By Alan Lytle
Lexington, KY – The University of Kentucky says it has persuaded two top researchers to relocate their labs and research dollars to Lexington.
UK College of Pharmacy Dean Tim Tracy says the college's new BioPharm complex played a big role in landing the duo.
"Dr. Peixan Guo, is going to be here (in early January). He's one of the top three nanobiotechnology experts in the world. Dr. Guo and his team of fifteen people will be moving onto the fifth floor, and then Dr. Jon Thorson has just joined us. He's also in cancer research and he's at the drug discovery stage. He'll be leading our Center for Pharmaceutical Research and Innovation; occupying part of the fourth floor in this building so it has allowed us to attract those top two researchers already."
Markey Cancer Center Director Dr. Mark Evers says the lab space will help his team tackle Kentucky's high rates of lung and colorectal cancer.
"Being here with the College of Pharmacy will allow us to rub elbows with them on a daily basis. One of our four programs for the cancer center is experimental therapeutics so again this will further facilitate those types of interactions and we already have several drugs in the pipeline that will not only benefit Kentuckians but folks in the U-S and the world as well."
UK officially dedicated the top two floors of the BioPharm Complex on Tuesday.