Owensboro Cancer Research Program
Owensboro Medical Health System is leading two key initiatives for cancer research in the Owensboro region—the Owensboro Cancer Research Program (OCRP) and Kentucky BioProcessing (KBP). Both operate independently, complimenting and collaborating each other to develop new cancer cures.
OCRP is a joint venture with the University of Louisville’s James Graham Brown Cancer Center and OMHS, devoted to unlocking the potential of plant-based pharmaceuticals and antiviral proteins. The partnership’s goal is to create less expensive drugs for cancer prevention and treatment. Open since January 2007, the research center is housed on the second story of the Mitchell Memorial Cancer Center on the OMHS Parrish campus. OCRP also provides technical and molecular biology services for KBP and its customers.
- Dr. Keith Davis, executive director for the program, conducts research in the areas of plant-made pharmaceutical technology and the interaction of environmental pollutants with tobacco use in the initiation of lung cancer.
- Dr. Uma Sankar conducts research in the areas of hematopoietic stem cell development, blood-based cancer, and lung cancer.
- Dr. Kenneth Palmer is developing a less expensive cervical cancer vaccine and conducts research on a broad-spectrum antiviral protein.
- Dr. Nobuyuki Matoba's interests include vaccines and antivirals, mucosal immune response to foreign substances, and plant biotechnology for human health.
To learn more about the Owensboro Cancer Research Program, call 270-688-3694 or e-mail Executive Director Keith Davis, PhD.