A $5.3 million National Institutes of Health grant awarded to the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences will support advanced cancer research in Oklahoma. The Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) grant is designed to build research capacity and help early-career researchers establish independently funded laboratories.
This is the third and final phase of the COBRE grant, which was first awarded in 2012, followed by phase two in 2017. The grant has supported and paralleled the growth of OU Health Stephenson Cancer Center, Oklahoma's National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center. Danny Dhanasekaran, Ph.
D., a professor of cell biology at the OU College of Medicine and deputy director for basic research at Stephenson Cancer Center, has led the grant's work since its beginning. The phase three COBRE grant is a testament to the tremendous progress we have made over the past decade in advancing cancer research in Oklahoma.
With the continued support of the NIH, we are poised to make significant strides in understanding and overcoming the challenges of cancer, ultimately improving outcomes for cancer patients in Oklahoma and across the nation." Danny Dhanasekaran, PhD, Professor, Cell Biology, College of Medicine, University of Oklahoma As part of the COBRE grant, established researchers mentor early-career researchers on important steps and pitfalls to avoid as they launch their careers. Early-career researchers conduct research and publish studies that they lever.