Dr. Hans-Peter Kiem

Dr. Hans-Peter Kiem, the Director of the Stem Cell and Gene Therapy program at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, is known as a pioneer in the development of new gene-editing technologies. Through his work as an oncologist providing bone marrow transplants to leukemia patients, Dr. Kiem learned it’s possible to modify genes in blood marrow stem cells and convey those genetic changes to a patient.

Dr. Kiem and his team hope to achieve cures for diseases like HIV, cancer, sickle cell anemia and other blood disorders with this ability to repair or modify genes by editing stem cells to carry healthier or disease-resistant versions of genes prior to transplant. He is currently pioneering “in vivo” and “ex vivo” approaches to make gene therapy and gene editing more broadly available and accessible to those living with HIV, especially in resource-limited settings. “My goal is to have gene therapy available in a single injection that delivers the gene edits directly to patients’ cells in vivo. In essence, healing them where they are, versus needing to bring a patient to the team. I call this gene therapy in a syringe.

Dr. Kiem received his M.D. and Ph.D., at the University of Ulm in Germany. He came to the United States in 1988 and completed research at Stanford and internal medicine at Vanderbilt University before an oncology fellowship at the University of Washington led to his work with the Fred Hutch. Dr. Kiem and his family live in Seattle where he enjoys bicycling and traveling.