More money is heading to the University of Mississippi Medical Center to help the state’s largest hospital earn National Cancer Center Institute designation.
U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde Smith and U.S. Rep. Michael Guest, both Republicans from Mississippi, jointly announced on Friday a federal grant of $2.4 million to rehabilitate and equip 14,000 square feet of existing research space at UMMC. The federal funds are being awarded as the hospital advances its initiative to build a five-story, 250,000-plus square foot Cancer Center and Research Institute building in Jackson.
A hospital earning a National Cancer Center Institute designation is a major achievement that unlocks opportunities for additional federal funding. It also recognizes a medical center’s advanced clinical research abilities, meaning UMMC could serve more patients if it achieves designation.
Currently, there are no NCI-designated facilities in Mississippi, Louisiana, and Arkansas.
RELATED: UMMC granted more than $2.5 million for research related to prostate cancer
“Upgrading this space at UMMC is just one more step toward creating a facility that will draw more cancer researchers to our state. The world-class work done there, along with the planned UMMC Cancer Center and Research Institute, is part of our goal to get that critical NCI designation, and I’m pleased to help reach these worthy goals,” Hyde-Smith said.
Guest added, “The University of Mississippi Medical Center has been a national leader in medicine since it hosted the first heart transplant in 1964. Now, UMMC is taking a critical step in attaining its federal designation as a National Cancer Institute. I am proud to serve UMMC through my work in Congress and will continue to support the institution’s legacy of excellence and its efforts to supercharge cancer research, deliver better health outcomes, and ultimately find a cure.”
Hyde-Smith and Guest serve on the Senate and House Appropriations Committees, respectively. The $2.4 million is being awarded through the National Institute of Standards and Technology, an agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce. Officials said the project will update research space that has not been renovated in nearly 30 years.