About

LEXINGTON, Ky. (July 23, 2025) — The University of Kentucky Sanders-Brown Center on Aging hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the grand reopening of its newly renovated research facilities, marking a major milestone in the center’s decades-long mission to advance brain health and aging research. The $28 million renovation project, made possible thanks to funding from the Kentucky General Assembly, was completed earlier this month and modernized three floors of research space within the Sanders-Brown building located on UK’s campus next to the Kentucky Clinic.  

“These upgrades are more than bricks and mortar — they represent an investment by the University and by state legislators in the people and ideas that make Sanders-Brown a global leader in the science of aging,” said Sanders-Brown Center Director Linda Van Eldik. “Our internationally renowned researchers now have modern, purpose-built spaces that match the excellence of the work taking place inside them — spaces that support innovation, discovery and real impact on the lives of people facing neurodegenerative diseases.” 

The first floor of the renovated space houses meeting areas and offices for the Administrative Core, including two new conference rooms. The second floor features wet lab space dedicated to the Neuropathology and Biomarker Cores. The third floor is home to the Outreach, Recruitment and Engagement Core, the Data Management and Statistical Core, and research programs focused on Down syndrome and aging. 

The renovations were designed to support the center’s continued role as an international leader in research on Alzheimer’s disease and other age-related neurodegenerative conditions. The improvements also come at a significant moment in the center’s history: this year, Sanders-Brown celebrates its 40th anniversary as one of the country’s first 10 NIH-designated Alzheimer’s Disease Research Centers (ADRCs). UK’s center has held continuous funding from the National Institute on Aging since 1985 and remains one of just 36 designated ADRCs in the U.S. today. 

“The work happening at Sanders-Brown touches lives not only here in Kentucky but across the country and around the world,” said Ilhem Messaoudi, Ph.D., UK acting vice president for research. “These enhanced facilities will ensure that our researchers remain at the forefront of discovery for years to come.” 

Since its inception, Sanders-Brown researchers have contributed significantly to understanding the biological processes underlying Alzheimer’s. Early studies from the center helped characterize the roles of amyloid plaques and tau tangles in disease progression, forming the foundation for much of today’s research. Additionally, Sanders-Brown has been instrumental in identifying how genetic risk factors, such as the APOE ε4 allele, contribute to an individual’s susceptibility to developing the disease. 

One of the center’s most significant contributions has been its research on early detection. Researchers at Sanders-Brown have developed innovative diagnostic tools, including advanced brain imaging techniques and biomarker studies, to identify Alzheimer’s disease at its earliest stages — often before symptoms even appear. These efforts have helped pave the way for earlier interventions and more effective treatment strategies. 

Pete Nelson, M.D., Ph.D., is a professor of pathology and laboratory medicine in the UK College of Medicine and serves as director of neuropathology at Sanders-Brown. Research from Nelson's lab and others at UK helped discover a new form of dementia known as LATE, a form of dementia that mimics Alzheimer’s disease and affects around a third of elderly people. His team’s work was then translated into the world’s first clinical trial to slow or completely prevent the development of LATE — hosted at UK by Greg Jicha, M.D., Ph.D., director of clinical trials at Sanders-Brown.

“I came to UK around 20 years ago intent on doing best-in-the-world dementia research,” Nelson said. “In my time here, I am proud to have been part of ground-breaking, world-leading discoveries. Our clinical trials are made possible by what we do right here in this building — pitting science against dementia. Our ultimate goal is to help people not only survive into their golden years, but to enjoy those years.” 

Housed in the UK College of Medicine, the Sanders-Brown Center on Aging also provides a robust training ground for the next generation of health care providers and researchers who are interested in studying, treating and preventing dementia. The center has training opportunities for people of all levels, from high school students to junior faculty. In 2017, the center was awarded a prestigious training grant from the National Institutes of Health to help train predoctoral graduate students and postdoctoral students.  

“Think of the momentum Sanders-Brown has built, and the possibilities ahead because of this renovated facility,” said Chipper Griffith, M.D., dean of the UK College of Medicine. “It will draw future health care leaders to our campus to train here and work here, it will spark innovation and discovery, and it expands our capabilities to find solutions for patients and their families. Aligned with the UK College of Medicine mission, it helps us serve our communities more effectively so we can advance Kentucky together.”  

The lab transformation was made possible with support from university leadership, Sanders-Brown's philanthropy council, Omni Architects, Whiting-Turner Construction, CMTA Engineering Consultants, and various departments at UK including Capital Projects Management, Facilities Management and Information Technology.

As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (July 15, 2025) — University of Kentucky investigators received $496.9 million in extramural grants and contracts to support their research in fiscal year (FY) 2025. This is a 1.7% increase from the $488.4 million in FY24 research awards and marks four consecutive years of growth.

UK researchers received 1,898 awards in FY25, setting new records with 865 principal investigators receiving support from 637 sponsors.

“Without question, research is vital in our mission to advance Kentucky. Research partnerships with industry help us to solve today’s problems and drive our ability to train the next generation to enter Kentucky’s workforce. Research impacts every Kentucky family — bringing new devices and new treatments that change the way we provide health care across the Commonwealth,” said UK President Eli Capilouto.

