Dr. Rainer Storb Symposium
The Clinical Research and Translational Science and Therapeutics Divisions are hosting a scientific symposium in honor of Dr. Rainer Storb on Friday, June 27, 2025. Dr. Storb has been a pioneer in the advancement of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and immunotherapy, and this event will honor his achievements and continuing legacy. This symposium will feature a panel of national and international speakers, many of whom are Dr. Storb’s own collaborators and past trainees, speaking on topics in transplantation and the impact of Dr. Storb’s work.
A reception will follow the conclusion of the symposium at 4:00 p.m.; all employees of Fred Hutch are invited to join us. Attendees who only wish to attend the reception do not need to register below.
Registration for this Scientific Symposium is now open; we hope you’ll join us!
Date:
Friday, June 27, 2025
Start Time:
8 a.m. PDT
Host or Sponsor:
The Clinical Research and Translational Science and Therapeutics Divisions
Cost:
Free
Contact Information:
The Legacy of Dr. Rainer Storb
Rainer Storb was born in Essen, Germany. He received his MD degree from the University of Freiburg. After completing his clinical residency and three years of research in Paris on a NATO Science Fellowship, Dr. Storb then received a Fulbright Fellowship to work with Dr. E. Donnall Thomas at the University of Washington (UW) from 1965 to 1968.
Dr. Storb joined the UW faculty in 1968, became one of the founding members of the Fred Hutch in 1975, and has been a pioneer in establishing allogeneic donor blood stem cell transplantation as a cure for leukemias, hemoglobinopathies, aplastic anemia, and other blood-borne diseases. His research group has focused on advancing more effective, less toxic transplantation approaches. In particular, Dr. Storb has led the development of conditioning regimens that prevent rejection of the engrafted stem cells, as well as strategies to prevent “graft-versus-host disease” (GVHD) that occurs when transplanted immune cells attack a patient’s healthy tissues. By discovering that engrafted donor immune cells also play a pivotal role in eliminating the patient’s malignant cells, Dr. Storb and his team helped launch the field of immunotherapy.
One of Dr. Storb’s major research contributions is non-myeloablative transplantation, also called "mini-transplants," which employs minimal pre-transplant radiation and relies on graft-vs.-tumor effects to wipe out cancer cells. These can be conducted as an outpatient procedure and have extended transplantation’s lifesaving benefits to older or medically infirm patients who are not eligible for traditional stem cell transplantation protocols.
Overall, Dr. Storb has been an author on more than 1,600 publications, given numerous invited lectures, and won many grants and other honors for his work. He has served on editorial boards and advisory committees and trained over 160 researchers in his laboratory. Most of these trainees went on to academic positions, including nine who became faculty at Fred Hutch/UW. Dr. Storb’s legacy is continued through world-wide advances in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and immunotherapy.