About the Human Biology Division

The Human Biology Division was formed in 1998 by coalescing the Cancer Biology Program and a new programmatic initiative in Genetics/Genomics with the existing division of Molecular Medicine. Since that time, Human Biology has stimulated productive interactions that transcend these programs. The goal of Human Biology is to cultivate interdisciplinary research focused on human biology and the complex problems of neoplasia and other human diseases. The program is structured to foster and support laboratory-based and computational research at the interface of basic, clinical, and population sciences.

Human Biology faculty are unified by their common focus on problems of human biology, despite the challenges presented by the genetic variation and uncontrollable life histories of humans. Faculty also share a conviction that multidisciplinary approaches are essential to achieve better understanding, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of human disease. Therefore, the program blends fundamental, applied, and translational research. While research in the program is solidly grounded in high-quality basic research into molecular mechanisms, often performed in model organisms and in vitro systems, Human Biology faculty derive key insights from clinical and population observations, effectively tapping information from nature's human experiments.

The Human Biology Division brings together faculty with expertise in molecular and cell biology, genomics, statistical genetics, genetics, virology, computational biology, pathology, bioengineering, epidemiology, and clinical research. In other institutions, such a diverse faculty would be distributed among many different departments. In Human Biology, the close interaction of this diverse collection of talented and motivated investigators provides unique opportunities for synergistic collaborations.

The division has grown since its formation to comprise 23 faculty, who are training over 90 postdoctoral fellows and graduate students. Each faculty member is independent, and the division follows an egalitarian style of governance and support. We anticipate adding another 4 faculty members over the next 2-3 years.

Multidisciplinary research is encouraged within the division through inter-laboratory communication and collaboration. Interactions across divisional lines are enhanced by the fact that many Human Biology faculty hold joint appointments in the Basic Sciences, Clinical Research, or Public Health Sciences Divisions and are affiliated with various University of Washington departments. Our laboratories occupy all three floors of the Hutchinson Building and parts of the adjacent Thomas Building on the Robert W. Day Campus at Lake Union. Skybridges connect the labs of the division with other divisions at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. In addition, graduate students and post-doctoral fellows provide an important link among faculty in the four divisions and receive support through interdisciplinary training grants. Extensive Shared Resources at the FHCRC help division labs access cutting-edge technologies.

Major areas of study in the Human Biology Division are human genomics, the genetics of cancer predisposition and progression (both inherited and acquired mutations), molecular pathology, human pathogens, systems biology of cell proliferation, apoptosis, cellular immortality, and differentiation, mouse models of human cancer, population genetics and epidemiology, and the development of new therapies for cancer, AIDS, and other human diseases. Investigators interact closely with population-based scientists and clinicians studying the genetics and epidemiology of breast, cervical, ovarian, prostate, and esophageal cancers.

For more information on interests of individual faculty in each of the programs in the Human Biology Division, see Faculty Research.