CPRIT's product development office presented a ranked slate of product development research awards following a competitive review. Staff said 164 preliminary applications representing about $1.1 billion requests were winnowed to 23 full applications and then 14 sent to due diligence. The Product Development Review Committee recommended nine companies for awards totaling roughly $67 million (negotiated down from $74 million requested); five others were held in deferral.

The nine recommended companies and their core aims, as presented, include Iterion Therapeutics (hepatocellular carcinoma therapeutic development), AirSurgical (robotic CT‑guided lung biopsy system), ExoDiscovery (blood test for non‑small cell lung cancer detection), Empiri (3‑D tumor slice culture to predict patient response), Crossbridge Bio (antibody‑drug conjugates), Immunogenesis (PDL1/PDL2 dual‑target antibody for cold tumors), Dioconos (personalized cell‑based vaccine for refractory melanoma), Oncomagnetics (wearable device for glioblastoma), and NovaScan (AI‑enhanced margin‑detection device for intraoperative use).

The committee considered a reported conflict (Doctor Rosenfeld recused from DP260231) and approved the remaining eight product awards together; the conflicted application was considered and approved separately with Dr. Rosenfeld recusing. The oversight committee also voted to authorize CPRIT to make advanced payments to the approved companies upon contract execution and completion of required tranches under the General Appropriations Act. Staff noted standard return/royalty provisions in CPRIT contracts (attachment D), explained revenue‑sharing tiers for therapeutics versus diagnostics/devices, and said royalty terms and equity arrangements are negotiable in specific cases.

Next steps: Staff will negotiate contract terms under delegated authority and manage contract execution, monitor milestones and any royalty/equity provisions per policy.