The Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas awarded nine new academic research grants totaling $26 million to recruit cancer researchers to Texas.
“Applications to recruit distinguished cancer researchers from across the country and abroad continue to increase even during the pandemic because Texas is now a magnet for world-class cancer research,” CPRIT CEO Wayne Roberts, said in a statement.
The nine potential recruits will join 218 CPRIT Scholars working at 21 institutions across Texas. Two Established Investigator awards will allow MD Anderson Cancer Center to bring researchers from two 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.
The grants awarded and their recipients follow:
Recruitment of Established Investigators Awards*—Two grants totaling $12 million
Bissan Al-Lazikani, Recruitment to MD Anderson Cancer Center from the Institute of Cancer Research – $6 million
Peter Van Loo, Recruitment to MD Anderson Cancer Center from The Francis Crick Institute – $6 million
Recruitment of First-Time, Tenure-Track Faculty Members Awards* – Seven grants totaling $14 million
Furqan Fazal, Recruitment to Baylor College of Medicine from Stanford University School of Medicine – $2 million
Guy Nir, Recruitment to The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston from Harvard Medical School – $2 million
Jihan Osborne, Recruitment to The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center from Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School – $2 million
Xiaoli Sun, Recruitment to The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio from University of California San Diego – $2 million
Jeanine Van Nostrand, Recruitment to Baylor College of Medicine from The Salk Institute for Biological Studies – $2 million
Pavan Bachireddy, Recruitment to The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center from the Dana Farber Cancer Institute – $2 million
Mauro Di Pilato, Recruitment to The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center from the Institute for Research in Biomedicine – $2 million
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 “CPRIT Scholar” designation.
