Researchers at the Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center at Baylor College of Medicine have been granted over $5 million by the Cancer Prevention & Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) to support cancer research initiatives. CPRIT has distributed $93 million in grants to various institutions across Texas, including five grants to Baylor, aimed at advancing cancer treatment.
Among the recipients is Dr. Daniel Kraushaar, who serves as assistant professor of molecular and cellular biology and director of the Genomic and RNA Profiling Core. He received a Core Facility Support Award amounting to $1,999,998 for the Comprehensive Cancer Epigenomics Core Facility.
Dr. Shalini Makawita, an assistant professor specializing in hematology and oncology, was awarded an Early Clinical Investigator Award valued at $1 million for her work titled "Combination Immunotherapy Strategies in the Treatment of Advanced Refractory Solid Tumors."
Dr. Gloria Echeverria, affiliated with the Lester and Sue Smith Breast Center as an assistant professor, obtained a High-Impact, High-Risk Research Award of $250,000 for her research on "Inhibition of Mitochondrial RNA Polymerase to Overcome Chemoresistance in Triple Negative Breast Cancer."
Another recipient is Dr. Jamie Anastas from neurosurgery who received a High-Impact, High-Risk Research Award totaling $249,470 for research focused on "Overcoming Immunosuppression and Antigen Heterogeneity to Improve Immunotherapy for Pediatric Brain Tumors."
Additionally, Baylor was awarded $2 million through a CPRIT Scholar Recruitment Award.
Since its inception, CPRIT has allocated more than $3.9 billion in grants to research institutions throughout Texas via its academic research programs as well as prevention and product development initiatives.
