Hans-Peter Kiem, MD, PhD
Deputy Director
Translational Science and Therapeutics Division, Fred Hutch
Professor
Translational Science and Therapeutics Division, Fred Hutch
Professor
Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division, Fred Hutch
Stephanus Family Endowed Chair for Cell and Gene Therapy
Fred Hutch
Dr. Hans-Peter Kiem is a world-renowned pioneer in stem-cell and gene therapy and in the development of new gene-editing technologies. His focus has been the development of improved treatment and curative approaches for patients with genetic and infectious diseases or cancer. For gene editing, his lab works on the design and selection of enzymes, known as nucleases, which include CRISPR/Cas. These enzymes function as molecular scissors that are capable of accurately disabling defective genes. By combining gene therapy’s ability to repair problem-causing genes and stem cells’ regenerative capabilities, he hopes to achieve cures of diseases as diverse as HIV, leukemia and brain cancer. With preclinical models of HIV, Dr. Kiem and his colleagues have demonstrated that they can modify a key viral entry gene and prevent it from working in transplanted blood stem cells. He also hopes to apply these technologies to cure genetic blood disorders such as Fanconi anemia and sickle cell disease. He is also pioneering in vivo gene therapy approaches to make gene therapy and gene editing more broadly available and accessible to patients and those living with HIV, especially in resource-limited settings.
Other Appointments & Affiliations
Member, Pathogen-Associated Malignancies Integrated Research Center (PAM IRC), Fred HutchMember
Pathogen-Associated Malignancies Integrated Research Center (PAM IRC), Fred Hutch
Member
Immunotherapy Integrated Research Center (IIRC), Fred Hutch
Member
Translational Data Science Integrated Research Center (TDS IRC), Fred Hutch
Physician
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center
Associate Head, Hematological Malignancies Program
Fred Hutch/University of Washington/Seattle Children's Cancer Consortium
Professor, Division of Hematology and Oncology
University of Washington School of Medicine
Adjunct Professor of Pathology
University of Washington School of Medicine
José Carreras / E. Donnall Thomas Endowed Chair for Cancer Research 2009-2014
Fred Hutch
Education
Physician / Scientist track, Stanford University / Vanderbilt University, 1988-1992
MD and PhD, University of Ulm, Germany, 1987 and 1988
Research Interests
Stem cell and transplantation biology, cell and gene therapy, viral vectors and nanoparticles, and the development and use of novel gene editing technologies for ex vivo and in vivo delivery.
Current Projects
Understand basic hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) and transplantation biology and clonal composition of hematopoiesis after transplantation, especially the clonality of gene-modified HSCs.
Develop and evaluate novel virus-based gene therapy technology and nuclease technology including megaTals, zinc finger nucleases and CRISPR/Cas technology to edit hematopoietic cells with the goal to improve the treatment for genetic diseases such as hemoglobinopathies, Fanconi anemia and immunodeficiencies.
Develop novel immunotherapies for patients with HIV and myeloid malignancies.
Develop novel approaches to protect hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells for selection in vivo.
Develop novel in vivo gene therapy approaches for genetic diseases, HIV and cancer.
Develop clinical gene therapy protocols for genetic and acquired diseases, including cancer. Current target diseases include Fanconi anemia, severe combined immunodeficiency, hemoglobinopathies, glioblastoma, and HIV.
Develop less toxic conditioning hematopoietic cell transplantation protocols, especially for patients with nonmalignant diseases.
TEDx Talk
"Stem cells can do everything. If we can correct defective stem cells, we can cure diseases."
— Dr. Hans-Peter Kiem