A doctor and a patient check each other with stethoscopes

Ben Towne Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Disorders Research

Generating Critical Insights and Developing Next‑Generation Therapies

At the Ben Towne Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Disorders Research, our mission is to create brighter futures for children, adolescents and young adults with cancer and blood disorders. Our center is home to world leaders in laboratory-, hospital- and community-based research who turn their discoveries into state-of-the-art therapies, bringing new hope to families and new cures for children everywhere.

As we cure more kids, we are focused on ensuring that they not only survive but thrive. Our scientists lead efforts to reduce treatment toxicities and improve fertility preservation. Using advanced tools and techniques, our physician-scientists work hard to develop, test and improve treatments to help patients live long, healthy lives.

A Comprehensive Approach to Pediatric Cancer and Blood Disorders

A boy poses for the camera outside Through lab research and clinical studies, we improve ways to diagnose and treat childhood cancer and blood disorders. Our work includes basic science research to study the biology and developmental origins of these illnesses, and to search for better treatments and cures. We work closely with clinicians in the Cancer and Blood Disorders Center to make research discoveries and translate them into therapies we can offer our patients.

We bring our discoveries to children through a broad range of clinical trial opportunities, such as our renowned T-cell immunotherapy clinical trials. We also published the improved outcomes for children with standard risk acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) when blinatumomab is added to chemotherapy. This new combination is now the international standard of care for most children with ALL. In addition, we applied the discovery of a mini-protein that lights up cancer, made by Jim Olson, MD, PhD, to helping surgeons safely distinguish cancer from normal tissue. Many of our trials are conducted at the Cancer and Blood Disorders Center of Seattle Children’s Hospital, which is one of the top-ranked programs of its kind in the United States. There, children receive high-quality care from the very best.

Leaders in Childhood Cancer and Blood Disorder Research

Our scientists lead numerous national pediatric cancer steering committees, clinical trials and research consortiums in areas such as leukemia, blood disorders, solid tumors, brain tumors, survivorship and symptom management. These organizations include the Children’s Oncology Group (COG) — the largest pediatric oncology consortium in the world. Our faculty, including COG group chair Douglas Hawkins, MD, hold more leadership positions in the COG than any other institution in the nation.

Two researchers look at a test sample

We play a large role in Seattle’s National Cancer Institute-designated Cancer Consortium, a collaboration between Seattle Children’s, Fred Hutch and the University of Washington. The consortium brings together more than 650 top cancer experts to better understand cancer, improve early detection and develop safer, more effective treatments for children and adults who are affected by cancer.

Many of our researchers have been recognized by prestigious organizations through awards and grants, including:

V-Foundation All Star Grant, awarded to Andras Heczey, MD
American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Career Development Award, awarded to Tim Ohlsen, MD, MS
Kuni Foundation Discovery Grant for Cancer Research, awarded to Elizabeth Lawlor, MD, PhD, Rameshwar Rao, MD, and Jason Price, PhD
Leukemia Lymphoma Society Translational Research Program Award, awarded to Mignon Loh, MD, and Jason Price, PhD
The Society for Clinical Trials David Sackett Trial of the Year, awarded to the team who conducted the trial that demonstrated adding blinatumomab to chemotherapy improved outcomes for children with ALL. This includes Rachel Rau, MD, and Mignon Loh, MD.
Andy Hill CARE Fund Implementation and Outcomes Research, awarded to Jim Olson, MD, PhD

We strive for the absolute best care that we can provide our patients, in a seamless fashion. We are advancing the education of the next generation of leaders in hematology and oncology, and we continue our trajectory of making fundamental discoveries about cancer pathogenesis and how to translate that to benefit clinical outcome.
— Mignon Loh, MD, director, Ben Towne Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Disorders Research

Our Labs

Featured Research

TGF-beta Identified as Critical Driver of Ewing Sarcoma Metastasis

Findings from the Lawlor Lab reveal how Ewing sarcoma cells use TGFB2 to create a self-signaling feed-forward loop, driving them into more aggressive states and providing new insights into how a local tumor evolves to metastasize and resist treatment.

Decoding the CAR T-Cell 'Signalosome': A New Path to Safer Cancer Therapy

Researchers at Seattle Children’s Research Institute uncover a first-of-its-kind method to predict side effects in CAR T-cell therapy, potentially paving the way for safer, more effective cancer treatments.

Healing Without Harm: Reducing Chemo Toxicities

Hematologist-oncologist and researcher Jay Sarthy, MD, PhD, aims to reduce chemotherapy’s toxic effects without reducing its effectiveness. His lab has found that a drug not currently used outside of Asia kills pediatric cancer cells more effectively and safely than a common chemotherapy prescribed in the U.S.

Seattle Children’s Cancer Study Awarded Top Clinical Trial

A pediatric cancer drug trial co-led by Rachel Rau, MD, and overseen by Mignon Loh, MD, received the prestigious David Sackett Trial of the Year. The study showed that adding the drug blinatumomab to a chemotherapy regimen for children with B-cell acute lymphoblastic decreased risk of relapse by about two-thirds.

CAR T-Cell Therapy Shows Promise for Pediatric Brain Tumors

NBC News featured the encouraging findings from an early-stage clinical trial by Nick Vitanza, MD. The CAR T-cell therapy given to children and young adults with diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) nearly doubled predicted survival time.

Cutting the Cardiac Toll of Childhood Cancer Treatments

Kasey Leger, MD, MSc, has two aims: Cure childhood cancers and protect kids’ hearts from cancer medicines in the long term. She leads the Myeloid Cardiotoxicity Working Group and studies ways to lessen the cardiotoxicity of cancer therapy.

Join Our Team

We are looking to hire exceptional candidates to join our team.

Graduate study

If you are interested in graduate study in our labs, please apply through the University of Washington's School of Medicine M3D PhD program. Please also feel free to contact faculty members directly.

Postgraduate Training for Physicians

Physicians interested in postgraduate training, please visit the University of Washington's Department of Pediatrics Hematology-Oncology Fellowship page.

Postgraduate Training for Scholars

Post-doctoral scholars should visit the Seattle Children’s Research Institute careers page.

Research Saves Kids’ Lives

Seattle Children’s is a global leader driving life-changing breakthroughs for over 200 childhood diseases. But federal funding cuts are putting it all at risk.

Support Our Research

Your generous donation helps support the important work of the Ben Towne Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Disorders Research. Please consider a gift today and direct your donation to our center.

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