |website=UCIR |publisher=Understanding Cancer Immunotherapy Research |access-date=9 November 2023}} His thesis was titled, "Synthesis and structure of avian retrovirus DNA". As a postdoctoral fellow under Tom Maniatis at California Institute of Technology, Fritsch entered the field of recombinant DNA by constructing the first complete library of the human genome along with Dr. Richard Lawn.{{Cite journal|last=Claiborn|first=Kathryn|date=2012-10-01|title=Gene pioneers: Donald Brown and Thomas Maniatis win the 2012 Lasker~Koshland Special Achievement Award in Medical Science|journal=The Journal of Clinical Investigation|language=en|volume=122|issue=10|pages=3383–3386|doi=10.1172/JCI66476|pmid=23193577|pmc=3461937|issn=0021-9738}}{{Cite journal|last1=Lawn|first1=Richard M.|last2=Fritsch|first2=Edward F.|last3=Parker|first3=Richard C.|last4=Blake|first4=Geoffrey|last5=Maniatis|first5=Tom|s2cid=54279445|date=1978-12-01|title=The isolation and characterization of linked δ- and β-globin genes from a cloned library of human DNA|url=https://www.cell.com/cell/abstract/0092-8674(78)90043-0|journal=Cell|language=en|volume=15|issue=4|pages=1157–1174|doi=10.1016/0092-8674(78)90043-0|issn=0092-8674|pmid=728996}}
In 1982, Fritsch, Joe Sambrook, and Maniatis wrote Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual, which was considered "omnipresent in Molecular Biology laboratories and [...] utilized to the point where it is frequently referred to as ‘The Bible’.”{{Cite web|date=2007-10-22|title=Molecular Cloning (AKA Maniatis, AKA The Bible) at 25|url=https://cshbenchmarks.wordpress.com/2007/10/22/molecular-cloning-aka-maniatis-aka-the-bible-at-25/|access-date=2020-08-19|website=Bench Marks|language=en}} Fritsch helped initiate and for four years co-taught the widely successful Cold Spring Harbor course on Molecular Cloning.{{Cite web|last=Clark|first=Jess|title=Recipes for Recombining DNA. A History of Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual|url=https://recipes.hypotheses.org/10524|access-date=2020-08-19|website=The Recipes Project|language=en-US}} Fritsch's work in molecular cloning continued at Genetics Institute, acquired by Wyeth in 1992, where he worked on the discovery and production of therapeutic recombinant proteins, including the cloning of the erythropoietin (EPO) gene.{{Cite journal|last1=Jacobs|first1=Kenneth|last2=Shoemaker|first2=Charles|last3=Rudersdorf|first3=Richard|last4=Neill|first4=Suzanne D.|last5=Kaufman|first5=Randal J.|last6=Mufson|first6=Allan|last7=Seehra|first7=Jasbir|last8=Jones|first8=Simon S.|last9=Hewick|first9=Rodney|last10=Fritsch|first10=Edward F.|last11=Kawakita|first11=Makoto|s2cid=4340224|date=February 1985|title=Isolation and characterization of genomic and cDNA clones of human erythropoietin|url=https://www.nature.com/articles/313806a0|journal=Nature|language=en|volume=313|issue=6005|pages=806–810|doi=10.1038/313806a0|pmid=3838366|bibcode=1985Natur.313..806J|issn=1476-4687}}
Fritsch then joined Phylos, Inc. to utilize a in vitro, directed-evolution technology to discover new protein therapeutics, eventually becoming Chief Scientific Officer{{Cite journal|last=Fritsch|first=Edward|title=Protein Scaffolds for Novel Anti-Cancer Agents|url=https://grantome.com/grant/NIH/R44-CA082956-04|language=en}}
He later worked with Cathy Wu and Nir Hacohen at the Dana–Farber Cancer Institute and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard.{{Cite journal|last1=Hacohen|first1=Nir|last2=Fritsch|first2=Edward F.|last3=Carter|first3=Todd A.|last4=Lander|first4=Eric S.|last5=Wu|first5=Catherine J.|date=2013-07-01|title=Getting Personal with Neoantigen-Based Therapeutic Cancer Vaccines|journal=Cancer Immunology Research|language=en|volume=1|issue=1|pages=11–15|doi=10.1158/2326-6066.CIR-13-0022|issn=2326-6066|pmid=24777245|pmc=4033902}} There he led the development of NeoVax, a first-in-class personalized neoantigen cancer vaccine through IND approval and successful execution of two clinical trials{{Cite journal|last1=Ott|first1=Patrick A.|last2=Hu|first2=Zhuting|last3=Keskin|first3=Derin B.|last4=Shukla|first4=Sachet A.|last5=Sun|first5=Jing|last6=Bozym|first6=David J.|last7=Zhang|first7=Wandi|last8=Luoma|first8=Adrienne|last9=Giobbie-Hurder|first9=Anita|last10=Peter|first10=Lauren|last11=Chen|first11=Christina|display-authors=2|date=July 2017|title=An immunogenic personal neoantigen vaccine for patients with melanoma|journal=Nature|language=en|volume=547|issue=7662|pages=217–221|doi=10.1038/nature22991|pmid=28678778|pmc=5577644|bibcode=2017Natur.547..217O|issn=1476-4687}}
In 2015, he co-founded Neon Therapeutics, Inc.{{Cite web|title=Neon Therapeutics Launches with $55 Million Series A to Develop Neoantigen-based Cancer Immunotherapies|url=https://www.fiercepharma.com/vaccines/neon-therapeutics-launches-55-million-series-a-to-develop-neoantigen-based-cancer|access-date=2020-08-19|website=FiercePharma|language=en}} (acquired by BioNTech in 2020 for $67M),{{Cite web|title=BioNTech to acquire Neon to strengthen global leadership position in T cell therapies {{!}} BioNTech|url=https://investors.biontech.de/news-releases/news-release-details/biontech-acquire-neon-strengthen-global-leadership-position-t/|access-date=2020-08-19|website=investors.biontech.de|language=en}} as Chief Technology Officer to work on personalizedcancer vaccines.{{Cite web|title=Where Are They Now? Top 3 Biotech Startups From NextGen Bio Class of 2017|url=https://www.biospace.com/article/1-where-are-they-now-top-3-biotech-startups-from-nextgen-bio-2017/|access-date=2020-08-19|website=BioSpace|language=en-US}} In 2019, he left Neon to re-join the Dana–Farber Cancer Institute and the Broad Institute to continue work on the subject.
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