Alexandre V. Hirayama

Dr. Alexandre V. Hirayama is a hematologist-oncologist serving as Assistant Professor in the Clinical Research Division at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center and Assistant Professor in the Division of Hematology and Oncology at the University of Washington School of Medicine. He is also an Affiliate Investigator in the Translational Science and Therapeutics Division at Fred Hutch and a Member of the Immunotherapy Integrated Research Center (IIRC). His clinical practice focuses on treating patients with blood cancers at the South Lake Union Clinic and UW Medical Center – Montlake.

Dr. Hirayama received his MD from the University of Brasília in Brazil, followed by a Residency in Internal Medicine and Fellowships in Hematology and Transfusion Medicine and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation at the University of São Paulo School of Medicine. He completed additional training as a Visiting physician at the Blood and Marrow Transplant Program at Fred Hutch Cancer Center and as a Post-doctoral research fellow in the Clinical Research Division at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center. He was also a Physician-scientist Scholar at the Immunotherapy Integrated Research Center.

Dr. Hirayama's research focuses on cellular immunotherapies, particularly chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR T-cell) therapy for blood cancers. His work leverages state-of-the-art technologies to understand factors impacting outcomes following these immunotherapies, with the goal of designing and conducting clinical trials to improve patient outcomes. Much of his research centers on CD19-targeted CAR T-cell therapy for B-cell malignancies, examining mechanisms of response, resistance, and toxicity. His publications reveal a strong emphasis on optimizing CAR T-cell therapy timing, understanding the tumor microenvironment, developing predictive models for toxicities, and exploring combination therapies to enhance efficacy.

His scientific achievements include the 2018 ASH Abstract Achievement Award from the American Society of Hematology. His work has been featured in prominent journals including Blood, Lancet Respiratory Medicine, and Nature Communications, with numerous first-author and senior-author publications advancing the field of cellular immunotherapy.

Dr. Hirayama is actively involved in clinical trials, including a study evaluating the efficacy and safety of JCAR017 in adult subjects with relapsed or refractory indolent B-cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (TRANSCEND FL). His research has contributed significantly to understanding cytokine release syndrome, neurotoxicity, and other complications associated with CAR T-cell therapy, while also exploring ways to improve therapeutic efficacy through novel engineering approaches and combination strategies.