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Research Funding

TOTAL SPONSORED AWARDS - State FY 24                                                                                 TOTAL FEDERAL AWARDS - State FY 24
$217.3 MILLION                                                                                                                                $132.8 MILLION


OU Health Sciences has achieved its highest-ever ranking in the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research rankings, reaching No. 102 nationally for NIH funding—a 27-spot climb in two years—placing it among the top 3.6% of institutions receiving NIH support. With $75.2 million in NIH funding in FY2024, this recognition reflects the dedication of faculty, researchers, and staff in advancing biomedical and clinical research that improves patient outcomes and strengthens the university’s impact. 


OU Health Sciences Earns $5.3 Million From NIH to Boost Cancer Research, Support Emerging Scientists

OU Health Sciences Earns $5.3 Million From NIH to Boost Cancer Research, Support Emerging Scientists


Published: Tuesday, September 17, 2024

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,” Dhanasekaran said. “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.”

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 leverage to apply for larger grants to sustain their labs. They also become immersed in the collaborative world of team science.

“Research has become so multifaceted that one group won’t have all the expertise,” Dhanasekaran said. “For example, one researcher may be very good at teasing out how a cancer cell ‘talks’ to another cancer cell to promote growth, but they may not be as good at drug delivery, so they partner with a lab that is good at that. If we want to alleviate the burden of cancer in our society, we need this collaborative approach.”

Another central aim of the COBRE grant is building technology infrastructure that is specific to cancer investigations. Stephenson Cancer Center has supported this effort to acquire advanced equipment, often sophisticated imaging technology that monitors cell growth over time and shows the internal structure of cancer cells. New research technicians have been hired to operate the equipment, a workforce-building effort that benefits Oklahoma.

Since the first COBRE grant was awarded, seven of the 10 participating early-career researchers have earned a combined $22 million in grants, allowing them to fully operate their labs at OU Health Sciences with funds resulting from the strength of their studies. Their research has also resulted in 250 journal publications that focus on the grant’s theme of drug resistance and mitigating strategies.

“Drug resistance is a major issue in cancer treatment,” Dhanasekaran said. “A patient can have surgery or receive chemotherapy to kill the primary cancer, but if it comes back, it is often drug-resistant. Our researchers are looking at several types of cancers to understand more about how they become resistant to drugs. In doing so, they hope to find a vulnerable point in the cancers where we could deliver more effective therapy.”

Advances in cancer treatment remain a great need in Oklahoma, where cancer is the second-leading cause of death. In 2023, an estimated 23,420 residents were diagnosed with cancer and 8,620 lost their lives to the disease. Oklahoma has the fourth-highest rate of death from cancer in the United States.

Approximately one of every six Oklahomans diagnosed with cancer receive treatment at Stephenson Cancer Center, which offers a high level of care driven by research discoveries. The success of the COBRE grant has contributed to the milestones of the cancer center, including National Cancer Institution designation in 2018 and its renewal in 2023. That support will continue as Stephenson Cancer Center works toward NCI Comprehensive Cancer Center status, the highest institutional honor in oncology.

“The work of the COBRE grant under Dr. Dhanasekaran has been essential to our mission at Stephenson Cancer Center,” said director Robert Mannel, M.D., a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the OU College of Medicine. “Promising new researchers have established their carers on our campus, and we have built a solid research infrastructure to advance their studies. Ultimately, their discoveries will advance our ability to prevent and cure cancer for the people we serve.”

The University of Oklahoma is home to four other COBRE centers: On the Norman campus, the Oklahoma Center of Biomedical Research Excellence in Structural Biology and the Oklahoma Center of Medical Imaging for Translational Cancer Research; and on the OU Health Sciences campus, the Oklahoma Center for Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunity and the Oklahoma Center for Geroscience and Healthy Brain Aging

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About the project

The research reported in this news release is supported by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, a component of the National Institutes of Health, under award number 1P30GM154635-01. The project’s title is “Mentoring Translational Cancer Research in Oklahoma.” It is a five-year grant. 

Research Newsletter

Past Newsletters 

March 24, 2025, Newsletter 

This Week's Documents to Download and Full Newsletter

An Important Note from ORA – this is to notify the campus that the GRANTS team in ORA is currently four people short.   Please be patient and ensure your applications are submitted on time as required while we work through all proposals/requests and acquire new team members.

