UofL will use $2.5 million state grant to hire 3 new cancer researchers

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A $2.5 million grant will support pediatric cancer research in Louisville.

The money was awarded by the Kentucky Pediatric Cancer Research Trust Fund to the University of Louisville, which announced the grant in a news release Thursday and said it'll be used to hire three new researchers.

The researchers, set to join UofL early next year, will help develop new therapeutics and conduct clinical trials for U of L School of Medicine Department of Pediatrics and Norton Children's Cancer Institute.

"This funding is another key resource in UofL and Norton Children’s ongoing work to build a cutting-edge pediatric cancer research program," Michael Ferguson, chief of the Division of Hematology, Oncology and Stem Cell Transplantation in the UofL School of Medicine Department of Pediatrics and chief of Norton Children’s Cancer Institute, said in a news release. "This will allow us to develop new pediatric cancer treatments and bring them to families in Kentucky and surrounding states before they are available anywhere else – ensuring children here have first access to the latest approved therapies."

Doctors said the move allows them to develop new pediatric cancer treatments and bring them to families in Louisville before they're available anywhere else.

"The partnership between the University of Louisville School of Medicine and Norton Children’s creates an unparalleled environment for pediatric cancer care and research in Louisville and beyond," Jeffrey Bumpous, dean of UofL School of Medicine and executive vice president for health affairs, said in a news release. "Through Norton Children’s Cancer Institute, our dually employed faculty are able to offer innovative treatments and clinical trials while advancing research for our most vulnerable cancer patients and training the next generation of physician-scientists."

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