Topeka ? Kansas University leaders met privately with Gov. Kathleen Sebelius on Thursday to talk about KU’s effort to become designated as a national cancer center, according to the governor’s office.

At the meeting were KU Chancellor Robert Hemenway, Provost Richard Lariviere, KU Medical Center’s executive vice chancellor Barbara Atkinson, Sebelius, Lt. Gov. Mark Parkinson, and Sebelius’ chief of staff, Troy Findley, according to Nicole Corcoran, a spokeswoman for Sebelius.

Officials say getting designation from the National Cancer Institute will mean more funding for research, treatments and cures.