SEATTLE — Oct. 8, 2024 — Below are summaries of recent Fred Hutch Cancer Center research findings, patient stories and other news.
October is the awareness month for breast and liver cancers. Reach out to media@fredhutch.org if you’re looking for experts.
Advancements at Fred Hutch
Cancer centers launch Cancer AI Alliance to unlock discoveries, transform care using cancer data and applied AI
Four NCI-designated cancer centers — the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Fred Hutch Cancer Center, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center and Whiting School of Engineering at Johns Hopkins — have joined forces to create the Cancer AI Alliance (CAIA). With funding from the tech industry, CAIA will apply AI to collective data to unlock insights that will transform cancer research and care. Fred Hutch, which spearheaded the formation, will serve as the alliance’s coordinating center.
Media contact: media@fredhutch.org
Fred Hutch expands South Lake Union campus with acquisition of 1165 Eastlake Avenue and joint venture partnership in 1201 and 1208 Eastlake Avenue
Fred Hutch has added over 300,000 square feet of research, lab and adaptable space through an agreement through an acquisition and joint partnership of three buildings. The investment replaces plans for a new building funded by gifts from Stuart and Molly Sloan and the Bezos family.
Media contact: Kat Wynn, kwynn@fredhutch.org
Clinical research
Zeroing in on vaginal microbes
Nearly two-thirds of new HIV infections in sub-Saharan Africa occur in women, with bacterial vaginosis (BV) raising this risk. BV is the overgrowth of bacteria in the vaginal microbiome. Published in The Journal of Infectious Diseases, Fred Hutch scientists and a team of global organizers discovered 14 BV-associated bacteria causing the highest risk of HIV infection. Microbiologist David Fredricks, MD, says these findings can support providing individuals identified at a higher risk with intervening treatments.
Media contact: Claire Hudson, chudson@fredhutch.org
Clinical cancer research in the U.S. is increasingly dominated by pharmaceutical industry sponsors, study finds
Research published in The Journal of Clinical Oncology has identified a substantial increase in pharmaceutical industry-sponsored clinical trials. The data, also presented at the ASCO Quality Care Symposium, show that industry-sponsored trials enrolled over eight times more patients than federally sponsored trials, and 10 times more for adult-specific trials. According to Joe Unger, PhD, MS, federally-funded trials play a critical role in promoting demographic diversity and covering a broader set of clinical research.
Media contact: Claire Hudson, chudson@fredhutch.org
New research grants
Priming the pump for future funding
Adrianne Wallace-Povirk, PhD, and Anderson Frank, PhD, have each received a Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award Individual Postdoctoral Fellowship. Wallace-Povirk won a two-year fellowship to find new drug targets and anticipate potential drug resistance combatting a particularly aggressive form of pancreatic cancer. Frank won a three-year fellowship to better understand a complex cellular mechanism that helps cells properly divide.
Media contact: Molly McElroy, mwmcelroy@fredhutch.org
Making the most of a small supply
Fred Hutch researchers received $1.3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Defense to study five rare liver cancers. Taran Gujral, PhD, and Raymond Yeung, MD, will use this funding to study the molecular biology of rare liver tumors, which will be shared publicly through the TRACER program which Gujral directs. Data generated by the Gujral lab aims to accelerate the development of possible drugs and therapies.
Media contact: Molly McElroy, mwmcelroy@fredhutch.org
Diversity, equity and inclusion
Fred Hutch launches Atlas of Inspiring Hispanic/Latinx Scientists
Last month Fred Hutch, led by Christina Termini, PhD, MM, launched the Atlas of Inspiring Hispanic/Latinx Scientists, an online resource with over 380 scientists to foster community and mentorship opportunities. A National Science Foundation report showed that while the proportion of Hispanic and Latinx individuals in STEM fields rose from 11% to 15% from 2011 to 2021, 2022 data showed only 6% of post-secondary faculty members were Hispanic. According to Termini, the atlas is a step towards advancing representation in the scientific community.
