U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) announced Wednesday that the University of Hawaii Cancer Center will receive a $6.5 million federal grant from the National Institutes of Health to support construction of a new clinical research center — the first of its kind in the state — that will focus on early-phase clinical trials.

The UH Cancer Center is the only National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center in Hawaii and the Pacific. Current cancer clinical trials in Hawaii are provided through a partnership between the UH Cancer Center, the University of Hawaii and the Hawaii Cancer Consortium.

The Early Phase Cancer Clinical Research Center will serve an estimated 100 to 200 patients annually with access to phase 1 trials who would have had to otherwise travel out of state for specialized treatment. Phase 1 trials are typically considered when standard treatments have been unsuccessful, or patients have a challenging form of cancer.

Hirono is a member of the Senate NIH Caucus.