Your gifts save lives

Since opening our doors 30 years ago, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center has been on the leading edge of science that saves lives affected by cancer and other life-threatening diseases. From research on prevention, early detection and treatment of cancer to laboratory research on basic biological mechanisms, our faculty is dedicated to one thing: curing disease.

Your generous financial support makes our achievements possible. Gifts from individuals, families, foundations, businesses and other private organizations build the foundation from which the Center's research advances. In fiscal year 2005, private gifts totaled more than $30 million, which funded many lifesaving studies and progams.

Your confidence in our work is echoed by our peers around the nation and the globe, who recognize our role as a world leader in medical science. Our scientific leadership is reflected in the numerous competitive research grants that the Hutchinson Center receives and in the many national and international research collaborations that the Center leads.

For example, this year, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) chose the Hutchinson Center to help lead and coordinate a nationwide research effort to better understand the link between obesity and cancer, an initiative aimed at reducing cancer deaths in the 21st century. The NCI also selected the Center to lead a consortium dedicated to developing simple blood tests to detect the earliest signs of cancer and other diseases. And we continue to serve as the leadership hub for the HIV Vaccine Trials Network, a huge international effort to develop a vaccine for the virus that causes AIDS.

Your gifts help in immeasurable ways, including funding pilot studies required to qualify for these kinds of major federal grants. Your support allows us to attract the best scientific minds in the world to join our research faculty. It also funds the facilities and equipment needed to build labs for new faculty members. And it pays for housing, transportation and other living expenses for cancer patients and their families who need financial assistance while undergoing treatment.

As the Hutchinson Center continues to lead the world toward new and better ways to prevent, detect and treat cancer and other diseases, it is your continued financial support that keeps the momentum accelerating. Quite simply, your gifts build a healthier world.

With deep gratitude, we thank you for your support.