A memorial service will be held for Dr. Alex Fefer at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 6, at Temple Beth Am, 2632 N.E. 80th St., Seattle. Fefer, 72, passed away Oct. 3.
Fefer was a member of Dr. Don Thomas' original transplant team and a pioneer in immunobiology. His research included seminal work in animal models that showed for the first time that the adoptive transfer of T-cells could eradicate malignancy and the first studies of human transplantation to cure chronic phase chronic myelogenous leukemia.
“Alex’s contributions to the field of the immunotherapy of cancer and the science of bone marrow transplantation were enormous,” said Dr. Fred Appelbaum, director of the Clinical Research Division.
At the time of his death, Fefer was in Washington, D.C., where he had been attending the International Society for Biologic Therapy of Cancer meeting. He was there to receive a lifetime achievement award along with Drs. Phil Greenberg and Mac Cheever, two of his original trainees.
Fefer is survived by his wife, Thea, and sons, Avrum and Mark.
