UT System Institutions Awarded $39.6 Million for Cancer Research Projects

AUSTIN – Six institutions within The University of Texas System have been awarded nearly $40 million for cancer research projects under a statewide initiative aimed at finding cures and discovering treatments for the deadly disease.

In all, $61.1 million in research and planning grants were announced Jan. 20 by the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) as part of the institute’s inaugural awards process. The grants come from a $3 billion fund authorized through a statewide referendum in 2007 to fund cancer research over 10 years.

“This demonstrates that scientists at UT System institutions are on the cutting edge of their research, and that their discoveries – after they are transferred from the clinical laboratory to the hospital bedside – could have a profound impact on the health of Texans and others across the nation and world,” said UT System Chancellor Francisco G. Cigarroa, M.D. “Texans who approved this measure should be proud and know that Texas is well on its way to doing even more to limit cancer’s impact on people’s lives.”

Of the 66 cancer research proposals that received grants, 44 are from UT System institutions. Nearly 900 proposals were considered for the grants, which are intended to accelerate innovation in cancer treatment and prevention efforts.

Additionally, the institute awarded $2 million to the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio to fund a CPRIT Scholar in Cancer Research award for the recruitment of an outstanding researcher for that institution. The recipient is Dr. Dmitri Ivanov, a scientist in the field of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy who is studying the atomic structures of proteins involved in DNA repair. 

The UT System institutions receiving grants and the amount of funding for those awards are as follows:

UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas: $16,463,118

• High Impact/High Risk Awards: 2 for $400,000
• Individual Investigator Awards: 16 for $16,064,171

UT M.D. Anderson Cancer Center at Houston: $12,717,138

• High Impact/High Risk Awards: 3 for $600,000
• Individual Investigator Awards: 13 for $12,117,138

UT Health Science Center-Houston: $ 4,459,880

• High Impact/High Risk Awards: 2 for $400,000
• Individual Investigator Awards: 3 for $4,059,880

UT Health Science Center-San Antonio: $1,772,908

• Individual Investigator Awards: 1 for $1,772,908

UT Austin: $3,319,732

• High Impact/High Risk Awards: 1 for $200,000
• Individual Investigator Awards: 2 for $3,119,732

UT Dallas: $886,693

• Individual Investigator Awards: 1 for $886,693

Among the projects that were awarded grants are research activities that will investigate the causes and potential treatments for a range of cancers affecting the brain, breast, blood, cervix, colon, liver, lung, ovaries and prostate. Additional information about the awards may be accessed via the CPRIT Web site.

Additionally, CPRIT awarded $158,845 “Planning Grant Awards” to assist applicants for the Multi-Investigational Research Award whose purpose is to recognize coordinated activities among several institutions submitting comprehensive applications. Generally, expenses covered by the planning grant involve travel and collaboration efforts.