Projects and Grants per year
Organization profile
Organization profile
For more than 40 years, the Markey Cancer Center has served the Commonwealth of Kentucky and is an integral part of the University of Kentucky and UK HealthCare. Markey is the only NCI-designated cancer center in Kentucky, and one of only a handful in the country. In addition, Markey Cancer Center has been listed in U.S. News and World Reports Top 50 Cancer Centers for the past three years.
The Markey Cancer Center was first designated by the National Cancer Institute in 2013 – a distinction that recognizes its extraordinary ability to conduct world-class research, launch ground-breaking clinical trials, and provide exceptional patient care. NCI-designated centers are a major source of discovery and development in the fight against cancer.
Membership in the Markey Cancer Center research community consists of investigators from across the university who have demonstrated scientific excellence and their commitment to collaborative work in cancer research. Each investigator works within one of three thematic research programs:
- Cancer Prevention and Control (CP)
- Molecular and Cellular Oncology (MCO)
- Translational Oncology (TO).
Additionally, Markey has established five shared resource facilities: Biospecimen Procurement and Translational Pathology (BPTP), Redox Metabolism (RM), Biostatistics and Bioinformatics (BB), Cancer Research Informatics (CRI), and Flow Cytometry and Immune Monitoring (FCIM); with two additional facilities under development: Patient-oriented and Population Sciences (POP) and Oncogenomics (OG), to aid researchers in their work.
For more information and resources, visit the Markey Cancer Center website.
UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. Our work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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Dive into the research topics where Markey Cancer Center / Cancer Research Priority Initiative is active. These topic labels come from the works of this organization's members. Together they form a unique fingerprint.
Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
Recent external collaboration from the last 5 years on country level. Dive into details by clicking on the dots.
Research units
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Cancer Prevention and Control Research Program
Markey Cancer Center / Cancer Research Priority Initiative
Organizational unit: Department
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Molecular and Cellular Oncology Research Program
Markey Cancer Center / Cancer Research Priority Initiative
Organizational unit: Department
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Translational Oncology Research Program
Markey Cancer Center / Cancer Research Priority Initiative
Organizational unit: Department
Profiles
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Olufunmilola Abraham, Ph.D.
- Pharmacy Practice and Science - Professor, Chair, Pharmacy Practice and Science
- Cancer Prevention and Control Research Program - Member
- Markey Cancer Center / Cancer Research Priority Initiative - Member
- UNITE Research Priority Area
Person
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Adebola Adegboyega, Ph.D.
- College of Nursing - Associate Professor
- Cancer Prevention and Control Research Program - Member
- Markey Cancer Center / Cancer Research Priority Initiative - Member
- UNITE Research Priority Area
Person
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25-LUN-145-BMS CA240-0029 A Randomized Phase 2/3 Study of BMS-986504 in Combination with Pembrolizumab and Chemotherapy Versus Placebo Plus Pembrolizumab and Chemotherapy in First-line Metastatic Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Participants with Homozygous MTA
Villano, PhD, J. (PI)
11/19/25 → 11/19/27
Project: Research project
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25-LUN-146-GPX-PMC(ONC-003): A Phase 1/2 Open-Label, Dose-Escalation and Clinical Response Study of Quaratusugene Ozeplasmid in Combination with Osimertinib in Patients with Advanced, EGFR-Mutant, Metastatic Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer who have Progressed
Hao, Z. (PI)
11/17/25 → 11/17/27
Project: Research project
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25-HN-44-JJ (NANORAY-312): A Phase 3 (Pivotal Stage) Study of NBTXR3 Activated by Investigator s Choice of Radiotherapy Alone or Radiotherapy in Combination with Cetuximab for Platinum-based Chemotherapy-Ineligible Elderly Patients with Locally Advanced H
Yang, E. (PI)
Johnson and Johnson Enterprise Innovation Incorporated
11/14/25 → 10/29/27
Project: Research project
Research output
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Cigarette and cannabis use and co-use among U.S. adults: An examination of prevalence and trends during 2015–2023
Constantin, J. & Jayawardhana, J., Jan 2026, In: Addictive Behaviors. 172, 108521.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Colon cancer in Appalachian Kentucky: Unique genetic, microbiome and obesity findings in a cohort comparison
Chow, Z., Liu, J., He, D., Wang, C., Gan, T., Mansour, A., Shaker, N., Dravillas, C., Hoyd, R., Durbin, E., Napier, D., Gao, T., Schaberg, K., Huang, L., Ulrich, N., Siegel, E., Edge, S., Cook, L., Salhia, B. & Churchman, M. & 4 others, , Jan 15 2026, In: Human Genetics and Genomics Advances. 7, 1, 100527.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access -
Comparison of Pipelines, Seq2seq Models, and LLMs for Rare Disease Information Extraction
Gupta, S., Ai, X., Jiang, Y. & Kavuluru, R., 2026, Natural Language Processing and Information Systems - 30th International Conference on Applications of Natural Language to Information Systems, NLDB 2025, Proceedings. Ichise, R. (ed.). p. 49-63 15 p. (Lecture Notes in Computer Science; vol. 15836 LNCS).Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution › peer-review
Prizes
Activities
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National Black Nurses Association (External organization)
Williams, L. (Member)
2016 → …Activity: Membership › Membership of network
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Journal of Medicinal Chemistry (Journal)
Guy, R. K. (Reviewer)
2014 → …Activity: Publication peer-review and editorial work › Editorial work
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Barriers and Facilitators to Drug Treatment Entry Amongst Rural and Urban African American Cocaine Users
Borders, T. (Speaker) & Booth, B. M. (Speaker)
Aug 1 2012Activity: Talk or presentation › Oral presentation