Cancer Prevention & Research Institute of Texas Awards $114.7 Million in New Grants

(AUSTIN) - The Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) today awarded nine new academic research grants totaling $26 million to recruit cancer researchers to Texas.

“CPRIT’s unprecedented effort to bring top talent to Texas’ research institutions took another giant step forward today with the newest class of nine CPRIT Scholars,” said Wayne Roberts, CPRIT Chief Executive Officer. “Applications to recruit distinguished cancer researchers from across the county and abroad continue to increase even during the pandemic because Texas is now a magnet for world-class cancer research.”

CPRIT’s recruitment awards attract exceptional cancer research talent to Texas to work with preeminent scientists at the state’s research institutions, creating the finest cluster of cancer researchers in the world and contribute to Texas’ emerging bioscience ecosystem. The nine potential recruits approved today will join 218 CPRIT Scholars already working at 21 institutions across Texas. 

Two Established Investigator awards approved today will allow The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center to bring leading researchers from two renowned cancer research institutions in the United Kingdom. CPRIT’s Oversight Committee also approved seven First-Time, Tenure-Track Faculty Member recruitment awards for promising young researchers from California, Massachusetts and Switzerland. In addition to MD Anderson, the institutions receiving grants today include Baylor College of Medicine, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, and The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.

CPRIT awards three types of recruitment grants: Established Investigators for senior research faculty with distinguished professional careers and established cancer research programs; Rising Stars for early-stage investigators who have demonstrated promising continued and enhanced contributions to the field; and First-Time, Tenure-Track Faculty awards for emerging investigators pursuing their first faculty appointment, and who are expected to make outstanding contributions in cancer research. Recruits receive the prestigious “CPRIT Scholar” designation.

To learn more about CPRIT Scholars and the vital contribution they make to cancer research, please visit http://scholars.cprit.texas.gov.

See the attached list for all grants awarded.

About the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas

CPRIT has awarded $2.66 billion in grants to Texas research institutions and organizations through its academic research, prevention, and product development research programs. CPRIT has recruited 218 distinguished researchers, supported the establishment, expansion or relocation of 42 companies to Texas, and generated more than $5 billion in additional public and private investment. CPRIT funding has advanced scientific and clinical knowledge and provided 6.8 million life-saving cancer prevention and early detection services reaching Texans from all 254 counties. On November 5, 2019, Texas voters overwhelmingly approved a constitutional amendment providing an additional $3 billion to CPRIT, for a total $6 billion investment in cancer research and prevention efforts across Texas, the largest state funded research program in United States history and the second largest source of funding for cancer research in the world.

Learn more at https://cprit.texas.gov/. Follow CPRIT on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

AWARDED RESEARCH GRANTS

Recruitment of Established Investigators Awards* - Two grants totaling $12,000,000

  • Bissan Al-Lazikani, PhD, MSc, Recruitment to The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center from the Institute of Cancer Research - $6,000,000
  • Peter Van Loo, PhD, Recruitment to The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center from The Francis Crick Institute - $6,000,000

Recruitment of First-Time, Tenure-Track Faculty Members Awards* - Seven grants totaling $14,000,000

  • Furqan Fazal, PhD, Recruitment to Baylor College of Medicine from Stanford University School of Medicine - $2,000,000
  • Guy Nir, PhD, Recruitment to The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston from Harvard Medical School - $2,000,000
  • Jihan Osborne, PhD, Recruitment to The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center from Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School - $2,000,000
  • Xiaoli Sun, PhD, Recruitment to The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio from the University of California San Diego - $2,000,000
  • Jeanine Van Nostrand, PhD, Recruitment to Baylor College of Medicine from The Salk Institute for Biological Studies - $2,000,000
  • Pavan Bachireddy, MD, Recruitment to The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center from the Dana Farber Cancer Institute - $2,000,000
  • Mauro Di Pilato, PhD, Recruitment to The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center from the Institute for Research in Biomedicine - $2,000,000

* Awarded recruitment grants indicate only approval to negotiate offers; at the time of release candidates have not accepted offers.

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