U of I getting almost $33M in cancer research funds

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) — $32.6 million in federal funding is going to the University of Illinois to help advance cancer research.

The money comes through the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) Precision Surgical Interventions program. It will benefit the invention of new imaging techniques that will allow surgeons to remove all remaining microscopic cancer cells before the end of procedures.

U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) announced the funding on Thursday.

“Serious federal investment in medical research pushes our society forward, bringing us new treatments for the conditions that impact so many American families,” Durbin said. “Under the leadership of the Biden-Harris Administration, Congress helped to establish the new ARPA-H agency to accelerate research projects for complex diseases. The University of Illinois, a world-class research institution, will make good use of this federal funding to make devastating diseases like cancer more treatable.”

In two years, ARPA-H has invested more than $400 million to help fast-track cancer prevention, detection, and treatment.

“Investing in our world-renowned medical research facilities and institutions plays a critical role in the pursuit to end cancer for good,” Duckworth said. “I will keep working with Senator Durbin to make sure of our state’s health and research institutions have the federal support they need to continue improving cancer research, expanding access to treatment programs and providing reliable care to families across Illinois.”

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