Policy for the Allocation of Research Space

A uniform policy for the allocation of research space has been approved by Health Sciences administration and the Research Oversight Committee (ROC) to establish the process for assigning, evaluating, and creating new research space at OUHSC. Research space is defined as wet laboratory or dry laboratory (e.g., office) space used for the performance of research endeavors.  Application of the policy across all OUHSC research and college buildings (OKC and Tulsa) is effective immediately and can help ensure efficient and effective use of existing space and appropriate evaluation of the need for new space.  To access the full policy, please visit: Research Space Allocation Policy.pdf

Proposal Development, Workshops, Webinars, and Grant Alerts Available to OUHSC Faculty through Hanover Research

Through a new partnership with Hanover Research, OUHSC now has access to expert research grant and contract writing/revision, strategic advising, and education and training which is available to OUHSC faculty at no cost to the college or department. Hanover Research provides customized proposal development, revision, and feedback, and provides assistance in identifying potential sources of funding for a project.  Please see the Hanover Research Services attachment for details. 

WORKSHOPS AND SEMINARS

The next Oklahoma Data Science Workshop is Friday March 28 at noon via Zoom.

This is the Zoom link:

https://oklahoma.zoom.us/j/94661289236?pwd=WHdLYkRhMHFFQmlPUHhqQU1uNDRoZz09&from=addon

Speaker: Ross Metalsum, PhD, Academic Ambassador, JMP Statistical Discovery

Title: Neural nets for modeling “small” data

Abstract: In this age of big data, “small” data sets of only tens or hundreds of rows are still quite common. Historically, linear regression has been a primary technique for modeling response surfaces using small data. However, simple neural networks can outperform linear regression in this context, yielding greater predictive accuracy. This talk will compare linear regression and neural nets (specifically, multilayer perceptrons) for modeling response surfaces using small data. An in-depth example will be presented using JMP® statistical software, which is free for academic use at www.jmp.com/student.

THE MAGIC OF PATENTS: PROTECTING BIOTECH INNOVATIONS – hosted by OKBioStart on Thursday, March 27 at 4 p.m., at Innovation Hall. Discussion lead by keynote speakers Matt Gibson, with Barnes & Thornburg, and David Kinsinger, with the University of Oklahoma Entrepreneurial Law Center. RSVP: https://forms.office.com/r/CCFNiuCg41

Oklahoma Center for Advancement of Science and Technology (OCAST) – Oklahoma Innovation Conference and Expo to be held April 8-09, 2025. For Registration and additional information see the attached document.

Annual Cancer Research Symposium – hosted by the OU Health Stephenson Cancer Center- Friday, April 11, 2025 at the Nicholson Conference Center.  See attached document for complete information.

2025 GREAT Symposium

The 2025 GREAT Symposium will be held April 1-3. The events are listed below. For more information, please visit https://graduate.ouhsc.edu/Information-For/Current-Students/GREAT-Symposium or contact Annie-N-Dowdy@ouhsc.edu (attachment included – 2025 GREAT Save the Date_V2)

Pre-GREAT Workshops & Career Panels – February 19 & 26, March 5, 12 & 19

Plenary Sessions – April 1 & 2

STEM Outreach Event – April 1

Oral & Poster Presentations – April 1 & 2

Faculty Flash Talks – April 2

Student & Postdoc Flash Talk Competition – April 3

Vendor Show & Networking Fair – April 3

Awards Ceremony & Closing Reception – April 3               

2025 Oklahoma Geroscience Symposium

Date:   April 8, 2025

Location:  Nicholson Conference Center, 1000 NE 13th St, Oklahoma City, OK 73104

The Oklahoma Nathan Shock Center of Excellence is proud to host the 2025 OKLAHOMA GEROSCIENCE SYMPOSIUM: Inflammation and Lipid Signaling in Aging and Age-Associated Disease. The symposium will feature a Keynote Lecture by David Mangelsdorf, PhD, and other world-renowned speakers in aging and Geroscience research, a Funder’s Roundtable, Poster Session and Trainee/Faculty Mixer.

Registration:https://oklahomanathanshockcenteronaging.org/symposium-registration/

Abstract Submission:https://oklahomanathanshockcenteronaging.org/abstract-submission/

Save the Date Stewart Wolf Research Day 2025 on May 16, 2025. This event is for trainees to highlight their research from the DOM, and consists of poster and oral presentations, abstract submissions, and a keynote speaker. Please see the attached flyer.

KEY DATES:

October 10, 2024                          Abstract Submission Opens

March 19, 2025 at 11:59 PM           Abstract Submission Deadline

April 16, 2025                                     Notifications Sent to Presenters about Poster and/or Oral Presentations

May 1, 2025                                        Deadline for Copy of Posters and Oral Presentations to be Submitted

May 16, 2025                                     Stewart Wolf Day Events

For any inquiries or questions about this event, please contact ryan-nipp@ouhsc.edu.