Melanoma Research and Clinical Trials at Fred Hutch

Many patients at Fred Hutch Cancer Center receive promising therapies by taking part in clinical trials. These research studies are done by researchers from Fred Hutch and UW Medicine. They test new treatments or new ways to use current treatments. We have a wide variety of clinical trials for melanoma, including studies of vaccines, immune cell treatments and other immunotherapies.

Every advance in cancer treatment in recent years has come out of clinical trials. We offer more active clinical trials than anywhere else, which means more treatment options for patients like you.

Melanoma Clinical Trials 

Fred Hutch typically has over 750 active cancer clinical trials enrolling participants. 

Clinical trials may allow some patients access to a promising new treatment, and help physicians and researchers learn more about a disease. 

Melanoma Research Continues to Advance

New melanoma treatments continue to be developed, allowing more patients to live longer, free of any signs or symptoms of the disease. Still, today’s options do not work as well as we want for every person, and we are actively pursuing new types of melanoma therapy that will be more effective.

Our physicians are working toward being able to stage and characterize melanoma down to the molecular level. Defining the genetic changes that cause different types of melanoma will help us identify patients whose disease may respond better to more customized regimens.

Melanoma and Immunotherapy

Our work on melanoma focuses on harnessing the immune system to treat the disease. We are experimenting with empowering a patient’s own melanoma-attacking immune cells, called tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes or TILs, to better target their tumor. Other clinical trials include studies of checkpoint inhibitors and experimental immune-stimulating therapies for people with melanoma.

Kevin Barry, PhD, does melanoma research and is an assistant professor in Fred Hutch’s Public Health Sciences Division. His team is exploring new ways to harness the immune system to attack melanomas and protect patients.

Sylvia Lee, MD, is a medical oncologist who treats patients with melanoma and is associate professor in the Program in Immunology in the Clinical Research Division at Fred Hutch. She is interested in developing T-cell therapies for solid tumors and studies TIL.

Our Melanoma Researchers and Faculty 

Our scientists and providers work together to prevent, diagnose and treat melanoma as well as other skin cancers and diseases. The lab research and clinical research they do are essential parts of the scientific process that leads to new melanoma treatments and better care. Many of our melanoma providers also do research in addition to seeing patients. Clinical trials can also be a way for patients to get early access to new leading-edge therapies. Our research teams are running many clinical studies for people with melanoma.

Christina Baik, MD, MPH

Christina Baik, MD, MPH

Christina Baik, MD, MPH

Associate Professor, Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutch

1 more appointment

Phone: 206.606.6680
Fax: 206.606.1435
Mail Stop: K2-231
Kevin C. Barry, PhD

Kevin C. Barry, PhD

Kevin C. Barry, PhD

Assistant Professor, Public Health Sciences Division, Fred Hutch

Member, Immunotherapy Integrated Research Center (IIRC), Fred Hutch

Phone: 206.667.7811
Fax: 206.667.2537
Mail Stop: M5-A864
Lab Website
Shailender Bhatia, MD

Shailender Bhatia, MD

Shailender Bhatia, MD

Professor, Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutch

Member, Pathogen-Associated Malignancies Integrated Research Center (PAM IRC)

3 more appointments

Phone:
Fax: 206.606.1314
Mail Stop: CE2-102
Christopher D. Blosser, MD

Christopher D. Blosser, MD

Christopher D. Blosser, MD

Professor, Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutch

Director, Cancer and Organ Transplant Clinic, Fred Hutch

4 more appointments

Phone:
Email:
Fax:
Mail Stop:
Robert Bradley, PhD

Robert Bradley, PhD

Robert Bradley, PhD

Scientific Director, Translational Data Science Integrated Research Center (TDS IRC), Fred Hutch

Professor, Herbold Computational Biology Program, Public Health Sciences Division, Fred Hutch

2 more appointments

Phone: 206.667.5662
Fax: 206.667.1319
Mail Stop: S2-140
Lab Website
Aude G. Chapuis, MD

Aude G. Chapuis, MD

Aude G. Chapuis, MD

Associate Professor, Translational Science and Therapeutics Division, Fred Hutch

Member, Immunotherapy Integrated Research Center (IIRC), Fred Hutch

5 more appointments

Phone: 206.667.4369
Fax: 206.667.7983
Mail Stop: D3-100
Lab Website
Denise Galloway, PhD

