Seattle-based research organization Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center has received a $78 million gift to launch a new oncology institute.
Stuart Sloan, owner of Seattle's University Village shopping center, and wife Molly Sloan donated the money for the institute, which will be called the Stuart and Molly Sloan Precision Oncology Institute. According to Fred Hutch, the donation is the largest in the nonprofit's 47-year history.
“The Sloans' generous gift will help Fred Hutch establish one of the world’s premier precision oncology centers that will bring together our very best basic science, data science, disease-oriented translational science, science of cancer prevention and understanding of the immune system,” Thomas Lynch, president and director of Fred Hutch, said in a release.
Fred Hutch said the money will go toward a new building for lab space, finding an institute director and developing scientific programs. Stuart Sloan was also the founding sponsor of Obliteride, Fred Hutch's annual bike ride and 5K fundraiser that launched in 2013. According to Fred Hutch, Obliteride has supported more than 200 projects and 70 researchers since its launch.
In a release, Fred Hutch described precision oncology as combining data and technology to help patients and doctors navigate cancer.
“Cancers are driven by unique genetic changes within the cancer,” Lynch said in a release. “They're influenced by the microenvironment that the cancer lives in — including the microbiome, including immune cells, including the cells that we all bring to the table that are not cancerous. Understanding all of these factors is really what precision oncology is all about.”
Fred Hutch does research in multiple disease types, including cancer, Covid-19, HIV/AIDS and herpes. The organization conducts research in more than 60 countries and has housed three Nobel Prize winners.
“With this gift, we want to expand the discovery and development of precision therapies for more cancers and bring hope to everyone who is unfortunately experiencing cancer,” Stuart Sloan said in a release.
