July 13, 2023
John Taylor, MD, MS, deputy director of the Institute for Advancing Medical Innovation and co-leader of the Drug Discovery Development and Experimental Therapeutics research program at The University of Kansas Cancer Center, was recently named the recipient of the Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network (BCAN) Innovation Award.
The $300,000 grant will fund Dr. Taylor’s efforts to explore the finding that people with Down Syndrome are less likely to develop and die from solid tumors, such as bladder cancer. Dr. Taylor's objective is to use an innovative model to enhance our understanding of cancer resistance in this patient population. This would allow for potential target identification, an important first step in drug discovery.
“I would like to thank BCAN for this award and their recognition of this important and novel work that has the potential to move the field forward,” Dr. Taylor said. “I am hopeful this will lead to discovery of new drug targets that may ultimately improve outcomes for our patients.”