Media contact: Claire Hudson, chudson@fredhutch.org
Fred Hutch Science Education Partnership receives $1.35M grant
The Science Education Partnership (SEP) received a $1.35 million, five-year grant earlier this year from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences. The award will launch a science education and training program called Reducing Inequities by Promoting Participatory Learning Experiences in Sciences (RIPPLES). RIPPLES aims to encourage underrepresented middle and high school students to pursue STEM fields and advance health disparities research. Jeanne Ting Chowning, PhD, is the program’s principal investigator.
Media contact: Kat Wynn, kwynn@fredhutch.org
Cancer Health Equity Now podcast: What is a clinical trial?
This episode of Fred Hutch’s Office of Community Outreach and Engagement’s podcast features Andrea Suzuki, patient navigator, and Lucy Echevarria, bilingual clinical trial specialist with the National Cancer Institute. Suzuki and Echevarria share resources and discuss common questions and misconceptions around clinical trials.
Media contact: Kat Wynn, kwynn@fredhutch.org
Volunteer stories
Volunteering strikes a chord with piano teacher
During treatment for acute myeloid leukemia, piano teacher Michelle Park vowed to play piano at Fred Hutch. Park’s treatment involved a bone marrow transplant and Phase 1 clinical trial recommended by Bart Scott, MD, holder of the Miklos Kohary and Natalia Zimonyi Kohary Chair. Despite contending with graft-versus-host disease when she first began, Park has been playing piano as a volunteer for over six years.
Media contact: media@fredhutch.org
Almost as good as delivering flowers
Bill Conquergood is one of a dozen volunteer drivers that transport out-of-state patients to and from the airport. Conquergood, a retired contract negotiator, shared some of his many stories with Fred Hutch patients and their families.
Media contact: media@fredhutch.org
A prescription for retail therapy
Every Friday Kalisa Owens and her mother Marlo Burkey volunteer at the Fred Hutch gift shop. Owens was diagnosed with colon cancer seven years ago at age 30 and Burkey was her caretaker. Owens is currently receiving her follow-up care at Fred Hutch. The pair reflect on their connections with patients and visitors.
Media contact: media@fredhutch.org
Volunteer patient advocate can’t help helping others
Stefanie LeJeunesse, a volunteer patient advocate currently receiving care for stage 4 breast cancer, has been a community organizer since childhood. Today she hosts a podcast, attends events and runs a Breast Cancer Care — a van providing information and support. According to LeJeunesse’s medical oncologist Rachel Yung, MD, patient advocates have been pivotal in advancing research.
Media contact: media@fredhutch.org
Vaccine trial volunteer works to empower her community, end HIV
Tasia Baldwin works as a Seattle Vaccine Trials Unit (SVTU) Community Advisory Board member, a Fred Hutch-based program that focuses on preventive and observational HIV studies. The SVTU was formed to find ways to prevent and cure HIV. For nearly a decade, Baldwin has helped educate her communities about these efforts and how they can get involved, acknowledging that HIV disproportionately impacts Black, Brown and LGBTQIA+ individuals.
Media contact: media@fredhutch.org
Science spotlight
Science Spotlight is a monthly installment of articles written by postdoctoral fellows that summarizes new research papers from Fred Hutch scientists. If you’re interested in learning more or covering these topics, contact media@fredhutch.org
- A misbehaving master mitochondrial regulator causes diabetes in mice
- Why do our immune systems wane with age? Impaired thymus archiTECture might be one culprit
- TIME and space predict response to CAR T-cell therapy in lymphoma
- An eHealth program for a healthier lifestyle
- Vaccine targets that accommodate evolving SARS-CoV-2 variants
# # #
Fred Hutch Cancer Center unites individualized care and advanced research to provide the latest cancer treatment options while accelerating discoveries that prevent, treat and cure cancer and infectious diseases worldwide.
Based in Seattle, Fred Hutch is an independent, nonprofit organization and the only National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center in Washington. We have earned a global reputation for our track record of discoveries in cancer, infectious disease and basic research, including important advances in bone marrow transplantation, immunotherapy, HIV/AIDS prevention and COVID-19 vaccines. Fred Hutch operates eight clinical care sites that provide medical oncology, infusion, radiation, proton therapy and related services. Fred Hutch also serves as UW Medicine’s cancer program.