SEATTLE — Sept. 1, 2026 — Below are summaries of recent Fred Hutch Cancer Center research findings, patient stories and other news.
If you’re interested in reporting on any of this month’s stories, contact media@fredhutch.org to set up an interview.
September is the awareness month for leukemia and lymphoma, ovarian, prostate, thyroid, gynecologic and childhood cancers. Contact media@fredhutch.org to speak with our experts on these topics.
Cancer research
Fred Hutch Cancer Center to lead $15 million national clinical trial initiative for older adults with acute myeloid leukemia
A newly funded national clinical trial initiative will gather critical evidence to determine the best treatment strategies for older adults with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), an aggressive, fast-moving blood cancer. This landmark clinical trial program will be led by Mohamed Sorror, MD, MSc, across an 18-center U.S. consortium, and will compare stem cell transplantation with non-transplant therapy after remission. The initiative is supported by $15 million from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI).
Fred Hutch researchers discover molecular switch that helps prostate cancer quickly change its biology to evade therapy
Research from Andrew C. Hsieh, MD, and postdoctoral researcher Rashmi Mishra, PhD, in The Journal of Clinical Investigation identifies a key step in the protein-making process that turns a treatable form of prostate cancer into a lethal, drug-resistant subtype, and a way to switch it back. The discovery opens a new line of attack against aggressive prostate cancer, breast cancer and possibly other cancers. Hsieh holds the Larry and Virginia Gordon Endowed Chair in Prostate and Bladder Cancer Research.
Small cell lung cancer research gets a boost
With support from a $1.5 million grant from the Andy Hill Cancer Research Endowment (CARE) Fund, David MacPherson, PhD, and Gavin Ha, PhD, plan to develop a liquid biopsy for small cell lung cancer (SCLC) tumors. SCLCpheno-seq, a first-of-its-kind, cell-free DNA sequencing assay, will profile genomic and transcriptional features from plasma samples. According to MacPherson, the assay will “improve clinical responses and detect transformation of non-small cell lung cancer to SCLC.” MacPherson holds the Vinh Bui and Tram Le Endowed Chair for Lung Cancer.
Let cancer eat cake
A recent study led by Lucas Sullivan, PhD, in Nature Metabolism found that feeding NRF2-mutated tumors too much of a nutrient they crave makes them vulnerable to slower growth and cell death, a form of precision therapy called synthetic lethality. The molecule NFR2 is often found mutated in lung and other forms cancer and consumes large amounts of cystine – a precursor of the amino acid cysteine. According to Sullivan, the next step of this research will use preclinical models to determine how much dietary cystine is needed to kill tumor cells, and use this knowledge to develop a new therapy for NRF2-driven cancers.
Survivorship and patient outcomes
After cancer treatment, emotional and spiritual health is key to maintaining equilibrium
In a new podcast episode of the Survivorship series on Bench to Bedside and Beyond, Fred Hutch News writer Bonnie Rochman talks to leukemia survivor and bone marrow transplant recipient Nicole Sandburg and Jesse Fann, MD, MPH, medical director of Psychiatry and Psychology, about the ways a cancer diagnosis can upend emotional health and how mental health services including mindfulness can help patients cope.
Dr. Brittany Barber on head and neck cancer care, research and patient outcomes
In this episode, host Petros Grivas, MD, PhD, FASCO, welcomes Brittany Barber, MD, MSc, FRCSC, associate professor, division leader and fellowship director of Head and Neck Surgical Oncology at Fred Hutch and UW Medicine. They discuss her journey to Seattle, the complexities of multidisciplinary cancer care, emerging trends in head and neck cancer and how research, education and leadership work together to improve patient outcomes.
Artificial Intelligence
Speed dating? Shark Tank? Trainees promote their ideas for incorporating AI into their science
The Translational Data Science Integrated Research Center’s annual retreat featured a Fast Pitch AI event, with graduate students and postdocs presenting a pitch about their project and how applying AI would enhance the outcomes. Projects included using AI to better understand DNA repair and AI-enhanced personalized breast cancer risk predictions. Four winners earned $10,000 each in support from Fred Hutch, with six additional winners receiving $5,000.
