Our Labs

The Allenspach Lab at Seattle Children’s Research Institute studies how the immune system becomes dysregulated and how this contributes to both increased infections and autoimmune disease.

The Behavioral and Clinical Outcomes Research Program is the home for cancer outcomes research within the Ben Towne Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Disorders Research.

Understanding how psychosocial factors impact outcomes for children, adolescents and young adults with cancer using integrated translational and behavioral approaches.

The Carbone Lab investigates the master role of dendritic cells (DCs) in orchestrating immune responses, with a focus on their impact in cancer immunotherapy. By studying how DCs recruit and activate other immune cells within the tumor microenvironment, we aim to uncover novel mechanisms that can enhance anti-tumor immunity.

The Development and Psychosocial Outcomes Lab, directed by Dr. Kaitlyn (Katy) Fladeboe, is dedicated to identifying and addressing the unique psychological, social, and developmental needs of adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with cancer. 

Led by Dr. Heather Gustafson, EDIT Labs develops novel technology platforms that target and alter macrophage phenotypes.

At the Heczey Lab, our goal is to redefine the treatment landscape for difficult-to-treat pediatric and adult solid tumors through innovative synthetic immunology. We are dedicated to designing next-generation, genetically modified immune cells that offer enhanced expansion, persistence and anti-tumor activity.

The James Lab is interested in uncovering biochemical mechanisms that contribute to drug resistance and to immunological disease. To do so, we investigate many features of protein behavior, including their impact on differentiation, their interactions with other molecules and whether mutation regulates these processes. Related topics: Immunology, B cells, genetic variation

The Olson Lab focuses on discovering novel therapeutics for pediatric cancers and, more broadly, on discovering protein/peptide therapeutics for a wide range of pediatric diseases.

The Kalia Lab is enabling progress toward immunotherapies that can be applied to any type of cancer.

The Lawlor Lab research focuses on Ewing sarcoma, an aggressive bone and soft tissue tumor for which new cures are needed.

Our research goals are to expand the knowledge domain of programmed cell death and leverage it in treating acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and other hematological malignancies. 

The Loh Lab focuses on conducting translational studies in childhood leukemia, specifically acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia (JMML).

The Miao Lab is pursuing safer, more effective treatments for hemophilia. Our current work focuses on innovative gene therapy approaches.

The Myron Evans II Lab is working to better understand why children get brain tumors and which mutations drive those tumors. This research includes studying how the brain normally develops in mammals, and how that process goes wrong and causes brain tumors. The lab is also working to identify new targets that could lead to potential clinical trials for children. Our ultimate goal is to make discoveries that inform a new wave of brain tumor treatments that are more targeted than today’s therapies, with fewer side effects.

We develop engineering strategies that enable T cells to overcome obstacles in the tumor microenvironment and mount a more powerful, durable and sustained attack on cancer cells.

The Pattwell Lab studies genes and processes involved in neurodevelopment and how they are hijacked in cancer.

The Pavel-Dinu Lab is interested in studying the complex networks that support hematopoietic regeneration; understanding how it goes awry in the rare monogenetic immune diseases known as inborn errors of immunity; and turning our scientific insights into innovative and long-lasting gene and cell therapies.

The Pej Lab is interested in the design of probabilistic machine learning methods and statistical models that incorporate known biochemical principles to facilitate decision-making from limited data and to allow for asking smarter questions.

Discover how the Rao lab at Seattle Children’s uses biomaterials and 3D tumor models to study pediatric cancer, chemoresistance and new therapies.

The Rau Lab at Seattle Children's researches leukemia's molecular and epigenetic drivers of cancer and treatment resistance.

The Sarkar Lab is finding ways to help the immune system remember cancer and attack it if it relapses – whether that’s months or decades after a child goes into remission.

The Sarthy Lab uses the latest tools to understand the role epigenetics plays in pediatric cancers and to explore less toxic cancer treatments.

Led by Dr. Joelle Straehla, a pediatric oncologist and bioengineer, the Straehla Lab is dedicated to advancing drug delivery technologies for cancer therapy. Our expertise lies in nanomedicines — tiny, engineered particles designed to deliver drugs precisely to targeted cells and tissues.

The Vitanza lab searches for new treatments that are both safe and curative for aggressive pediatric brain and spinal cord tumors, such as diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG), diffuse midline glioma H3 K27M-mutant (DMG) and atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumor (ATRT).