SEATTLE – June 2, 2020 – Below are summaries of recent Fred Hutch research findings and other news with links for additional background and media contacts.
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COVID-19
Vaccinating the world: Two global experts explain what it will take to succeed
Dr. Larry Corey and Dr. John Mascola join Fred Hutch President and Director Dr. Tom Lynch to discuss the challenges and opportunities in accelerating development and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines for our integrated world in this webinar on Friday, June 5, 2020 at 11 am PST/ 2 pm EST.
What happens when cancer patients get COVID-19?
A large new study of cancer patients with COVID-19 clearly shows patients with active cancer — or who suffer from additional comorbidities such as diabetes or heart disease — have worse outcomes.
When COVID-19 crosses paths with HIV
Researchers at Fred Hutch are trying to assess whether HIV puts people at higher risk COVID-19 through a new epidemiological study of over 35,000 people living with HIV across the US. The study aims to identify risk factors for those with HIV who also had COVID-19 and understand if they are at risk of more severe infection.
How Fred Hutch is using science to get back to doing science
Fred Hutch is tapping its decades of scientific expertise to move forward in finding ways to safely dial back up its employees on campus while supporting others working remotely. See steps being taken, plus a video of Fred Hutch’s facilities director on how his team is managing during the pandemic.
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HIV
Injectable HIV drug prevents infections
In a “real win for HIV prevention,” an international trial of an injectable drug designed to prevent HIV showed those who received it had fewer new HIV infections than those who received the once-a-day HIV prevention pill Truvada.
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Healthcare economics
NIH grant to fund new financial-toxicity intervention
A new collaboration between Fred Hutch and the SWOG Cancer Research Network will road-test a program designed to curb financial toxicity related to cancer treatment. The intervention will give cancer patients access to proactive financial counseling and financial navigators as part of their treatment plan.
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Precision medicine
Immune response in colorectal cancer: What helps, what hurts?
A new $3.66 million grant from the National Cancer Institute will help Fred Hutch researchers, part of the Genetics and Epidemiology of Colorectal Cancer Consortium, better understand the body’s natural immune response to colorectal cancer and what, exactly, drives it.
$3.5M grant to develop safer treatment for inherited blood disorders
Drs. Hans-Peter Kiem and Roland Walter will explore ways to precisely deliver powerful radioactive particles to blood and marrow cells while sparing other nonblood cells and tissues.
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Pediatric Oncology
Cancer’s toll on the heart decades down the road
Dr. Eric Chow and colleagues explore two key questions related to child cancer survivorship: Is there anything doctors can do during a child’s treatment to protect their heart? And for adult survivors, what can we do to monitor and reduce the risk of heart disease?
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Basic sciences
Studying the complex interactions between antibodies and viral targets
Dr. Tal Einav was named a Damon Runyon Quantitative Biology Fellow, which supports cancer-related computation research. He will create maps that model how complex mixes of antibodies interact.
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Other notable news
Dr. Hans-Peter Kiem elected vice president of American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy
Health equity trailblazers recognized
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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. An independent, nonprofit research institute based in Seattle, Fred Hutch houses the nation’s first National Cancer Institute-funded 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.
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