Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center

About: Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center is a nonprofit organization based out in Cape Town, South Africa. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Transplantation. The organization has 12322 authors who have published 30954 publications receiving 2288772 citations. The organization is also known as: Fred Hutch & The Hutch.

Managing Cancer Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Agility and Collaboration Toward a Common Goal

Abstract: The first confirmed case of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the United States was reported on January 20, 2020, in Snohomish County, Washington. At the epicenter of COVID-19 in the United States, the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, and University of Washington are at the forefront of delivering care to patients with cancer during this public health crisis. This Special Feature highlights the unique circumstances and challenges of cancer treatment amidst this global pandemic, and the importance of organizational structure, preparation, agility, and a shared vision for continuing to provide cancer treatment to patients in the face of uncertainty and rapid change.

Genetic risk factors for ischaemic stroke and its subtypes (the METASTROKE collaboration): a meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies.

Abstract: Summary Background Various genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have been done in ischaemic stroke, identifying a few loci associated with the disease, but sample sizes have been 3500 cases or less. We established the METASTROKE collaboration with the aim of validating associations from previous GWAS and identifying novel genetic associations through meta-analysis of GWAS datasets for ischaemic stroke and its subtypes.

Telomerase modulates expression of growth-controlling genes and enhances cell proliferation

Abstract: Most somatic cells do not express sufficient amounts of telomerase to maintain a constant telomere length during cycles of chromosome replication Consequently, there is a limit to the number of doublings somatic cells can undergo before telomere shortening triggers an irreversible state of cellular senescence Ectopic expression of telomerase overcomes this limitation, and in conjunction with specific oncogenes can transform cells to a tumorigenic phenotype However, recent studies have questioned whether the stabilization of chromosome ends entirely explains the ability of telomerase to promote tumorigenesis and have resulted in the hypothesis that telomerase has a second function that also supports cell division Here we show that ectopic expression of telomerase in human mammary epithelial cells (HMECs) results in a diminished requirement for exogenous mitogens and that this correlates with telomerase-dependent induction of genes that promote cell growth Furthermore, we show that inhibiting expression of one of these genes, the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), reverses the enhanced proliferation caused by telomerase We conclude that telomerase may affect proliferation of epithelial cells not only by stabilizing telomeres, but also by affecting the expression of growth-promoting genes

CUT&Tag for efficient epigenomic profiling of small samples and single cells

Abstract: Many chromatin features play critical roles in regulating gene expression. A complete understanding of gene regulation will require the mapping of specific chromatin features in small samples of cells at high resolution. Here we describe Cleavage Under Targets and Tagmentation (CUT&Tag), an enzyme-tethering strategy that provides efficient high-resolution sequencing libraries for profiling diverse chromatin components. In CUT&Tag, a chromatin protein is bound in situ by a specific antibody, which then tethers a protein A-Tn5 transposase fusion protein. Activation of the transposase efficiently generates fragment libraries with high resolution and exceptionally low background. All steps from live cells to sequencing-ready libraries can be performed in a single tube on the benchtop or a microwell in a high-throughput pipeline, and the entire procedure can be performed in one day. We demonstrate the utility of CUT&Tag by profiling histone modifications, RNA Polymerase II and transcription factors on low cell numbers and single cells.

Overweight, Obesity, and Postmenopausal Invasive Breast Cancer Risk: A Secondary Analysis of the Women’s Health Initiative Randomized Clinical Trials

Abstract: Importance More than two-thirds of US women are overweight or obese, placing them at increased risk for postmenopausal breast cancer. Objective To investigate in this secondary analysis the associations of overweight and obesity with risk of postmenopausal invasive breast cancer after extended follow-up in the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) clinical trials. Design, Setting, and Participants The WHI clinical trial protocol incorporated measured height and weight, baseline and annual or biennial mammography, and adjudicated breast cancer end points in 67 142 postmenopausal women ages 50 to 79 years at 40 US clinical centers. The women were enrolled from 1993 to 1998 with a median of 13 years of follow-up through 2010; 3388 invasive breast cancers were observed. Main Outcomes and Measures Height and weight were measured at baseline, and weight was measured annually thereafter. Data were collected on demographic characteristics, personal and family medical history, and personal habits (smoking, physical activity). Women underwent annual or biennial mammograms. Breast cancers were verified by medical records reviewed by physician adjudicators. Results Women who were overweight and obese had an increased invasive breast cancer risk vs women of normal weight. Risk was greatest for obesity grade 2 plus 3 (body mass index [BMI], calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared, >35.0) (hazard ratio [HR] for invasive breast cancer, 1.58; 95% CI, 1.40-1.79). A BMI of 35.0 or higher was strongly associated with risk for estrogen receptor–positive and progesterone receptor–positive breast cancers (HR, 1.86; 95% CI, 1.60-2.17) but was not associated with estrogen receptor–negative cancers. Obesity grade 2 plus 3 was also associated with advanced disease, including larger tumor size (HR, 2.12; 95% CI, 1.67-2.69; P = .02), positive lymph nodes (HR, 1.89; 95% CI, 1.46-2.45; P = .06), regional and/or distant stage (HR, 1.94; 95% CI, 1.52-2.47; P = .05), and deaths after breast cancer (HR, 2.11; 95% CI, 1.57-2.84; P Conclusions and Relevance Obesity is associated with increased invasive breast cancer risk in postmenopausal women. These clinically meaningful findings should motivate programs for obesity prevention. Trial Registration clinicaltrials.gov Identifier:NCT00000611