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Home / Washington Business - May/June 2007 / Biomedical Research - Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center: Changing the way we look at treatment |
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Biomedical Research - Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center: Changing the way we look at treatment |
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Written On: May/June 2007 |
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Written By: by Shawn Sullivan |
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For more than three decades, the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center has been known as a world leader in medical research. The doctors, scientists and researchers at "The Hutch," as it is locally known, have been instrumental in saving the lives of untold thousands of patients.
Founded in 1975 by Dr. William Hutchinson, The Hutch had its inspiration in tragedy. The center was named in honor of Hutchinson’s brother, Fred, a former major-league baseball player and manager, who died of lung cancer at age 45. Today, the center is located in the heart of Seattle’s biotech sector, which employs more than 2,700 scientists, physicians and scholars from around the world.
"Of the 39 cancer centers in the country, we are the youngest," said Myra Tanita, executive vice president and chief operating officer at The Hutch. "We are small and young by comparison, and yet if you look at the quality of our research and staff, you can see what makes us special."
The Hutch is widely recognized as the premier facility for cancer research, mainly due to the revolutionary advancements in bone marrow transplantation—used in the treatment of leukemia—that were pioneered by Dr. Donnall Thomas in the 1960s and 1970s. "Don Thomas dedicated his academic life to bone marrow research," said Dr. Fred Appelbaum, senior vice president and director of The Hutch’s clinical research division. "When he first started, bone marrow transplants had not been done in humans—ever." In 1990, Dr. Thomas received the Nobel Prize in medicine for his groundbreaking work. Thirty years after it opened, The Hutch’s bone marrow transplant program is the largest in the world.
The Hutch’s willingness to share information is what sets it apart from many other research institutions. "We have a very non-hierarchical structure here at The Hutch," Tanita said. "Colleagues in every division ... communicate with each other openly, and that extends to professionals outside of our organization, as well."
Researchers who want to learn more about the center’s work are welcome, and they can use the technology developed by The Hutch in any way that will aid them in their own research. "Ten years ago, everyone who had a bone marrow transplant came to The Hutch," Appelbaum said. "Now there are well over 150 transplant centers in the United States alone—and we trained most of them. But we still do more transplants than any other center in the world."
The Hutch has sprouted several for-profit companies based on its research. "Even if the business directly competes [with us], we don’t care," Tanita said. "The best way for us to save lives is to get the information out there—regardless of how we accomplish it."
The Hutch is also working on the prevention and cure of breast cancer. According to statistics provided by the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, more than 200,000 American women were diagnosed with breast cancer last year. While The Hutch continues to research possible cures and better diagnostic equipment, its primary focus is on providing breast cancer services in underdeveloped countries.
"We are working out the best ways to deliver early detection services to people with little or no resources," said Dr. John Potter, director of the The Hutch’s Division of Public Health Services. Early detection is critical because it gives the patient a much higher chance of survival.
"What we see a lot of are countries saying 'We have a machine that can do mammograms, but we don’t have any people who can read them.' We are building a system that will allow these countries to send a physician the information and get a diagnosis." With such a system in place, The Hutch hopes to gain the ability to combat cancer throughout the world by sharing technology and expertise.
The Hutch has also augmented its cancer research efforts by increasing its concentration on prevention education. "We’ve done a lot of research on prevention, but we still have a lot to do," Potter said.
The Prevention Center contains a state-of-the-art exercise research facility, a human nutrition laboratory for feeding studies, and a clinical facility that conducts interviews, collects medical history and physical exam data, and supports a vast collection of biological specimens.
"We have pretty good evidence that obesity and lack of exercise are causes of cancer and other harmful diseases," Potter said. "Even though it is known, [the United States] has spent very little on the reduction of obesity in our children." Obesity is only one of the medical issues that The Hutch hopes to change through awareness and education.
Though The Hutch is most widely recognized for its cancer research, the organization has also focused its efforts on a wide range of medical problems, including HIV and AIDS. "We have a very large collaborative network, based in several countries around the word, that studies the total impact of HIV and AIDS," Potter said. "We’re working on two major parts of the disease—reducing the likelihood of transmission and creating an effective HIV vaccine."
The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center is dedicated to saving lives. Its scientists, physicians and scholars work tirelessly because of their passionate desire to heal people. "We live very lean and put every dollar we can into our research," Tanita said. "Our goal is to treat people. It is not—nor will it ever be—to make money."
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