“In a year of unprecedented change in the federal funding landscape, UK’s research community was able to adapt and thrive. Our continued growth is a testament to the steadfast resilience of our research community and its dedication to answering the challenges facing Kentucky. They continued to do what they do best: work across academic boundaries and submit innovative research proposals that bring the best ideas to light. We thank them, and we will continue to support our research community in every way possible,” said Acting Vice President for Research Ilhem Messaoudi.

Federal awards accounted for 51.4% of UK’s total research funding, supporting investigators across the breadth of UK research — from projects to reduce injuries in members of the military and first responders, to projects protecting Kentucky communities from flooding events to projects to recover and purify critical minerals for advanced electronics in the U.S.

National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants totaled $130.2 million, 51% of UK’s total awards from federal sources. National Science Foundation (NSF) awards increased 58.9% (from $15.9 million in FY24 to $25.2 million in FY25). Department of Energy (DOE) awards increased 124.9% (from $10.4 million in FY24 to $23.4 million in FY25). 

Support from state sources increased by 16.9% (from $127.2 million in FY24 to $147.9 million in FY25). Awards from industry sources also increased by 12.7% (from $22.2 million in FY24 to $25.1 million in FY25). 

To learn more about innovative UK research that impacts Kentucky and beyond, visit research.uky.edu/news. To learn more about the impact of federal funding, read and watch the Research Advancing Kentucky series. For more UK Research data, visit the Stats & Rankings page.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (June 13, 2025) — Holding down prices so more students can attend college.

Helping more students graduate and enter the workforce without any student debt.

Prudently planning for the future by making strategic investments in the state and growth in areas ranging from health care and research to athletics.

Those principles are the drivers of the $8.6 billion budget for the University of Kentucky in Fiscal Year (FY) 2025-26. UK President Eli Capilouto said the budget, approved Friday by the UK Board of Trustees, is how the university intends to “advance Kentucky” in the coming year.

“This budget demonstrates with clarity and focus, humility and pride, compassion and commitment, what we care about: Kentucky,” Capilouto said. “Our aspirations, no matter the time or how daunting the challenge, have never been higher or more essential: We dream of a state that tomorrow is healthier, wealthier and wiser than it is today.”

Key highlights of the budget include:

Students and their success

• The budget includes a modest increase of 3% as authorized by the Council on Postsecondary Education (CPE) in tuition and mandatory fees, designed to hold down prices and increase access. The Fall 2025 tuition and mandatory fee rate for undergraduate students from Kentucky will be $6,953.50, up from $6,751 in Fall 2024.
• At UK, for six years, the rolling, four-year average for tuition and fee increases has been under 3%.
• The percentage of UK students graduating without debt is now over 50%, backed by continually increasing levels of financial aid.
• More than 90% of resident undergraduate students at UK receive financial aid, comprised of university, federal and state resources, that doesn’t have to be repaid.
• The result of those efforts is the preliminary projection of a record number of more than 6,800 first-time, first-year students this fall — what would be the fourth straight class of more than 6,000 students, even as six-year graduation rates continue to climb with a historic high of more than 70%, placing us among the top 100 institutions in the country.

Caring for the people who care for the mission

• The budget includes a 1.5% increase in compensation for all eligible UK and UK HealthCare employees, with a minimum raise of $750.
• It’s the 12th time in 13 years UK will have provided compensation increases.
• In this budget, UK is investing more than $80 million in additional compensation and benefits.
• The university is also expanding parental leave and elder care leave — from two weeks to four weeks for parental leave and from one week to two weeks for elder care leave.

Prudent investments in discovery, health and growth

• UK’s budget anticipates a record level of more than $500 million in research funding and expenditures in the year ending June 30, 2025.
• So much of that research is funded by the federal government and focused on the diseases, maladies and challenges that most confront the state.
• UK is projecting an approximate 10% decline — what Capilouto said is a prudent approach — given the uncertainty of funding streams and the current federal research agenda.
• The health care enterprise, which cares for people in every region of the state and beyond Kentucky’s borders, has a more than $5.1 billion budget for FY 2025-26.
• Over the last 15 years, the university has initiated more than $7 billion in new construction — classrooms and labs, living and learning spaces, health care and athletics facilities.
• Yet, in FY 2025-26, debt service as a percentage of the total budget will remain below 2%.
• This budget also details potential investments by UK Athletics of up to $110 million in their facilities over the next few years, part of a new governing model and operating structure for UK Athletics, designed to grow revenues to ensure long-term financial stability and a capacity to grow. You can read more about those investments here: UK Board considers more than $100 million in investments in future of UK Athletics | UKNow.

“We live and operate in a moment and time of heightened uncertainty — about how we are funded, how we are perceived in some spaces and how we should respond to the challenges at hand,” Capilouto said. “But if we remain firmly fixed on our mission — to advance this state in everything that we do — we will be successful. More importantly, our state will be better for it, with a more secure and sustainable future.”

As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.