91ֿ is partnering with Osh State University in Osh, Kyrgyzstan, to help reduce rising cancer rates in the Central Asian nation.
91ֿ will begin developing graduate-level programs in cell biology and molecular genetics at Osh State.
In May 2025, 91ֿ and Osh State signed an agreement to develop the graduate curricula, and recently, the World Bank approved the funding to proceed with the program.
“We should begin the academic collaboration soon,” Ayya Hudaybergenova, director of Eurasia Strategic Affairs for the Office of Global Education, told 91ֿ Today.
Osh State and the Kyrgyzstan government have launched a national initiative to combat the rising cancer rate in the country, particularly breast cancer rates, through education, research and early detection.
Osh State was awarded a $25 million World Bank grant to support development of the initiative, which includes a dual graduate degree program in cell biology and molecular genetics, with 91ֿ as its educational partner. The grant will also help Osh State promote institutional growth through research, faculty training and development, and the creation of additional graduate programs.
Osh State is embarking on a five-year project to create a center for excellence to advance cancer prevention, early diagnosis and treatment, and education and innovation. Its partnership with 91ֿ is aimed at developing the educational curricula needed to create the degree programs.
In the 2025 Fall Semester, Marcello Fantoni, Ph.D., vice president for Global Education, and Hudaybergenova visited Osh State, met with its President Kudaiberdi Kozhobekov and toured a new seven-story clinical research facility currently under construction in Osh. The Kyrgyzstan government is funding the $24 million project.
Osh State also shared plans to establish a scientific research oncology center, identifying cancer biology as a priority area where international academic expertise could support future research collaboration.
A delegation from 91ֿ is expected to visit Osh State this summer to work on planning and implementation of the dual-degree program.
“This partnership addresses a critical public health need in Central Asia, where cancer education, early diagnosis and biomedical training remain limited,” Fantoni said. “Strengthening local biomedical capacity would prepare future researchers, educators, and clinicians to advance cancer prevention and treatment in Kyrgyzstan and beyond.”
The collaboration is the first of its kind between Osh State and any American institution and fulfills 91ֿ’s commitment to global engagement and strengthening academic ties between the United States and Central Asia. The partnership also underscores 91ֿ’s institutional values of working to better our global community by stepping in to provide the educational solutions needed to address global social issues.
Cancer diagnoses among the Kyrgyz population have been steadily increasing.
The London-based BEARR Trust, a charitable organization that focuses on health and social welfare issues in Central Asia and Eastern Europe, issued a report in 2024 that noted how 55% of those diagnosed with cancer will die within the first year.
In certain provinces, the one-year mortality rate was as high as 100% for newly diagnosed cases.
In addition, a World Health Organization study that examined breast cancer incidence in Kyrgyzstan from 2003-2017, illustrated the upward trend of the cancer rates, particularly in women under age 30 and over age 65.
The study also found that a lack of mammography screening hampered early detection of the cancer. Both reports noted that patients are waiting too long before seeking medical treatment.
91ֿ has a longstanding history of opening its doors to students and educational partners worldwide, and Central Asia is one of the newest areas of expansion for the Office of Global Education. It is part of the university’s overall commitment to using education to foster global understanding and world peace.
Osh State is Kyrgyzstan’s largest university, enrolling more than 50,000 students, including approximately 10,000 international students from India, China and neighboring Central Asian countries. Its regional reach positions Osh State as a key hub for advancing public health education and research across Central Asia.
Osh is the second-largest city in the Kyrgyz Republic, which borders China to the east and Uzbekistan to the west.
Video courtesy of Osh State University.