Newswise — SEATTLE — Sept. 8, 2022 — Stuart and Molly Sloan have pledged $78 million to support Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center. It is the largest single gift in Fred Hutch’s 47-year history.
“Miracles begin in the lab, and nowhere else is that truer than at Fred Hutch,” said Stuart Sloan. “I’ve been involved with this organization for years, and during that time, I have had the opportunity to personally interact with the scientists and leaders who are making this progress possible. With their history of breakthroughs in bone marrow transplantation and immunotherapy, Fred Hutch has demonstrated the ability to transform scientific discoveries into treatments that benefit cancer patients all around the world.”
The gift will further advance Fred Hutch’s work in precision oncology, which integrates fundamental biology, technology, immunology, data science and clinical experience into strategies to prevent, detect and treat cancer.
Sloan added, “Precision oncology personalizes cancer treatments to each patient and their cancer. With this gift, we want to expand the development of precision therapies for more cancers and bring hope to everyone who is unfortunately experiencing cancer.”
Fred Hutch’s recent merger uniting research and patient care into a single organization inspired Sloan and his wife, Molly, to make the contribution. The integration allows more streamlined knowledge-sharing and exchange, giving patients access to more treatment options and supporting faster translation of scientific discoveries into new therapies.
“We are deeply grateful for Stuart and Molly’s generosity,” said Dr. Thomas J. Lynch, president and director of Fred Hutch and holder of the Raisbeck Endowed Chair. “Their gift will help us establish the world’s premier precision oncology center that will bring together Fred Hutch’s very best basic science, disease-oriented translational science, science of cancer prevention and understanding of the immune system.”
Precision oncology aims to stop cancer by examining its biological make up in each person. In the past decade, potential targets for cancer therapies and the technical tools to study them have both expanded greatly, along with advances in prevention and detection methods. Scientists can learn a tremendous amount about every cancer — including how to stop it — by sequencing a patient’s tumor, studying its unique metabolism, profiling the proteins it expresses, understanding the microenvironment it creates, tracking the immune system’s response to the tumor as well as exploring interactions with the microbiome.
“By using more tailored therapies targeting specific tumors in specific patients, we’ve had remarkable success in treating some cancers — but we need to do more,” Lynch said. “With recent developments, we have the scientific tools and expertise to expand precision oncology to more patients. This contribution also allows us to expand our lab space, which will then drive innovation and discovery at Fred Hutch for the next 20 to 30 years.”
Stuart Sloan is the founding sponsor of Obliteride, one of Fred Hutch’s major fundraising events which just celebrated its tenth year. Molly Sloan serves on the Fred Hutch Board of Advisors.
“Everyone has been touched by cancer, and too many lives have been lost to this terrible disease,” said Molly Sloan. “We are so fortunate to have this leading cancer center here in Seattle. We hope this donation inspires others to join Fred Hutch’s efforts to continue to be a place where more cures and new treatments are discovered and, ultimately, we collectively put an end to cancer.”
The gift will be used to support:
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Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center unites comprehensive care and advanced research to provide the latest cancer treatment options and accelerate discoveries that prevent, treat and defeat cancer and infectious diseases worldwide.
Based in Seattle, Fred Hutch is an independent, nonprofit organization and is the only National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center in Washington. We have earned a global reputation for our track record of discoveries in cancer, infectious disease and basic research, including important advances in bone marrow transplantation, HIV/AIDS prevention, immunotherapy and COVID-19 vaccines. Fred Hutch operates eight clinical care sites that provide medical oncology, infusion, radiation, proton therapy and related services, and has network affiliations with hospitals in five states. Fred Hutch also serves as UW Medicine’s cancer program.
Please note that our organization was renamed Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in April 2022, following the merger of long-time partners, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and Seattle Cancer Care Alliance.
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