Research Technology and Innovation

The University of Kansas Medical Center is a recognized research leader with a strong tradition of commitment to training the physicians, nurses, health care professionals and researchers of tomorrow. KU Medical Center is also committed to continuously evaluating the emerging needs of research to keep shared resources relevant and high technology. With more than 225,000 square feet dedicated to research, the medical center offers research opportunities throughout campus. The main hubs of research are located in the Hemenway Life Sciences Innovation Center, Wahl Hall, the Clinical and Translational Science Unit and the Clinical Research Center.

---

Hemenway

The Robert E. Hemenway Life Sciences Innovation Center, which opened in 2007, is a 212,200-square-foot research center located on the main campus at the University of Kansas Medical Center. The building features BSL-3 labs/research equipment, procedure rooms, 80 separate laboratories, conference center and office space. The building supports research in biochemistry, molecular biology, toxicology, pharmacology, neurosciences and proteomics.

Hemenway is the location for KU Medical Center’s Genomics Core, which successfully competed for a National Institute of Health award in 2017 to acquire an Illumina NovaSeq 6000. The NovaSeq is Illumina’s latest advancement in next generation sequencing instrumentation. The versatility of the NovaSeq allows the Genomics Core to meet the demands of diverse sequencing projects from RNA-seq to whole genome sequencing for investigators.

The KU Medical Center Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics Laboratory (MSPCL), also located at Hemenway, features an advanced Orbitrap Fusion Lumos (ThermoFisher ) equipped with a nano electrospray source and connected to on-line uHPLC (EasynLC 1200). This equipment allows investigators to evaluate masses of protein and peptides in a range of applications including: peptide sequencing and “bottom-up” protein identification, multidimensional protein identification technology (MudPIT), analysis of post-translational modification, protein-protein interactions, hydrogen-deuterium exchange.

Wahl /Hixon

The recently-renovated Wahl/Hixon Research Complex serves as the home base for 37 cancer-focused researchers at KU Medical Center. Researchers in Wahl have access to state-of-the-art X-ray crystallography equipment, which includes a Rigaku MicroMax-007 HF rotating anode diffractometer equipped with a Pilatus 200K detector in addition to a Crystal Gryphon Liquid Handling System. This equipment allows investigators to very efficiently screen for crystallization conditions and generate publication quality structures of biologically relevant macromolecules.

Clinical and Translational Science Unit

The Clinical and Translational Science Unit (CTSU) functions primarily to provide state-of-the-art space for researchers to see clinical trial participants. The space effectively supports research studies with access to nursing staff and an experienced research coordinator pool for researchers who do not have designated study coordinators. Scientists have access to an exercise lab, sleep lab and metabolic kitchen and can obtain assistance with recruitment of study participants utilizing tools like the Frontiers recruitment registry and the Pioneers website. Researchers at KU Medical Center may also access data by searching HERON to search de-identified electronic medical record data.

Clinical Research Center

KU Medical Center’s Clinical Research Center, located in Fairway, Kansas, opened in 2012. The 82,000-square-foot building is a center for clinical trials dedicated to developing new cancer treatments; and is home to the Masonic Cancer Alliance, the KU Alzheimer’s Disease Center, and Frontiers: University of Kansas Clinical and Translational Science Institute. The center includes easily accessible outpatient exam and treatment rooms and specimen collection labs and was designed with a more efficient use of space, resources and manpower to best accommodate patients and researchers.