NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – The University of Kansas Cancer Center today announced that Kansas City, Mo.-based Children'sMercyHospitalhas joined its National Cancer Institute consortium.
The institutions will collaborate on scientific and clinical research programs in pediatric oncology, the university said, adding Children's Mercy's strengths in pediatrics, genomic medicine, orphan drug disease indications, and cancer drug discovery will complement KU's Institute for Advancing Medical Innovation's focus on cancer, childhood and adolescent diseases, and rare diseases. The third partner in the consortium is the Stowers Institute for Medical Research, also based in Kansas City,Mo.
The KU Cancer Center was awarded NCI designation in 2012 and is currently seeking designation as a Comprehensive Cancer Center from the institute.
"Children's Mercy has extensive experience and expertise when it comes to advancing pediatric oncology research and pediatric drug development," Roy Jensen, director of the University of Kansas Cancer Center, said in a statement. "This expanded relationship between Children's Mercy and theCancerCenter will better position our institutions as we endeavor to earn the NCI designation as a Comprehensive Cancer Center over the next few years."
Children's Mercy and the KU Cancer Center recently collaborated on creating the Cancer Center Survivorship Transition Clinic at the university.
In December, Children's Mercy launched the first newborn genome sequencing project funded by the National Institutes of Health.