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LSU leaders outline NCI cancer‑center plan; Board approves comparative oncology center
Summary
LSU Health Sciences presented progress toward National Cancer Institute (NCI) designation, reported current peer‑reviewed grant totals and recruitment plans, and the Board approved creation of a new comparative oncology research center linking human and veterinary cancer research.
LSU Health Sciences briefed the Board of Regents on progress toward National Cancer Institute (NCI) designation for a regional cancer center and won approval to create a new center for comparative oncology that pairs veterinary and human cancer research.
Doctor Lucio Miele, director of the LSU‑LCMC Cancer Center initiative, told Regents the state faces high cancer incidence and mortality in the tri‑state area and that designation would expand research, clinical trials and prevention efforts. He said the NCI requires a minimum threshold of peer‑reviewed direct funding (commonly cited as $10 million per year in direct cancer‑related funding) and expects centers to demonstrate regional scientific impact, a clinical trial enterprise, shared research resources and collaborative programs. Miele said LSU’s current peer‑reviewed funding totals about $14 million (roughly $17 million in total awards), and that by NCI calculations LSU is “a little over” the $10‑million eligibility threshold but needs to grow funding, recruitment and infrastructure to be competitive.
Miele outlined priorities including cancer health disparities, obesity/metabolic drivers, virus‑related cancers, drug development and survivorship. He said the LSU‑LCMC partnership has secured philanthropic and institutional commitments, cited plans for additional clinical recruitment (hematology/oncology chiefs, thoracic surgery, genetics and neuro‑oncology among others), and flagged clinical trial infrastructure needs such as a clinical trial management system and consistent IRB/operational processes across sites. He estimated a multi‑year effort and suggested a realistic application horizon of roughly five years, subject to grant cycles and external factors.
The Board voted to approve a new center for comparative oncology that pairs LSU’s School of Veterinary Medicine and human health‑science researchers to study naturally occurring cancers in animals as a complement to human cancer research. Board staff recommended the center and Regents approved it with no recorded opposition.
Why it matters: Regents and presenters said designation would open NCI grant opportunities and specialized national funding streams reserved for designated centers, help recruit clinical researchers, expand clinical trial access in Louisiana and focus on cancers with pronounced local disparities. The comparative oncology center was presented as a unique asset to strengthen translational research and support an NCI application.
Next steps: LSU will continue recruitment, expand grant funding and operationalize shared resources and clinical‑trial infrastructure. Board staff and campus leaders will monitor progress and the university will pursue philanthropic and federal grant support to reach competitive funding levels for the NCI application.
