The Kansas University Cancer Center could get a $500,000 boost from the Kansas Bioscience Authority for research that would focus on rare blood diseases.

The $500,000 contribution to KU Cancer Center was one of three funding recommendations the KBA investment committee made at its Monday meeting. Those recommendations must be approved by the entire KBA board.

The KU grant will support a new $2 million drug-development partnership among KU Cancer Center, the National Institutes of Health, and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

The partnership, known as The Learning Collaborative, will conduct research to see if existing medications can be used to fight leukemia.

The investment committee also recommended giving $500,000 to Lead Horse Technologies, a Junction City company that is designing a data system that would use drug interactions, patient history and symptoms to prevent adverse drug reactions.

The investment committee also supported a $161,600 proof of concept investment in Visimed, a Stilwell company that is developing technology to better locate the focal point of epileptic seizures in the brain.