The Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas oversight committee approved a product development slate recommending awards to nine companies, with staff estimating a negotiated total of about $67,000,000. The PDRC reduced a larger set of full applications (14) to nine recipients recommended for award after peer review and due diligence.

Doctor Ken Smith summarized the applicant mix and briefly described each company’s proposed use of funds: therapeutics and biologics (Iterion, Crossbridge Bio, Immunogenesis, Dioconos), diagnostics and monitoring (ExoDiscovery, NovaScan), device and robotic approaches (AirSurgical, Oncomagnetics), and tumor‑slice culture/predictive testing (Empiri). Staff indicated the nine companies originally requested about $74 million and agreed to negotiated terms that brought the recommended total to roughly $67 million.

Revenue sharing and contract terms: staff reviewed CPRIT’s standard award terms (referred to as attachment D), which set default royalty ceilings and a 0.5 percent royalty tail. Doctor Smith and other staff said the attachment D terms serve as the starting point for negotiations; they also noted CPRIT has, in the past, taken equity in some transactions but that equity is not a standard substitute for royalty terms. Committee members asked about relocation commitments for out‑of‑state firms named in the slate; staff said the applications referenced Texas as the planned location but did not specify exact relocation plans.

The committee approved the product development slate, authorized staff to disperse grant funds via advanced payments upon contract execution and noted a recusal by Doctor Rosenfeld on one application (DP260231). The oversight committee also approved a plan for a supplemental RFA with approximately $7–8 million for supplemental awards in the next cycle.

Next steps: Contract negotiation will follow standard legal and business diligence. Staff will return finalized contracts to the oversight committee where required and begin tracking royalties, equity outcomes and any relocation performance commitments in contract files.