CPRIT awards MD Anderson over $29 million for prevention efforts, cancer research and faculty recruitment

MD Anderson News Release November 19, 2025

Â鶹ӳ»­ 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 , 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 (, Behavioral Science) - $1,469,974
  • Screening and vaccination in east Texas (S.A.V.E. TX) (, 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 (, 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 (, Thoracic-Head & Neck Medical Oncology) - $1,599,998
  • Adjuvant drug development in circulating tumor DNA-defined minimal residual disease for colorectal cancer (, 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 (, Melanoma Medical Oncology) - $1,596,130
  • Ivonescimab and intraperitoneal paclitaxel for metastatic appendiceal adenocarcinoma (, Surgical Oncology) - $1,591,873
  • Therapeutic strategies for radiation-induced leukoencephalopathy in pediatric brain tumor patients (, Cancer Biology) - $1,199,968
  • Towards personalized TNBC therapy: a clinically practical prediction framework for neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy response (, Imaging Physics) - $1,049,988
  • FIRE-AML: A longitudinal machine learning-based framework of inflammation driving relapse and early mortality in AML (, Leukemia) - $1,047,232
  • Multiplexed epigenome engineering to address major CAR T cell barriers (, Lymphoma-Myeloma) - $900,000
  • Metabolic reprogramming of CAR-T cells to overcome acidosis-mediated immunosuppression in pancreatic cancer (, Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy) - $900,000
  • Dissecting the molecular mechanisms underlying epithelial memory and pancreatic cancer progression (, Genomic Medicine) - $900,000
  • Leveraging the ATTACH platform to optimize T cell therapies in lung cancer (, Thoracic-Head & Neck Medical Oncology) - $900,000
  • Characterization of KRAS indifference and therapy resistance in pancreatic cancer (, Genitourinary Medical Oncology) - $900,000
  • Novel tumor suppressive RNA therapeutics for aggressive cancers (, Cancer Biology) - $899,999
  • Telomere and immune biology in colorectal cancer (, Cancer Biology) - $899,991
  • Targeting ineffective erythropoiesis in myelodysplastic syndromes with ringed sideroblasts (, Leukemia) ¨C $899,991
  • Preservation of fertility in male cancer patients using pharmacological approaches (, Endocrine Neoplasia and Hormonal Disorders) - $899,166
  • AI-based end-to-end radiotherapy planning for breast cancer: prospective evaluation and risk reduction (, Radiation Physics) - $897,892
  • Impact of patient fitness and biological aging on outcomes for multiple myeloma treated with BCMA T cell redirection therapy (, Lymphoma-Myeloma) - $894,082