Baylor College of Medicine receives more than $17…

Researchers at the Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center at Baylor College of Medicine have been awarded more than $17 million in grants by the Cancer Prevention & Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) to support developmental research focusing on promising new insights into cancer treatment and innovative core facilities. CPRIT awarded $60.6 million in grants to institutions across Texas, including seven grants to Baylor, to advance the fight against cancer.

"The Clinical Investigator Awards are an important initiative to develop clinical research. The pipeline CPRIT is creating ensures that the cancer research environment here will continue to be dynamic for years to come," said Dr. Pavan Reddy, a CPRIT Scholar and professor and director of the Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center at Baylor.

Two grants to Baylor provide funding for critical research hubs called core facilities. Core facilities offer coordinated technologies, services and expertise for cancer researchers. Several other grants to Baylor will help advance innovative immunotherapy research conducted by physician-scientists at the Center for Cell and Gene Therapy.

"These awards support innovative cell therapy studies in both adults and pediatric patients with great potential to impact treatment outcomes and therapeutic paradigms," said Dr. Helen Heslop, professor and director of the Center for Cell and Gene Therapy and Dan L Duncan Chair at Baylor.

Awards to Baylor include:
Dr. Bilal Omer, associate professor in the Department of Pediatrics - Hematology and Oncology and the Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, received a clinical investigator award of $1,046,414 for research titled, "Signal-Augmented Cancer Cell Therapies: Integrating Advanced Correlatory Studies and Mentorship."

Dr. Meenakshi Hegde, associate professor in the Department of Pediatrics - Hematology and Oncology and the Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, received a clinical investigator award of $1,030,892 for research titled, "Advancing Immunotherapy for High-Risk Cancers in Children and Adolescents."

Dr. Christine Beeton, professor of integrative physiology, received a core facility award of $1,999,882 for the Advanced Multiparameter Cytometry and Cell Sorting Core.

Dr. Natalia Lapteva, associate professor in the Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, received a core facility award of $2 million for the renewal of the CPRIT Good Manufacturing Practice Core.

Dr. Cliona M. Rooney, professor in the Department of Pediatrics - Hematology and Oncology and the Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, received a multi-investigator award of $4,500,000 for research titled, "Overcoming Major Barriers to the Delivery of Successful T-Cell Immunotherapies." Drs. Malcolm Brenner, Valentina Hoyos, Masataka Suzuki, Helen Heslop and Natasha Lapteva also will serve as project leaders.

Dr. Leonid S. Metelitsa, professor in the Department of Pediatrics - Hematology and Oncology and the Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, received a multi-investigator award of $4,497,964 for research titled, "Cellular Immunotherapies for Pediatric Solid Tumors." Drs. Andras Heczey, Robin Parihar, Bilal Omer, Tao Wang and Natasha Lapteva also will serve as project leaders.

Baylor also received $2 million for a CPRIT Scholar Recruitment Award.

To date, CPRIT has awarded more than $3 billion in grants to Texas research institutions and organizations through its academic research, prevention and product development programs. Read more about the most recent round of CPRIT funding here.