CPRIT awards nearly $50 million to UT institutions

The Cancer Prevention & Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) has announced its latest round of grants, and once again UT institutions will receive the majority of the funding.

On Thursday, CPRIT announced it awarded a total of $96 million to institutions of higher education and to biotech companies to advance Texas’ fight against cancer. Of the approximately $65 million in grants awarded to institutions of higher education, seven UT institutions received almost $50 million. They are: UT Austin, UT Dallas, UT MD Anderson, UT Medical Branch, UTHealth in Houston, UT Health San Antonio and UT Southwestern.

“Across the state, UT institutions are driving development of some of the world’s most innovative and effective methods to better detect, treat and prevent cancer,” UT System Chancellor James B. Milliken said. “These efforts represent some of our most important responsibilities to the people of Texas. I am proud of the researchers and clinicians who have made the fight against cancer their life’s work.”

For example, at UT MD Anderson, the nation’s No. 1 cancer hospital, Jim Allison was awarded a Nobel Prize in October for his pioneering work in using immunotherapy to attack cancer. And at UT Austin, chemist Livia Eberlin received a MacArthur “Genius Award” for creating a pen-sized device to detect cancer.

The UT System also is home to three of the nation’s 70 National Cancer Institute-designated Cancer Centers – MD Anderson, UT Southwestern and UT Health San Antonio – recognized for delivering highly-advanced cancer treatment.

CPRIT was established after Texas voters approved a constitutional amendment in 2007 authorizing the state to issue $3 billion in bonds to fund groundbreaking cancer research and prevention programs and services. So far, CPRIT has provided $2.26 billion to support research and programs that benefit Texans in every area of the state. Of that, $1.2 billion has been awarded to UT institutions.

In this most recent round of funding, UT institutions will receive the following grants:        

UT MD Anderson – $19,610,759

• Individual investigator research (11 grants)
• Recruitment of first-time, tenure-track faculty (two grants)
• Tobacco control and lung cancer screening
• Expansion of cancer prevention services to rural and medically underserved populations

UT Southwestern – $18,416,231

• Individual investigator research (11 grants)
• Recruitment of rising star faculty
• Recruitment of first-time, tenure-track faculty (two grants)

UT Medical Branch – $5,960,615

• Individual investigator research
• Expansion of cancer prevention services to rural and medically underserved populations

UT Health San Antonio – $3,000,000

• Individual investigator research (three grants)

UTHealth – $1,199,966

• Individual investigator research
• Dissemination of CPRIT-funded cancer control interventions

UT Austin – $900,000

• Individual investigator research

UT Dallas – $900,000

• Individual investigator research

About The University of Texas System
For more than 130 years, The University of Texas System has been committed to improving the lives of Texans and people all over the world through education, research and health care. With 14 institutions, an enrollment of more than 235,000 students and an operating budget of $19.5 billion (FY 2019), the UT System is one of the largest public university systems in the United States. UT institutions produce nearly 59,000 graduates annually and award more than one-third of the state’s undergraduate degrees and almost two-thirds of its health professional degrees. Collectively, UT-owned and affiliated hospitals and clinics accounted for more than 7.8 million outpatient visits and 1.6 million hospital days last year. Across UT institutions, research and development expenditures total $2.7 billion – the second highest among U.S. public higher education systems – and the UT System is regularly ranked among the top 10 most innovative universities in the world. The UT System also is one of the largest employers in Texas, with more than 21,000 faculty – including Nobel laureates and members of the National Academies – and nearly 85,000 health care professionals, researchers, student advisors and support staff.