Why do we study other diseases at a cancer-research center?

We are named Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center because of our dedication to finding better ways to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer. Indeed, we are one of the National Cancer Institute's designated comprehensive cancer centers and, in fact, the largest in terms of our NCI research support. However, if you were to read the scientific-research publications that come from Fred Hutchinson, you might wonder why they cover such a broad range of diseases.

You would find publications about other diseases, like AIDS, autoimmune diseases, and genetic disorders such as sickle-cell anemia and muscular dystrophy. You would come across public-health studies that are related to postmenopausal hormone therapy and its effect on heart disease and bone density. You would also encounter publications on strange organisms, like zebrafish, and even those that never get cancer, like worms, fruit flies and yeast.

Have we lost our focus? Are we diluting our activity? Why does our faculty work on so many different things? The answer lies in the fact that cancer is a property of cells, molecules and genes. And once our researchers start down the track of tracing cancer to cells, molecules and genes, they find a lot of interesting and relevant things along the way.

They discover methods of putting genes into cells that are useful for treating genetic diseases. They discover that effective cancer treatments, like bone-marrow transplantation, also work for sickle-cell anemia and autoimmune diseases. They discover diagnostics that can reveal the presence of lupus.

That's the way research is. You can ask nature a very specific question, but many times it will come back with the answer to a different question. In this issue of Quest, we focus on some of the answers we've found about autoimmune diseases.

Science is not like building a bridge. It is more like fishing with bait - you don't know exactly what kind of fish you may catch. This is why we need a very highly interactive scientific milieu. It is quite likely, for example, that someone studying breast cancer will discover something that is relevant to colon cancer and vice versa. While we always keep our eye on the destination, we don't shy from the fascinating detours along the way.

Lee Hartwell
President & Director

	From the Director
	"The Most Satisfying Thing I Do"
	When the Body Attacks Itself
	Partner Spotlight
	Research Spotlight
	Research Notes
	Partners in Research
	Events Roundup
	Credits