At the recent AI in Health Conference organized by the Ken Kennedy Institute at Rice University, Abria Magee, senior program manager for the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT), gave an overview of the agency’s efforts to fuel innovation in cancer research and drive advancements in prevention and cures.
Magee’s talk provided both a roadmap for potential funding opportunities with CPRIT and a glimpse into the future of cancer research, where artificial intelligence and machine learning will play increasingly critical roles. Moreover, the talk helped bring attention to the alignment between CPRIT’s mission and Rice’s commitment to lead innovation in health as part of its newly launched 10-year strategic plan.
Since its inception in 2007, CPRIT has grown into the second-largest public funder of cancer research in the U.S. (second only to the National Cancer Institute) with a total of $6 billion invested in cancer research and prevention efforts across its various programs. CPRIT has helped put Texas on the map globally as one of the top 10 public funders of cancer research in the world.
Thanks to CPRIT, Rice has been able to advance cancer research through a number of funded projects and recruit 24 investigators who are pushing the boundaries of knowledge to help uncover better ways to treat and prevent the disease.
Starting in September 2023 and leading up to the recent unveiling of its strategic plan, Rice has expanded its research and innovation infrastructure by launching a biotechnology accelerator and a series of centers and institutes ⎯ a significant number of which are closely aligned with CPRIT goals and priorities:
● Rice Biotech Launch Pad, led by Paul Wotton and Omid Veiseh (launched Sept. 12, 2023)
● Rice Synthetic Biology Institute, led by Caroline Ajo-Franklin (launched Jan. 10)
● Rice Synthesis X Center, led by Han Xiao and involving a strategic partnership with the Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center at Baylor College of Medicine (launched Feb. 26)
● Center for Nanoscale Imaging Sciences, led by Anna-Karin Gustavsson (launched March 4)
● Cancer Bioengineering Collaborative, established in collaboration with the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and co-led by Gang Bao (launched June 27)
● Center for Operations Research in Cancer, a collaboration with the Institute for Data Science in Oncology at MD Anderson co-led by Andrew Schaefer (launched Sept. 12)
Together, these initiatives provide an enhanced institutional framework to advance the understanding of cancer, expand collaborations with partners in the Texas Medical Center and drive the discovery and translation of prevention and treatment breakthroughs at Rice.
Historically, the majority of CPRIT awards to Rice were secured through the agency’s Academic Research Program, which has allowed the university to recruit leading researchers from across the nation, including Veiseh, Ajo-Franklin, Xiao, Gustavsson and Bao. Academic Research is one of three major programs run by CPRIT along with Product Development Research (PDR) and Prevention.
Magee’s recent talk at Rice was focused on PDR, which funds “projects at Texas-based companies developing novel products or services intended to benefit cancer patients,” according to the agency website. Given Rice’s strategic commitments to streamline and enhance research translation and innovation, the talk provided welcome insights into the criteria that Rice lab-born commercial spinoffs would need to abide by in order to compete for funding through CPRIT’s PDR program.
“Our purpose is to improve patient care through innovation and product development, while also expanding the life sciences industry in Texas, creating new jobs and providing a direct return on taxpayer dollars,” Magee said. “So far we’ve awarded 80 grants or over $700 million, so that’s almost 70 companies that were either started here in Texas, expanded in Texas or brought to Texas from somewhere else.”
Magee outlined the types of award mechanisms available through PDR, which fall under four main categories:
● Texas Therapeutics Company Award
● Texas Device and Diagnostics Company Award
● Texas New Technologies Company (TNTC) