MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -- Dr. Arthur W. Nienhuis, a former director of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, has died, the hospital said.
Nienhuis died Feb. 3, the hospital said in a statement released Monday. No cause of death was given.
Nienhuis was known for his work in gene therapy, the hospital said. He arrived at St. Jude in 1993 and became the hospital's fourth director.
St. Jude is considered a leading researcher of cancer and other life-threatening diseases that affect children. Families of children who are patients at the hospital never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing and food.
Nienhuis oversaw a hospital expansion and strengthened programs in experimental hematology, bone marrow transplantation, pediatric oncology and infectious diseases, the hospital said.
Nienhuis helped create a pediatric brain tumor program and a project to develop gene transfer for hemophilia treatment, the hospital said. His stint as director ended in 2004.