HOUSTON, NOVEMBER 19, 2025 ― The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center today was awarded over $29 million from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) in support of impactful prevention programs, groundbreaking cancer research efforts and faculty recruitment.
“We sincerely appreciate CPRIT for their continued support of cancer research and prevention at MD Anderson,” said Giulio Draetta, M.D., Ph.D., chief scientific officer at MD Anderson. “These efforts can have profound impact on the lives of patients and their families, and this funding ensures our exemplary clinicians and scientists can continue working together to drive breakthroughs that advance our mission to end cancer.”
Since its inception, CPRIT has awarded over $4 billion in grants for cancer research. MD Anderson investigators have received more than $725 million, approximately 18% of the total awards. CPRIT award recipients include 151 academic institutions, non-profit organizations and private companies located in Texas. The research and prevention efforts funded by CPRIT advance the health of Texans, the research superiority of the state, the life science infrastructure and the Texas economy.
In addition to the prevention and research awards below, CPRIT also awarded $3 million for the recruitment of one CPRIT Scholar.
Prevention awards to MD Anderson include:
- Maintenance of project ACCESS: increasing access to cervical cancer screening and treatment services in Texas (Melissa Varon, Project ECHO) - $2,450,000
- OUTPACE Tobacco: Scaling up tobacco-free workplace initiatives in Texas opioid treatment programs (Lorraine Reitzel, Ph.D., Behavioral Science) - $1,469,974
- Screening and vaccination in east Texas (S.A.V.E. TX) (Qian Lu, Ph.D., Health Disparities Research) - $1,468,713
- Self-collection, capacity building and resources to enhance cervical cancer screening and navigation to care for the unhoused population (Mila Pontremoli Salcedo, M.D., Ph.D., Gynecologic Oncology and Reproductive Medicine) - $1,054,840
Academic research awards to MD Anderson include:
- B7-H4 targeting with Puxitatug Samrotecan in recurrent/metastatic adenoid cystic carcinoma: Efficacy, safety and biomarker evaluation (Renata Ferrarotto, M.D., Thoracic-Head & Neck Medical Oncology) - $1,599,998
- Adjuvant drug development in circulating tumor DNA-defined minimal residual disease for colorectal cancer (Arvind Dasari, M.D., Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology) - $1,597,008
- Phase I study of intrathecal cellular adoptive immunotherapy using CD8+ antigen-specific T cells for melanoma patients with leptomeningeal disease (Cassian Yee, M.D., Melanoma Medical Oncology) - $1,596,130
- Ivonescimab and intraperitoneal paclitaxel for metastatic appendiceal adenocarcinoma (Beth Helmink, M.D., Ph.D., Surgical Oncology) - $1,591,873
- Therapeutic strategies for radiation-induced leukoencephalopathy in pediatric brain tumor patients (Jian Hu, Ph.D., Cancer Biology) - $1,199,968
- Towards personalized TNBC therapy: a clinically practical prediction framework for neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy response (Chengyue Wu, Ph.D., Imaging Physics) - $1,049,988
- FIRE-AML: A longitudinal machine learning-based framework of inflammation driving relapse and early mortality in AML (Hussein Abbas, M.D., Ph.D., Leukemia) - $1,047,232
- Multiplexed epigenome engineering to address major CAR T cell barriers (Michael Green, Ph.D., Lymphoma-Myeloma) - $900,000
- Metabolic reprogramming of CAR-T cells to overcome acidosis-mediated immunosuppression in pancreatic cancer (Hind Rafei, M.D., Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy) - $900,000
- Dissecting the molecular mechanisms underlying epithelial memory and pancreatic cancer progression (Andrea Viale, M.D., Genomic Medicine) - $900,000
- Leveraging the ATTACH platform to optimize T cell therapies in lung cancer (Alexandre Reuben, Ph.D., Thoracic-Head & Neck Medical Oncology) - $900,000
- Characterization of KRAS indifference and therapy resistance in pancreatic cancer (Giannicola Genovese, M.D., Ph.D., Genitourinary Medical Oncology) - $900,000
- Novel tumor suppressive RNA therapeutics for aggressive cancers (George Calin, M.D., Ph.D., Cancer Biology) - $899,999
- Telomere and immune biology in colorectal cancer (Ronald DePinho, M.D., Cancer Biology) - $899,991
- Targeting ineffective erythropoiesis in myelodysplastic syndromes with ringed sideroblasts (Simona Colla, Ph.D., Leukemia) – $899,991
- Preservation of fertility in male cancer patients using pharmacological approaches (Marie-Claude Hofmann, Ph.D., Endocrine Neoplasia and Hormonal Disorders) - $899,166
- AI-based end-to-end radiotherapy planning for breast cancer: prospective evaluation and risk reduction (Laurence Court, Ph.D., Radiation Physics) - $897,892
- Impact of patient fitness and biological aging on outcomes for multiple myeloma treated with BCMA T cell redirection therapy (Michelle Hildebrandt, Ph.D., Lymphoma-Myeloma) - $894,082
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