LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — A new $781 million home for the University of Kentucky’s Markey Cancer Center will help researchers accelerate work aimed at “conquering cancer in the commonwealth,” its director said Thursday.

Construction is set to start on the project, meant to build on the Markey Center’s growing national recognition for research and patient care in a state plagued by some of the nation’s worst cancer rates. State and university officials gathered for an event to break ground on Thursday.

The project, scheduled for completion in 2027, will consolidate the Markey Center’s services in the new UK Cancer and Advanced Ambulatory Building. Markey’s outpatient services are currently spread across six locations on the UK Chandler Hospital campus. The project also includes an adjacent parking garage estimated to cost $104 million.