CPRIT says it has authorized about $6 billion and made 2,000+ grants to fight cancer in Texas
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Summary
The Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) told In Focus Texas that since voter authorization in 2007 it has authorized roughly $6 billion, funded more than 2,000 grants and prioritized prevention, early detection and clinical trials across the state.
The Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas has authorized about $6 billion since its creation in 2007 and has awarded more than 2,000 grants to research institutions, community organizations and companies across Texas, CPRIT Chief Executive Officer Kristin Doyle said on In Focus Texas.
The institute, created by the Texas Legislature in 2007 and reaffirmed by statewide votes in 2007 and 2019, uses a mix of research and prevention funding aimed at detecting cancers earlier, advancing treatments and supporting clinical trials, Doyle said.
CPRIT “has made more than 2,000 grants to research institutions, community organizations, and companies all across Texas that are all working not only to prevent cancer, but also to, you know, come up with innovative ways to detect that cancer early, to treat it, and to cure cancers,” Doyle said. She said the institute authorizes grants for research, prevention services and clinical trials.
Doyle told the program CPRIT can spend up to 10% of its funds on cancer prevention services, including screenings, vaccinations and education. “So those screenings over the 15 years that we have been doing them have resulted in more than 50,000 cases of cancer and cancer precursors being detected and detected early,” she said, adding early detection increases opportunities for survival.
On clinical trials, Doyle said CPRIT has funded more than 350 cancer trials and that about 60,000 people have participated in trials supported by the institute. “Many times, cancer patients that are participating in clinical trials are doing so because there are no other treatments available on the market or those treatments have failed them,” she said.
Doyle also noted targeted investments in childhood and adolescent cancer research, saying CPRIT has invested nearly $500 million in that area and pointed to work at institutions such as Texas Tech Health Science Center in Lubbock focused on neuroblastoma.
The remarks on CPRIT’s scale, prevention spending cap and trial participation were made during a televised interview and reflect the institute’s summary of its work to date. The institute’s authorizing measures and voter referenda in 2007 and 2019 were referenced on the program as the legal basis for the fund.
Looking ahead, Doyle emphasized continued emphasis on prevention, early detection and making innovative treatments available across Texas institutions through grants and trials.
(Reporting based on an interview on the In Focus Texas program.)