Denise Galloway, PhD

Denise Galloway, PhD

Scientific Director, Pathogen-Associated Malignancies Integrated Research Center (PAM IRC), Fred Hutch

Professor, Human Biology Division, Fred Hutch

4 more appointments

Phone: 206.667.4500
Fax: 206.667.5815
Mail Stop: C1-015
Lab Website
Evan Hall, MD, MPhil

Evan Hall, MD, MPhil

Evan Hall, MD, MPhil

Associate Professor, Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutch

Affiliate Investigator, Hutchinson Institute for Cancer Outcomes Research (HICOR), Fred Hutch

1 more appointment

Phone:
Email:
Fax: 206.606.1314
Mail Stop: CE2-102
Dong-Woo Kang, PhD, CEP

Dong-Woo Kang, PhD, CEP

Dong-Woo Kang, PhD, CEP

Assistant Professor, Epidemiology, Public Health Sciences Division, Fred Hutch

Phone: 206.675.5188
Fax:
Mail Stop: M4-B874
Sylvia Lee, MD

Sylvia Lee, MD

Sylvia Lee, MD

Associate Professor, Program in Immunology, Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutch

Member, Immunotherapy Integrated Research Center (IIRC), Fred Hutch

1 more appointment

Phone: 206.606.2274
Fax: 206.606.1435
Mail Stop: K2-231
Natalie J. Miller, MD, PhD

Natalie J. Miller, MD, PhD

Natalie J. Miller, MD, PhD

Professor, Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutch

Phone:
Email:
Fax:
Mail Stop:
Cecilia Moens, PhD

Cecilia Moens, PhD

Cecilia Moens, PhD

Professor, Basic Sciences Division, Fred Hutch

Member, Immunotherapy Integrated Research Center (IIRC), Fred Hutch

2 more appointments

Phone: 206.667.5627
Fax: 206.667.6522
Mail Stop: A2-025
Lab Website
Megan Othus, PhD

Megan Othus, PhD

Megan Othus, PhD

Professor, Biostatistics Program, Public Health Sciences Division, Fred Hutch

Member, Translational Data Science Integrated Research Center (TDS IRC), Fred Hutch

1 more appointment

Phone: 206.667.5749
Fax: 206.667.7004
Mail Stop: M3-C102
Scott Ramsey, MD, PhD

Scott Ramsey, MD, PhD

Scott Ramsey, MD, PhD

Director, Hutchinson Institute for Cancer Outcomes Research (HICOR), Fred Hutch

Professor, Cancer Prevention Program, Public Health Sciences Division, Fred Hutch

2 more appointments

Phone: 206.667.7846
Fax: 206.667.5977
Mail Stop: M3-B232
Ramesh Rengan, MD, PhD

Ramesh Rengan, MD, PhD

Ramesh Rengan, MD, PhD

Senior Vice President and Director, Radiation Oncology Division, Fred Hutch

Member, Immunotherapy Integrated Research Center (IIRC), Fred Hutch

3 more appointments

Phone: 206.306.2814
Email:
Fax: 206.417.0347
Mail Stop: D3-100
Scott Tykodi, MD, PhD

Scott Tykodi, MD, PhD

Scott Tykodi, MD, PhD

Professor, Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutch

1 more appointment

Phone:
Fax:
Mail Stop:
Joshua Veatch, MD, PhD

Joshua Veatch, MD, PhD

Joshua Veatch, MD, PhD

Assistant Professor, Translational Science and Therapeutics Division, Fred Hutch

Member, Immunotherapy Integrated Research Center (IIRC), Fred Hutch

4 more appointments

Phone: 206.667.5108
Fax:
Mail Stop: D3-100
Lab Website

Melanoma News

All news
Six years after a spot was discovered in his eye, a Lacey man had proton therapy to eradicate ocular melanoma Proton therapy is a top treatment choice due to its precise targeting of the tumor in a small area December 19, 2025
The Beam: Proton therapy clinical trials; prevention and treatment of ocular melanoma; beating the winter blues Clinical trials are critical to advancing treatment for cancer patients; learn about risk factors for ocular melanoma; tips on keeping winter mood swings at bay December 19, 2025
First an employee, then a patient In this episode of From Bench to Bedside and Beyond, John Scheleen describes the surreal feeling when his work at Fred Hutch overlaps with his treatment here October 1, 2025
Fred Hutch Phase 1 Program director, Dr. John Thompson, retires An immunotherapy champion, Thompson co-led the melanoma clinic for decades December 19, 2024