FHCRC

FHCRC stands for Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, a private nonprofit biomedical research institution based in Seattle, Washington. It conducts basic, translational, and clinical cancer research and maintains close affiliations with the University of Washington and the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, a collaborative cancer program that provides patient care and clinical trials in the region.

The center opened in 1971 and was established to honor the late baseball figure Fred Hutchinson. It has since become renowned for pioneering work in bone marrow and stem cell transplantation, immunotherapy, cancer genetics and genomics, and related fields. One of its early leaders, E. Donnall Thomas, led groundbreaking bone marrow transplantation research, for which he received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1990.

FHCRC structures its research around multiple scientific programs and laboratories that explore the biology of cancer, develop novel therapies, and translate discoveries into clinical applications. The institution emphasizes interdisciplinary collaboration, leveraging genomics, immunology, and virology to address hematologic malignancies, solid tumors, and infectious diseases that impact cancer treatment and patient outcomes.

In 2001, FHCRC helped form the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, a joint venture with UW Medicine and Seattle Children’s, to integrate research with patient care. Through this alliance, the center supports comprehensive cancer treatment, advanced clinical trials, and translational research across its network.

Funding for FHCRC comes from federal research grants, private philanthropy, and research contracts. The center is recognized as a leading national and international contributor to cancer research, with a history of innovations that have shaped modern oncology and patient care.