History
Although Fred Hutch opened its doors in 1975, its history began nearly 20 years earlier with the vision of Seattle surgeon Dr. William Hutchinson, brother of baseball hero Fred Hutchinson. Hutchinson dreamed of building an organization that would provide funds and laboratory space to physicians pursuing research. In 1956, he founded the Pacific Northwest Research Foundation to study heart surgery, cancer and endocrine diseases. By 1962, Hutchinson envisioned another dream: a center devoted to studying cancer, the disease that would later take the life of his brother Fred in 1964. With critical help from Washington State's legendary U.S. Senator Warren Magnuson and the Seattle community, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center opened its first home in Seattle's First Hill neighborhood in 1975 and moved to South Lake Union in 1993.
Specialties
At Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, home to three Nobel laureates, interdisciplinary teams of world-renowned scientists seek new and innovative ways to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer, HIV/AIDS and other life-threatening diseases. Fred Hutch's pioneering work in bone marrow transplantation led to the development of immunotherapy, which harnesses the power of the immune system to treat cancer with minimal side effects. An independent, nonprofit research institute based in Seattle, Fred Hutch houses the nation's first and largest cancer prevention research program, as well as the clinical coordinating center of the Women's Health Initiative and the international headquarters of the HIV Vaccine Trials Network. Private contributions are essential for enabling Fred Hutch scientists to explore novel research opportunities that lead to important medical breakthroughs.