MD Anderson researchers receive over $25.5 million in CPRIT funding

MD Anderson News Release February 21, 2024

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center today was awarded 16 grants totaling over $25.5 million from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) in support of cancer screening, early detection and prevention programs, faculty recruitment, and groundbreaking cancer research across all areas of the institution.

“We are grateful for CPRIT’s continued funding of impactful cancer research and prevention programs at MD Anderson, which propels our efforts to deliver new breakthroughs and advance our mission to end cancer,” said Peter WT Pisters, M.D., president of MD Anderson. “These efforts are pivotal to our institutional strategy and are grounded in our unwavering committment to transform the lives of patients in Texas, across the nation and around the world."

Since its inception, CPRIT has awarded more than $3 billion in grants for cancer research. MD Anderson investigators have received $619 million altogether, approximately 20% of the total awards. Programs supported by CPRIT funding have brought more than 295 distinguished cancer researchers to Texas, advanced the knowledge base for cancer treatment throughout the state and provided more than 9 million cancer prevention and early detection services reaching all 254 counties in Texas.

CPRIT awards to MD Anderson include:

Prevention Awards:

  • Expanding Access to Cervical Cancer Screening through Primary HR-HPV Testing and Self-Sampling: A Multicomponent Intervention for Safety Net Health Systems (Jane Montealegre, Ph.D., Behavioral Science) - $2,499,646
  • Preventing Tobacco Related Cancers by Expanding Capacity for Tobacco Use Interventions Within Agencies Serving Women with Behavioral Health Needs (Lorraine Reitzel, Ph.D., Health Disparities Research) - $2,487,822
  • Integrated Mammography and Genetic Evaluation Services (Gary Whitman, M.D., Breast Imaging) - $1,499,400

Individual Investigator Awards:

  • Dissection of CAMKK2’s Tumor Cell-Intrinsic and -Extrinsic Roles in Prostate Cancer (Daniel Frigo, Ph.D., Cancer Systems Imaging) - $1,050,000
  • Identify Radiopathomics Markers to Guide Immunotherapy for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (Jia Wu, Ph.D., Imaging Physics) - $1,049,906
  • Immune-Related Determinants of HPV-Associated Oropharyngeal Cancer Outcomes (Guojun Li, M.D., Ph.D., Head and Neck Surgery) - $1,049,726
  • Immunoprevention of Breast Cancer Brain Metastasis by Special Dendritic Cell-Derived Extracellular Vesicles (Dihua Yu, M.D., Ph.D., Molecular and Cellular Oncology) - $1,050,000
  • Targeting Cancer-Associated Lactobacillus Iners to Improve Response to Cancer Therapy (Lauren Colbert, M.D., Radiation Oncology) - $1,049,427
  • The Epigenetic Impact and Therapeutic Opportunity of AR-Directed Therapy for DSRCT (Joseph Ludwig, M.D., Sarcoma Medical Oncology) – $1,398,788
  • Investigating the Impact of Interferon Gamma Signaling on Therapeutic Resistance in Acute Myeloid Leukemia (Hussein Abbas, M.D., Ph.D., Leukemia) - $1,042,256
  • Epigenetic Mechanism and Targeting During Response to BRAFi/Anti-EGFR Therapy in BRAF-Mutant Colorectal Cancers (Scott Kopetz, M.D., Ph.D., Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology) - $1,043,909
  • Therapeutic Vulnerabilities and Predictors of Response to Chemo(immuno)therapy in Patients with High-Risk, Early-Stage Triple-Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) (Anil Korkut, Ph.D., Bioinformatics and Computational Biology) - $1,199,999
  • Treatment Planning of ADC therapy for Ovarian Cancer with Molecular Photoacoustic-Ultrasonic Imaging (Richard Bouchard, Ph.D., Imaging Physics) - $1,049,859
  • Translation of Gut Commensal Bacteria Peptidoglycan Remodeling Pathway for Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-Cell Therapy (Neeraj Saini, M.D., Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy) - $1,050,000
  • Identifying Tumor Specific Vulnerabilities in Appendiceal Adenocarcinoma: A Systems Approach (John Paul Shen, M.D., Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology)- $1,050,000

Scholar Recruitment Awards:

  • Recruitment of Established Investigator Award - $6,000,000