Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center researchers were awarded more than $1 million in grants from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT).
The funds are from the first $61 million in grants for cancer research projects at academic institutions and private companies throughout Texas. These are the inaugural grants of the $3 billion to be invested in cancer research in Texas over the next ten years.
According to CPRIT, the 66 research projects were selected from nearly 900 proposals submitted to the Institute. Each proposal underwent extensive scientific review by a team of more than 100 scientific experts. The research projects selected will investigate the causes and potential treatments for a wide range of cancers.
The TTUHSC researchers who received the grants are Guillermo Altenberg, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Physiology, and Min Kang, Pharm.D., assistant professor in the Department of Cell Biology and Biochemistry.
Doug Stocco, Ph.D., TTUHSC executive vice president for research, said the rankings demonstrate the institution’s research is competitive statewide.
“This is really wonderful news for the TTUHSC since these grants were so very competitive. Drs. Altenberg and Kang deserve all of the credit in the world by demonstrating their research programs are functioning at a statewide and nationally competitive level. This is an excellent start in our efforts to obtain CPRIT funds, and we hope for continued success in the future” Stocco said.
Other grant recipients include:
Baylor College of Medicine
Rice University
Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University System Health Science Center
The Methodist Hospital Research Institute
University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas at Dallas
University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
University of Texas
M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas
Visualase, Inc.
CPRIT is the state agency established to create and expedite innovation in the area of cancer research and to enhance the potential for a medical or scientific breakthrough in the prevention of cancer and cures for cancer.
