Kansas Health Institute | Information For Policy Makers. Health for Kansans.

PRAIRIE VILLAGE — A new startup company geared toward improving care for cancer survivors is forming here, drawing on research by a University of Kansas professor.

Starting in May, Cancer Survivorship Training Inc. will sell web-based education materials to health care professionals to help them better treat and advise cancer survivors. The online classes and accompanying resources will commercialize work by Jennifer Klemp, a researcher in KU’s departments of internal medicine, nursing and psychology.

“Surviving cancer is a lifelong process that entails regular checkups, ongoing treatment, side effects of cancer and its treatment, and major lifestyle changes,” Klemp said. “Our goal is to create e-learning solutions to keep health care providers current on these issues so they can better assist patients.”

There are more than 14 million cancer survivors in the United States, and it is estimated that by the year 2020 there will be 18 million. Klemp said most cancer patients do not get sufficient health care guidance for common late- and long-term effects of cancer or its treatment, and more than one-third have unmet psychosocial needs.

She said much of her research on better care for cancer survivors has been funded by grants, including from the National Cancer Institute. But when she applied for a grant to create the web-based teaching tools, NCI officials encouraged her to move forward with the business model.

"By building it as a business, we're able to have some sustainability, versus every three or four years having to write another grant. We will still apply for grant funding to do research projects and so forth, but we don't have to be solely dependent on it," Klemp said.

Klemp — who will be CST's chief executive — formed the company with two partners and several investors. She licensed her own research from KU, which will share profits from the company via the university's Center for Technology Commercialization. Klemp's time as a KU faculty member will likely decrease as the company grows, she said.

Klemp said the company will purchase the software framework from an Overland Park-based company, U. Later, plans are to hire an in-house developer, as well as customer support and marketing staff, she said.

Julie Goonewardene, associate vice chancellor for innovation and entrepreneurship, said that CST is the 23rd active startup to come out of KU.

“At KU, we’re working to encourage an entrepreneurial mindset among our researchers so we can continue to transfer university research into new products and new cures. This is exactly the type of technology transfer that we want to facilitate at KU," Goonewardene said.