SEATTLE — Jan. 12, 2026 — Fred Hutch Cancer Center welcomed Sabah Öney to its Board of Directors effective Jan. 1, 2026. Öney is the president and chief executive officer of Dispatch Bio, a start-up company that is engineering a universal treatment across solid tumors.
“It is an honor to join the Fred Hutch Board of Directors,” said Öney. “For the past 50 years, Fred Hutch has built a global reputation for developing lifesaving treatments and leading scientific innovation, and I look forward to joining with this outstanding group of leaders to advance the mission of curing cancer and infectious diseases.”
Öney brings nearly 20 years of scientific experience and executive leadership in the biotechnology industry. In 2012, he oversaw the global expansion of products at Ariosa Diagnostics. Later, he served as the Chief Business Officer of Alector, a biotech company leveraging the immune system against neurodegenerative diseases and guided the company throughout its IPO process. In 2021, he joined ARCH Venture Partners as a Venture Partner. Öney is also a Co-founder and Interim CEO of Vilya, a computational biotechnology company founded by Nobel Laureate David Baker, PhD, and serves on its Board of Directors.
His education experience reflects a combination of scientific innovation and business experience. Öney received his bachelor’s degree in genetics from the University of Kansas, his MBA from Stanford University Graduate School of Business and his PhD in Genetics and Genomics from Duke University. He is the co-author of numerous scientific publications and has developed several biotechnology patents.
Motivated both professionally and personally to advance immunotherapy treatment and research, Öney shares a passion for Fred Hutch’s mission to eliminate cancer and infectious diseases. In 2022, as part of Fred Hutch’s Climb to Fight Cancer Timmerman Traverse trek to the Everest Base Camp, he raised nearly $97,000 for cancer research at Fred Hutch and called the journey a “life-altering experience.”
“Sabah is an outstanding addition to our Board of Directors, bringing a wealth of experience in leading innovative biotechnology companies that are transforming the treatment of cancer and other diseases,” said Dr. Thomas J. Lynch, president and director of Fred Hutch and holder of the Raisbeck Endowed Chair. “As we now enter the next 50 years of Fred Hutch’s mission and legacy, Sabah’s insight will be instrumental in advancing our next chapter of scientific innovation and treatment.”
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Media contact:
Shayla Ring
sring@fredhutch.org
Fred Hutch Cancer Center unites individualized care and advanced research to provide the latest cancer treatment options while accelerating discoveries that prevent, treat and cure cancer and infectious diseases worldwide.
Based in Seattle, Fred Hutch is an independent, nonprofit organization and the only National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center in Washington. We have earned a global reputation for our track record of discoveries in cancer, infectious disease and basic research, including important advances in bone marrow transplantation, immunotherapy, HIV/AIDS prevention and COVID-19 vaccines. Fred Hutch operates eight clinical care sites that provide medical oncology, infusion, radiation, proton therapy and related services. Fred Hutch also serves as UW Medicine’s cancer program.