(ABC 6 NEWS) -- A leader in the fight against cancer has a new partner Wednesday.  And it's taken the search for a cure to an international level we've never seen before.

A year ago, the Hormel Institute formally became part of a research triad with the Mayo Clinic and the University of Minnesota.

Now, the Institute will expand its collaborative efforts to include medical researchers in Henan Province in the People's Republic of China.

"This is a great example of what we can do to not only save lives, but add jobs," said U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar as the Institute hosted a delegation from China.

The institute says the collaboration, and an expansion project that will double its size, thanks to state bonding money, will accelerate medical research progress for *both* countries.

"The collaboration brings more resources, it brings more collaboration in terms of what that scientific data is showing," said Minnesota First District Congressman Tim Walz.

"The Henan Province has 105 million people," Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton told guests gathered in a conference room at the Institute on Wednesday morning.

And that expands the institutes research efforts into the world's most populous country.

"It also brings in a much broader population to take a look at the different environmental factors that are causing cancer," said Congressman Tim Walz.

And state officials have pledged their help

"To make sure we have this important funding to develop the new technology to fight disease," said Senator Amy Klobuchar.

“I believe when the history of how cancer was solved by the human race,” said Congressman Tim Walz, “It'll run through Austin."

The Hormel Institute was awarded $13.5 million in the last state bonding bill to pay for a $27 million expansion.