A $1 million gift from the Sprint Foundation will establish a professorship in blood-related cancers at the Kansas University Cancer Center.

Since 2009, donors have given more than $51 million in support of the cancer center’s quest to receive designation from the National Cancer Institute.

The cancer center hopes to raise an additional $9 million before it applies for the designation in September.

The Sprint Foundation hematology/oncology professor will lead a team of physician scientists in cancer research and patient care.