Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and Foundation

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center & Foundation is a world's leading cancer research institute that carries out interdisciplinary teams of scientist along with humanitarians who work together in order to prevent, treat and diagnose cancer, HIV and other diseases. IT is based in Seattle, Washington and has presence around the world where it is working to eradicate various diseases.

It was not too long ago that going to the doctors and being given a diagnosis of cancer meant to go home, get your will together and prepare ones family for one's demise. But with the help of research centers such as The Fred Hutchinson Research Center and Foundation, that no longer has to be the case. Now, with combined scientific research and advancements in medicine and technology, cancer research centers like Fred Hutchinson's can help patients live a long, healthy life.

At the Fred Hutchinson Research Center & Foundation, their goal is to rid the world of cancer and other deadly diseases. While that might be a stretch at this moment in time and a bit ambitious, with their continued research and dedication the future looks much brighter. The research center has gathered the most scientifically gifted minds from around the world and has them working together to find a cure for these cancers and other deadly diseases. Apart from cancer the center also is working on eradicating other diseases such as HIV/AIDS, leukemia, and others.

While the ultimate goal is to rid the world of cancers and deadly diseases, these scientists are also working hard to bring public awareness to early detection through regular checkups. By visiting your doctor as directed, you can help to eliminate a cancer being at a later stage and seek treatment sooner. The scientist's goal is also to find ways to detect these cancers and deadly disease while at early stages to improve the quality and long term life of its patients. With more than five scientific departments Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and Foundation is able to help many patients each year.

Purpose

The chief mission of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center & Foundation is to Eliminate Cancer and other deadly diseases. It brings great comfort to those suffering from cancer and also their families, to know that there is a research center and foundation, such as the Fred Hutchinson Foundation, working to find a cure for cancer and other deadly diseases. Today at this very moment gifted minds from around the world are gathered together to find a cure for cancer. Their dedication to this find is exceptional. Every year they set the bar a bit higher to keep the momentum going in their quest for a cure.

Some of their accomplishments to date are:

Blood Cancers - Their research has enabled people who otherwise would have perished, to live a longer and better quality of life. Through a decade of advanced research in stem cell transplants and marrow, their scientists have been able to achieve a significant reduction in the risk of death through a transplant.

Autoimmune Diseases and Cancer - Through recent research scientists have discovered that one human's immune system is not very different from another, as was previously thought. This discovery has given scientists a renewed hope at finding new ways to detect, diagnose and treat these diseases that affect the immune system.

Muscular Dystrophy - This type of research has gone on for decades and now scientists are working towards narrowing down the cause. Through ongoing research, scientist have made what appears to be a significant breakthrough in finding out what causes a common form of Muscular Dystrophy to develop. They identified a DNA sequence in people who have this disease and what causes the gene to be more active, although more research is pending, the outlook is promising.

The above are just a few samples of what the Fred Hutchinson Research Center & Foundation has accomplished so far. Through their ongoing research, the cure for cancer and other deadly diseases may just be around the corner, bringing them closer to reaching their mission.

History

The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and Foundation was established in 1975. Founded by Dr. William Hutchinson in Seattle, Washington, the center has grown tremendously since it branched out from the Pacific Northwest Research Foundation. The center was developed in honor of Dr. Hutchinson's brother, a professional baseball player, who died from lung cancer in 1964. The center is an independent research site that does not offer patient care. Rather, the center focuses on the important tasks of cancer research - the scientific aspects of the disease.

There are five different departments that the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and Foundation has that are focused on different missions. Various departments have been in existence and developed since the foundation was first established. These five departments are clinical research, basic sciences, human biology, public health sciences and vaccine & infectious disease. The practices of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and Foundation are not without their scrutiny. There were many studies conducted since the foundation was established and some of those practices were called upon in a negative manner.

In 2001, the Seattle newspaper - The Seattle Times - published a piece on the unethical practices that the center was involved in during the 1980s and the 1990s. The allegations were that the clinical trial patients were not aware of the interests that the scientists held in their patient's study. Also, the studies were touted to be unethical in that it increased the rate at which the patients were dying. Patients of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and Foundation decided to sue the center. Out of the five patients that sued, four lost their suits and another patient was awarded $1 million for a case of laboratory damage to bone marrow. The lawsuits encouraged the research center to strengthen its policies and as of 2011, the center is still going strong in its breakthroughs with cancer and related diseases.

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