Seattle-based CTI BioPharma Corp., a biopharmaceutical company, and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (Fred Hutch), an independent, nonprofit research institute based in Seattle, announced the establishment of a new $1.5 million research endowment fund – The CTI BioPharma International Postdoctoral Research Fellowship – intended to foster international collaboration in translational research and support advancements in the fields of hematology and immunobiology.    

"Establishing this endowed international visiting fellowship to Fred Hutch stems from our commitment to translate scientific discoveries into innovative therapies that cure patients with blood-related cancers," said James A. Bianco, M.D., president and CEO of CTI BioPharma. "After all, changing the future of cancer medicine starts with the support of today's innovative ideas."

Hematology is the study of blood in health and disease and includes problems with red and white blood cells, platelets, blood vessels, bone marrow, lymph nodes, spleen, and the proteins involved in bleeding and clotting (hemostasis and thrombosis). Common blood disorders, affecting millions of people each year in the United States, include sickle cell disease, anemia, bleeding disorders (such as hemophilia and blood clots) and blood cancers (such as leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma). Immunobiology is the study of the immune factors that affect the growth, development, and health of biologic organisms.

"Endowment funding is essential to keeping our research and clinical programs moving forward in order to find new cures and save lives," said Gary Gilliland, M.D., Ph.D., president and director of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. "Support, such as through the establishment of this CTI BioPharma fellowship and endowment fund, allows doctors and scientists to develop and manage their programs and to take advantage of emerging opportunities. Without the support from companies such as CTI BioPharma, many potential lifesaving medicines would not make it from the research bench to patients."

The CTI BioPharma fellowship and endowment fund is in memory of E. Donnall Thomas, M.D., a pioneering scientist and Nobel Prize recipient who had a profound and positive impact on the co-founders of CTI BioPharma, Bianco and Jack Singer, M.D., chief scientific officer and global head of Translational Medicine. This fellowship and endowment will provide seed funding to support the research efforts of promising, young physician researchers from around the world. Fred Hutch will receive endowment funding over three years to identify and select proposed research projects from medical researchers currently working at international institutions based outside of the US. Both CTI BioPharma and other institutions or organizations can donate additional funding to the endowment at any time, per the approval of Fred Hutch.

At Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, home to three Nobel laureates, interdisciplinary teams of world-renowned scientists seek new and innovative ways to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer, HIV/AIDS and other life-threatening diseases. Fred Hutch's pioneering work in bone marrow transplantation led to the development of immunotherapy, which harnesses the power of the immune system to treat cancer with minimal side effects.