MANHATTAN — Cancer research and education programs at Kansas State University received a big boost from donations made to the university's Johnson Cancer Research Center.
"Clinical treatments start with basic cancer research, but this initial step is expensive," said Sherry D. Fleming, director of the Johnson Cancer Research Center and professor of biology. "Unlike clinical cancer providers who charge fees for their work, researchers constantly seek grant funds to support their work."
Private donations to the cancer research center provide hundreds of thousands of dollars a year 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, cancer.k-state.edu/awards/.
In fiscal year 2020, the center awarded $585,832 to support cancer research and training. It provided $210,200 to faculty for studies into such areas as breast cancer metastasis, DNA damage and carcinogenesis, immunotherapy against lung cancer, and inhibiting collective tumor invasion. It provided $242,132 to graduate and undergraduate students, and $50,000 to the Center of Excellence for Pancreatic Cancer Research. The center also provided $75,000 to support the purchases of a nuclear magnetic resonance machine in the biochemistry and molecular biophysics department and a cell sorter for the Flow Cytometry Core Facility in the diagnostic medicine and pathobiology department.
"We are grateful for the many friends whose donations fund our most promising research programs and student training," Fleming said. "These gifts, large and small, make a big difference, and frequently are used to obtain extramural grants to K-State."
"With excellent basic research in stem cell technology, virology, immunology and nanotechnology, as well as many opportunities for students through paid and mentored research experiences, K-State is making its mark in cancer research as an outstanding public research university," said Peter Dorhout, the university's vice president for research.
The Johnson Cancer Research Center has nearly 100 faculty members 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.