Awards and recognition
Dr. Lynn Symonds receives ASCO Career Development Award
Lynn Symonds, MD, received the prestigious American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Career Development Award for work on HRDefine, a new biomarker for triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). The award includes $200,000 for three years from Conquer Cancer and the ASCO Foundation. HRDefine is a collaboration between Symonds, Jennifer Specht, MD, Isabel Rodriguez, MD, and Elizabeth Swisher, MD, and determines whether TNBC might respond to a targeted treatment known as a PARP inhibitor. Specht holds the Jill D. Bennett Endowed Professorship in Breast Cancer from UW Medicine; Swisher holds the Torkelson Family Endowed Chair.
Dr. Heather Cheng receives the Marty Lazarus Weiden Family Endowed Chair
Heather Cheng, MD, PhD, clinical director of cancer genetics programs at Fred Hutch and director of the Prostate Cancer Genetics Clinic, was named the inaugural recipient of the Marty Lazarus Weiden Family Endowed Chair. The endowed chair will support the detection, prevention and treatment of breast, ovarian, pancreatic, prostate and other cancers related to inherited cancer risk genes.
Dr. Andrew Hsieh named Larry and Virginia Gordon Endowed Chair in Prostate and Bladder Cancer Research
Andrew Hsieh, MD, associate director of the Human Biology Division, was named the inaugural holder of the Larry and Virginia Gordon Endowed Chair in Prostate and Bladder Cancer Research. The endowed chair recognizes Hsieh’s leadership in genitourinary cancers and provides flexible funding to pursue innovative ideas that could lead to better treatments for patients.
Philanthropy and giving
Turning passion into progress: Thousands support groundbreaking research through Fred Hutch Obliteride
This August, more than 6,400 participants joined Fred Hutch’s annual Obliteride 5K walk/run fundraiser, raising $8.2 million for life-changing cancer research. Now in its 14th year, the annual event has generated more than $75 million for scientific discovery, a total that will increase as fundraising continues through Sept. 30.
Backing science’s unsung heroes
Longtime Fred Hutch supporter and leukemia survivor Leah Speser recently created a nearly $300,000 endowment to support postdoctoral researchers at Fred Hutch. Speser’s connection with Fred Hutch began in 1980 after receiving a bone marrow transplant from Frederick Appelbaum, MD, holder of the Metcalfe Family/Frederick Appelbaum Endowed Chair in Cancer Research. Decades later, she’s made annual contributions to the organization, and is now providing sustainable, long-term support for the next generation of scientists.
Science Spotlight
Science Spotlight is a monthly installment of articles written by postdoctoral fellows that summarize new research papers from Fred Hutch scientists. If you’re interested in learning more or covering these topics, contact media@fredhutch.org.
- Reprogramming pancreatic cancer to become more treatment responsive
- TEAD1 splicing controls prostate cancer identity
- Beyond blocking HIV: How tenofovir shapes the immune system
- The summer that took 12 years to pay off
- Gut microbes that get along: identifying cohesive modules of engraftment
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Fred Hutch Cancer Center
Fred Hutch Cancer Center is globally recognized for trailblazing discoveries that have helped save more than a million lives worldwide. Based in Seattle, Fred Hutch is the only NCI-designated cancer center in Washington state and is home to Nobel Prize–winning scientists and cancer care experts who have made major breakthroughs in preventing and eliminating cancer and infectious disease — including bone marrow transplantation, immunotherapy and the HPV vaccine. Fred Hutch’s role as a hub for national research initiatives and clinical trial networks helps scale discoveries for greater impact. An independent cancer center, Fred Hutch also serves as UW Medicine’s cancer program. Learn more at FredHutch.org.