Discovery Series, Dr. Cyrus Ghjar, Professor, Fred Hutch

​What if cancer didn’t strike in one dramatic moment—but instead lingered, quietly, for years? Long after a tumor seems gone, cancer cells can lie dormant. And sometimes, they return. This is the mystery of metastatic relapse—and the frontier where Dr. Cyrus Ghajar works.

​At Fred Hutch Cancer Center, Ghajar leads research into how dormant cancer cells evade treatment and what reactivates them. His lab bridges oncology, immunology, and bioengineering to explore the role of the immune system in suppressing dormant cancer cells. It’s a delicate numbers game that can tip the balance between remission and recurrence.

​Supported by the National Institutes of Health, the Kuni Foundation, U.S. Department of Defense and other funders, Ghajar holds the Peter S. Lefkarites Memorial Endowed Chair. Ghajar’s work is reshaping how we think about metastasis—not as a sudden invasion, but a slow, stealthy process that might be intercepted. Join us to explore how silence in the body might hold the key to preventing relapse.

​Agenda 

​11:30 am to 12 pm - Lunch 

​12 pm to 12:40 pm - Presentation 

​12:40 pm to 1 pm - Audience Q&A 

​About the Discovery Series: designed to bring together the state's preeminent researchers, innovative leaders, and elected officials who want to stay on top of important advancements being made in our state, each Discovery Series program includes lunch, networking time, a Q&A session, and an opportunity to meet the speaker.