CPRIT Announces $85 Million in Competitive Grant Awards to Support Cancer-Fighting Projects in Texas

AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) today announced more than $85 million in funding to support 75 new scientific research projects and scientific recruits to support a variety of cancer-fighting efforts in Texas. These new awards bring the total tally of funded grants to 502, amounting to nearly $841 million since the Institute opened its doors in 2009.

“As we begin our fourth year, we’re taking stock of lessons learned this year and improving our operations to emerge a stronger organization, while continuing our grant approval processes to ensure that worthy projects move forward”

The 11 new CPRIT Scholar in Cancer Research awards will potentially bring investigators from institutions such as Harvard, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute to the state.

“As we begin our fourth year, we’re taking stock of lessons learned this year and improving our operations to emerge a stronger organization, while continuing our grant approval processes to ensure that worthy projects move forward,” said Bill Gimson, CPRIT executive director. “The projects funded today touch on many aspects of research so that we can tackle cancer on a number of fronts.”

Highlights among the funded projects include:

• Development of a “smart scalpel,” or ultrafast laser technology, to maximize precision in cutting away malignant growths while minimizing damage to surrounding, healthy tissue
• The expansion and enhancement of resources to provide expertise in preparing cells that are used for cancer treatment to researchers across the state
• A study comparing the outcomes of two types of radiation treatment among children with brain cancer
• An investigation into the use of a light-driven system to turn “on” or “off” the expression of proteins thought to play a role in cancer development, in lieu of less targeted chemical methods

For a full list of newly funded projects, please visit the grant awards section of CPRIT’s website.

About CPRIT

Texas voters overwhelmingly approved a constitutional amendment in 2007 establishing CPRIT and authorizing the state to issue $3 billion in bonds to fund groundbreaking cancer research and prevention programs and services in Texas. CPRIT’s goal is to expedite innovation and commercialization in the area of cancer research and to enhance access to evidence-based prevention programs and services throughout the state. CPRIT accepts applications and awards grants for a wide variety of cancer-related research and for the delivery of cancer prevention programs and services by public and private entities located in Texas. More information about CPRIT is available on its website, www.cprit.state.tx.us.