Cancer Prevention & Research Institute of Texas hopes to advance research with $49 million in grants
AUSTIN (Nexstar) — The state’s cancer research institute just issued $49 million in new research grants.
Michelle Le Beau, the scientific chief officer for the Cancer Prevention & Research Institution of Texas (CPRIT), said it sets out to fund the most innovative cancer research to date.
“I think anybody you ask has been personally touched by cancer,” Le Beau said. “So, I am inspired every day, both by personal stories that people have about cancer, but also seeing the discoveries and the new technologies that will bring to bear now.”
Here’s a breakdown of where exactly the money will go provided by CPRIT:
GRANT AWARD LIST
ARLINGTON
RP220645 The University of Texas at Arlington $250,000
Ultrasensitive Nanosensor-Based Detection of Tumor Immunogenic Peptides to Enable Personalized Cancer Immunotherapy
AUSTIN
RP220558 The University of Texas at Austin $249,999
Novel Covalent Drugs for BCL6
RP220587 The University of Texas at Austin $3,995,180
Advanced Protein Therapeutics core
RP220653 The University of Texas at Austin $249,932
Novel Modulators of Genomic Instability in Human Cells
DALLAS
RP220542 The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center $3,000,000
Establish the Accelerating Clinical Oncology Research Network – Texas (ACORN-TX) to enhance clinical trial access in North and Central Texas
RP220582 The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center $4,000,000
Establish New Cryo-EM Core Services to Drive Cancer Research and Drug Discovery at UT Southwestern Medical Center
RP220606 The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center $250,000
Developing a novel optogenetic recombinase system to study and target metastatic cancer
RP220614 The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center $237,501
Understanding the impact of immunity on pre-malignant somatic mosaicism and cancer prevention
RP220626 Texas A&M University System Health Science Center $237,500
A glia-to-neuron conversion for treating oral cancer pain
Product Development
DP220030 ImmuneSensor Therapeutics Inc. $16,154,562
Phase 2 Clinical Trial to Evaluate the Safety and Efficacy of IMSA101 in Combination with Radiotherapy and Checkpoint Inhibitors in Solid Tumor Malignancies
GALVESTON
RP220581 The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston $1,494,784
Hyperspectral, Quantitative Intraoperative Fluorescence Image Guided Brain Surgery
HOUSTON
RP220544 The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center $1,500,000
CPRIT Early Clinical Investigator Award- Christopher Alvarez-Breckenridge
RP220553 The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center $249,976
Reversing Aging Associated Resistance to Cancer Immunotherapy
RP220567 The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center $249,999
Fasting-induced microbiome changes and radioprotection
RP220592 The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center $250,000
Restoration of phagocytosis function of glioma-associated microglia/macrophage by activating QKI-PPARb-RXRa
RP220610 The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center $250,000
Identification of enhancers of T-cell anti-tumor activity in PDAC using CRISPR activation screening
RP220639 The Methodist Hospital Research Institute $250,000
Targeting NHE6 to improve clinical efficacy of daratumumab in myeloma
RP220646 Baylor College of Medicine $3,999,996
Patient-derived Xenograft and Advanced In Vivo Models (PDX-AIM) Core Facility of Texas
RP220650 The Methodist Hospital Research Institute $250,000
Targeting Nitric Oxide Synthase (NOS) pathway to remodel obesity-induced tumor inflammation in patients with TNBC
RP220666 Baylor College of Medicine $250,000
Targeting Tumors and the Tumor Microenvironment with Banana Lectin Expressing T cells
LUBBOCK
RP220600 Texas Tech University $249,999
In vivo Akt Analysis via Chemical Genetics and Nanoparticle-mediated Probe Delivery
RP220631 Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center $3,369,480
West Texas Pharmacology Core
SAN ANTONIO
RP220599 The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio $3,935,480
Texas Pediatric Cancer Testing (TPCT) Core
RP220662 The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio $3,998,688
It’ll help core facilities, provide more access to clinical trials, discover more drugs that fight cancer and help with childhood cancer research among other things.
“I think one of the most exciting types of projects is an award that we call high impact, high risk,” Le Beau said. “And these are very innovative ideas that can be game changers in cancer… CPRIT is investing in these very creative ideas…the impact will be quite extensive in leading to new treatments, or new diagnostics, or prevention for cancer.”
CPRIT is Texas’ largest institution for cancer research. According to the group, it’s also the second largest source of cancer funding research in the entire world.