Mission Statement
We collaborate to cure Merkel cell carcinoma.
Who We Are
UW Medicine 
UW Medicine is an integrated clinical, research and learning health system with a single mission to improve the health of the public. More than 35,000 UW Medicine faculty, non-faculty practitioners and staff work to improve health for all people through excellence in clinical, research and education/training programs.
Fred Hutch Cancer Center 
Fred Hutch Cancer Center is an independent, nonprofit organization that also serves as the cancer program for UW Medicine. Fred Hutch is proud to raise funds that fuel the adult oncology program on behalf of both Fred Hutch and UW Medicine.
What we do
We are a dedicated team of researchers, clinicians, and patient advocates united in the fight against Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC).
We are building on our expertise and decades of discovery to strengthen our understanding of MCC so we can improve detection and treatment for people and families facing this disease. Here are a few of the ways our team is driving the next wave of treatments and cures:
Predicting Response to Treatment
Today, providers don’t know which of their patients with metastatic MCC will respond to immune checkpoint inhibitors, but our research could change that. Recently, we demonstrated that the level of cancer-fighting T cells circulating in a patient’s blood — not the level in their tumor — best predicts whether these therapies will be effective, a first step toward developing a test providers could use to guide treatment in the future. This finding could also be the foundation for new therapeutic strategies to boost patients’ existing anti-tumor T cells.
Creating Tailored Therapies
We’re proud that our research helped to dramatically improve the chances that patients with metastatic MCC will benefit from treatment, and now we’re aiming to increase those survival rate from 50% to 75%. To reach that goal, we are developing treatments that combine immune checkpoint inhibitors with other types of therapies, including T-cell therapies, in which patients’ own immune cells are reengineered to recognize telltale markers of disease.
Coordinating Multi-Site Research Studies
Because MCC is such a rare disease, no single cancer center has enough patients to conduct high-quality studies by itself. As coordinating center for some of the largest clinical trials in the U.S. — including the Women’s Health Initiative and the HIV Vaccine Trials Network — Fred Hutch has built unique expertise and infrastructure for successful multi-institution research. By leveraging and expanding our existing network of collaborators, we can continue to make an outsized contribution to research that yields new and better treatments for people living with MCC.
Ensuring Enduring Impact
Our new MC3 Institute is a hub that connects more than 100 collaborators at Fred Hutch, UW Medicine, and beyond, facilitating new ideas and streamlining data- and sample-sharing. The structure provides a durable administrative framework that will grow with our clinical care and translational research enterprise and support our ever-deepening training, outreach, and advocacy efforts now and in the future.
BACKGROUND
Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare but aggressive skin cancer, and its incidence is rising. To learn more visit our website, an educational resource managed by the MC3 Institute.
Paul Nghiem, MD, PhD, and his team at Fred Hutch Cancer Center and UW Medicine launched the Merkel Carcinoma Collaborative (MC3) Institute to accelerate and streamline research and improve treatment options for patients. We aim to provide structure for the 100+ MCC collaborators in Seattle and around the world. MC3 will manage and support scientific research projects, support training of junior scientists and clinicians, advocate for patient needs, and provide the best MCC clinical care in the world.
Values
At the MC3 Institute, we are driven by five core values:
Patient-focused – We make decisions based on what is right for the patient. An MCC patient represents a community of people—we care for all of them. We treat patients like they are members of our own family. The challenges that patients experience guide our priorities.
Innovation – We believe in thinking outside the box and challenging the status quo. We are tenacious and driven to push the field forward. We believe that what we do will make a difference for patients.
Collaboration – We collaborate because it is the most effective way to help our patients and advance the field. We believe team-based patient care is essential. We are approachable, curious, and available. We eagerly assist teams around the world and share data to accelerate progress.
Education – We use the appropriate language for each audience to ensure understanding for everyone. We empower the world with information, so MCC patients have the best care options and live longer. We break down barriers (cost, lack of information, location) so patients have access to the best MCC resources. We train healthcare providers and scientists to be compassionate, ethical, and knowledgeable.
Integrity – We are deliberate, accurate, and transparent. We do our homework and choose our problems carefully. We balance evidence-driven research with compassion. We never take for granted the precious gifts from patients (data, specimens, and funds) that make our progress possible.