The University of Kansas Cancer Center reached a construction milestone on its new cancer research and clinical building with a topping out ceremony on Aug. 21. The project broke ground in May 2025.
The project has been backed in part by a $100 million gift from the Sunderland Foundation, the largest ever received by the University of Kansas and the University of Kansas Health System.
U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran attended the ceremony alongside cancer center faculty, staff, patients, construction partners and community supporters. Construction remains on track for completion in late 2027.
The building will house laboratories, clinical spaces and a Good Manufacturing Practice cellular therapy manufacturing area, bringing research and patient care together under one roof for the first time in the cancer center’s history. The facility will focus on cellular therapy and will include a GMP lab intended to speed up CAR T-cell therapy production for patients.
“Today is a milestone in the construction of these state-of-the-art cancer facilities and another step closer to expanding our ability to deliver the most advanced cancer care and conduct cutting-edge research,” said Jack Beal, senior vice president of the cancer center.
“Bringing our researchers, clinicians and cell therapy manufacturing capabilities together in one place changes how quickly ideas can move,” said Roy Jensen, MD, vice chancellor and director of the cancer center. “It lets us share knowledge in real time and turn promising discoveries into treatments with fewer barriers.”
The cancer center is the region’s only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center, one of fewer than 60 nationwide.
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