Texas A&M Health awarded $11.7 million in CPRIT funding to advance cancer research and prevention

The Texas A&M University Health Science Center (Texas A&M Health) has received $11.7 million in new funding from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) to support innovative cancer research, prevention and recruitment initiatives. The funding was part of CPRIT’s latest round of grant awards, totaling more than $93 million across the state.

The grants awarded to Texas A&M Health include:

• $6 million to recruit cancer genomics expert Andrew Feinberg, MD, from Johns Hopkins University as a CPRIT Scholar.
• $3 million to establish a drug discovery resource center led by Peter Davies, MD, PhD, professor and director of the Center for Translational Cancer Research at the Texas A&M Health Institute of Biosciences and Technology.
• $2.5 million to re-establish the cancer prevention program for rural and medically underserved women led by Anna Lichorad, MD, clinical assistant professor at the Texas A&M College of Medicine.
• $250,000 to support early-stage research in immunotherapy led by Yubin Zhou, MD, PhD, FAIMBE, FRSC, Chancellor EDGES Fellow, professor at the College of Medicine and associate director of the Center for Translational Cancer Research.

These latest awards reflect Texas A&M Health’s multifaceted commitment to tackling cancer—from basic science and transitional research to real-world prevention strategies reaching the state’s most at-risk communities.

“This significant investment underscores the dual strength of Texas A&M Health—scientific excellence and community impact,” said Indra Reddy, PhD, interim chief operating officer and vice president of Texas A&M Health. “From pioneering cancer genomics and drug discovery to delivering life-saving prevention programs in underserved areas, these awards reinforce our unwavering commitment to transforming cancer care and outcomes for all Texans.”

Since its inception in 2007, CPRIT has awarded more than $3.9 billion in grants, making Texas the second-largest public funder of cancer research in the nation after the National Cancer Institute.

Texas A&M Health continues to be a critical partner in CPRIT’s mission, working to drive innovation, reduce cancer disparities and deliver better outcomes for patients across Texas and beyond.