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K-State Today

June 12, 2018

Kansas State University Johnson Cancer Research Center provides $362,400 for research and education

Submitted by Communications and Marketing

Cancer research at Kansas State University has gotten a large boost from donations made to the university's Johnson Cancer Research Center.

"Saving lives through cancer research is expensive," said Stephen Keith Chapes, Johnson Cancer Research Center interim director and professor of biology. "And unlike cancer treatment providers who can charge fees to cover their costs, researchers are constantly competing for funds to support their work that leads to such treatments."

Funds raised through private donations allow the cancer research center to provide faculty and students hundreds of thousands of dollars a year in competitive awards to support innovative cancer research, laboratory equipment purchases, mentoring of student researchers and more. Information about all the awards is accessible on the center's award programs webpage.

In fiscal year 2018, the center awarded $362,400. The Innovative Research Award program, the center's largest, provided $201,000 for studies into such things as improved drug delivery methods using nanotechnology, magnetism and biomimetic liposomes; anti-cancer flavonoids in plant foods; characterization of cancer risk using miniaturized neutron spectrometer; a protein's role in antitumor immunity; and a novel lung cancer-targeted immunotherapy.

The center is also establishing Centers of Excellence for Cancer Research with funding anticipated to begin in 2018.

"We are grateful to our many allies helping us conquer cancer, and pleased to redistribute their gifts to our most promising faculty and student researchers," Chapes said. "Those dollars are making a big difference, often being leveraged into large extramural grants."

"With excellent basic research in stem cell technology, virology, immunology and nanotechnology, K-State is making its mark in cancer research and getting ever closer to becoming a Top 50 public research university," said Richard Myers, Kansas State University president.

The Johnson Cancer Research Center currently has 100 affiliated faculty researchers conducting multidisciplinary cancer research in 20 departments at Kansas State University. Its programs are supported by private donations. More information about the center is at cancer.k-state.edu.