KU cancer drug researcher's $1 million grant to boost drive for national designation

Jun 18, 2009

The University of Kansas Cancer Center's effort to achieve National Cancer Institute (NCI) designation was boosted today when one of its prominent cancer drug researchers received a $1 million NCI grant renewal.

The new four-year grant will allow Blake Peterson, PhD, Regents Distinguished Professor in Medicinal Chemistry at KU, to expand his work in cancer drug delivery he began a decade ago while on the Pennsylvania State University faculty. The grant also brings the Cancer Center's NCI funding total to $6 million, more than halfway to its goal of $11 million needed by September 25, 2011 for its NCI designation application.

Dr. Peterson's research focuses on constructing an anti-cancer drug delivery system designed to cross membrane barriers by accessing a defined membrane trafficking pathway.

"The delivery of drugs through the bloodstream to tumors is similar to paddling a kayak down a stream; there are often rocks and trees that stand in the way," said Peterson. "This grant will allow me to study a unique approach for drug delivery that essentially walks over these barriers to allow cancer fighting drugs to reach tumors; this has the potential to revolutionize the way we treat certain types of cancers."

This grant will allow Dr. Peterson to look at developing synthetic cell surface receptors as a new tool for drug delivery and study small molecule-protein interactions to generate potential therapeutic leads.

His previous work discovered synthetic compounds that engage the same membrane trafficking pathway that allows certain nutrients such as iron, access to the interior of a cell by interacting with membrane proteins.

Peterson joined KU's faculty in 2008 and was named an Eminent Scholar by the Kansas Bioscience Authority. He plays an important role in the Cancer Center's quest to achieve NCI designation.

"This funding speaks to the incredible strength the University of Kansas has in drug delivery and leverages the unique capabilities we have," said Roy Jensen, MD, director of the University of Kansas Cancer Center. "Dr. Peterson's success not only will help patients by potentially discovering new ways to fight some of the hardest-to-treat cancers, but he moves us closer to meeting our success factors toward achieving National Cancer Institute designation for the region."

The University of Kansas Cancer Center is transforming cancer research and clinical care by linking our innovative approach to drug discovery, delivery and development to our nationally accredited patient care program. Our partnership includes cancer research and healthcare professionals associated with the University of Kansas Medical Center and The University of Kansas Hospital in Kansas City, the University of Kansas in Lawrence, the University of Kansas School of Medicine in Wichita, and the members of the Midwest Cancer Alliance Partners Advisory Board and Clinical Trials Network. For more information on The University of Kansas Cancer Center's research and outreach programs and award-winning patient care offered at the Richard and Annette Bloch Cancer Care Pavilion and The University of Kansas Hospital, please visit www.kumed.com/cancer or call 1-800-332-6048.