OU Health Campus Celebrates Doubling of Phase 1 Clinical Trials, New Laboratory Space

On Tuesday, OU Health Stephenson Cancer Center celebrated the expansion of its Oklahoma Phase 1 Clinical Trials Center, which will soon double the number of patients receiving early-stage cancer drugs. In addition, nearly 20,000 square feet of laboratory space has been added on the OU Health Campus to support the growth of cancer research.

The expansion is made possible through funding awarded in 2022 from the Build Back Better Regional Challenge of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration. Stephenson Cancer Center was among six investment projects to receive a total of $35 million in funding. Together, the projects represent the Oklahoma Biotech Innovation Cluster, an initiative spearheaded by the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber in partnership with OU, OU Health, the Oklahoma City Innovation District, Echo Investment Capital and numerous other coalition partners.

“Today’s ribbon-cutting represents our commitment to eliminating cancer in Oklahoma and beyond,” said Robert Mannel, M.D., director of Stephenson Cancer Center. “We will now be able to enroll nearly 500 patients a year on Phase 1 clinical trials, offering them the most advanced research-driven care in the state of Oklahoma. In doing so, we aim to be among the top five largest Phase 1 clinical trial centers in the United States.”

Stephenson Cancer Center offers the only Phase 1 clinical trials program in the state. The expanded footprint means more Oklahomans will have access to innovative new drugs, most of which are being made available to patients for the first time. The funds will also help expand the workforce dedicated to the program with the hiring of new clinical trial personnel to care for patients.

Newly built laboratory space, housed in the Biomedical Sciences Building just down the road from Stephenson Cancer Center, will serve as the new home of the Department of Oncology Science in the OU College of Medicine, which focuses its research on the cancers that are most prevalent among patients in Oklahoma.

The new space features the most advanced technology in cancer research and an open-concept floor design to enhance collaboration among researchers.

“This design will allow our researchers to work together in a way that was not possible when they were isolated in their individual labs,” said Pankaj Singh, Ph.D., professor and founding chair of the Department of Oncology Science. “Team science is becoming more and more important in cancer research. We expect this collaborative environment to speed the pace of research discoveries.”

Researchers in the Department of Oncology Science primarily study pancreatic, breast, lung, ovarian, colorectal and liver cancers. They also focus on translational research, which takes laboratory discoveries and translates them into potential methods of targeting cancerous cells.

“For example, we study how vulnerabilities in cancer cells could be targeted with treatment, and how the body’s own immune system can be primed to target cancer cells,” Singh said. “We also test new combinations of chemotherapies and radiotherapies to create more effective, precise treatments with fewer side effects.”

The expanded Phase 1 clinical trials program and new laboratory space are part of a larger effort to catalyze the bioscience sector in central Oklahoma through unique public-private partnerships. The U.S. Economic Development Administration funding, earned through a highly competitive process, is a testament to the promise of biotechnology and related manufacturing in Oklahoma.

“This project is the physical manifestation of the vision we had in the development of the grant,” said Christy Gillenwater, president and CEO of the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber. “Being able to expand our community’s capacity to develop and manufacture treatments here will advance science, save lives and create growth for our economy. Every Oklahoman should take pride in this announcement and the hope for the future it brings.”

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About the University of Oklahoma

Founded in 1890, the University of Oklahoma is a public research university with campuses in Norman, Oklahoma City and Tulsa. As the state’s flagship university, OU serves the educational, cultural, economic and health care needs of the state, region and nation. In Oklahoma City, the OU Health Campus is one of the nation’s few academic health centers with seven health profession colleges located on the same campus. The OU Health Campus serves approximately 4,000 students in more than 70 undergraduate and graduate degree programs spanning Oklahoma City and Tulsa and is the leading research institution in Oklahoma. For more information about the OU Health Campus, visit www.ouhsc.edu.