College of Veterinary Medicine establishes Center of Excellence for Translational and Comparative Oncology Research at Kansas State University
Monday, Jan. 22, 2018
MANHATTAN — The College of Veterinary Medicine at Kansas State University has a new center of excellence that is focusing on improving the diagnosis, management and treatment of both human and animal cancer.
The Kansas State University Center of Excellence for Translational and Comparative Oncology Research, or CETCOR, was established in late 2017 through start-up funding from the university's Johnson Cancer Research Center and support from the College of Veterinary Medicine.
"The overriding objective of CETCOR is to expedite the pre-clinical and clinical development, production and/or licensure of novel or improved medical interventions — drugs, immunotherapeutics and medical devices — for the treatment, diagnosis and monitoring of both human and animal cancers," said Raelene Wouda, assistant professor of oncology in the college's clinical sciences department.
According to Wouda, a unique aspect of the Center of Excellence for Translational and Comparative Oncology Research is that, unlike many centers of excellence, it does not possess a solitary research emphasis. This center does not focus on a single type of cancer nor the development of a single novel drug or technology.
"Our group aims to facilitate the advancement of all cancer-associated research taking place on campus and within the wider K-State community, whether that be at the basic physiologic and pharmacologic level or in the later stages of the therapeutic drug development pathway," Wouda said.
The Center of Excellence for Translational and Comparative Oncology Research's mission is to advance discoveries by Kansas State University faculty and university community toward clinical utility in a timely and cost-effective manner by providing study-design guidance, specifically through the application of appropriate models.
Wouda said that a secondary objective of the center is to provide opportunities for education and networking as they pertain to translational and comparative oncologic research within the region.
The center will offer its inaugural continuing education symposium on Saturday, March 17.
More information about the center, its leadership and staff, as well as current research updates, can be found online at vet.k-state.edu/research/CETCOR/.
