Ajay K. Gopal

Dr. Ajay K. Gopal is a Professor in the Division of Hematology and Oncology at the University of Washington and Clinical Research Division at Fred Hutch Cancer Center. He serves as Director of Clinical Research for Hematologic Malignancies/Hematology at Fred Hutch/UW Cancer Consortium and holds the Stephen H. Petersdorf Endowed Chair in Cancer Care at UW Medicine. His clinical expertise focuses on lymphoma, chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), and hematologic malignancies.

Dr. Gopal's research centers on three primary areas: developing novel targeted therapies for lymphomas with emphasis on radioimmunotherapy-based transplant conditioning regimens; creating low-toxicity proapoptotic agents for indolent lymphomas; and designing safe curative regimens for older adults with lymphoma. His translational research bridges laboratory discoveries with clinical applications to improve treatment accessibility.

His scientific contributions demonstrate consistent focus on hematologic malignancies across 237+ publications, particularly exploring CAR-T therapies, antibody-drug conjugates (brentuximab vedotin, polatuzumab vedotin), and PI3K inhibitors. Recent work emphasizes comparative treatment efficacy and standardized response criteria.

• Top Doctor (Seattle magazine, 2021)
• Top Doctor (Seattle Met, 2019)
• Stephen H. Petersdorf Endowed Chair in Cancer Care
• Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Scholar in Clinical Research

Dr. Gopal leads multiple NIH/NCI-funded clinical trials including P01 CA 044991 (radiolabeled monoclonal antibodies) and industry-sponsored studies with Seattle Genetics, Pfizer, and Janssen. He directs research on stem cell transplantation protocols incorporating radioimmunotherapy and novel drug combinations for lymphoma subtypes.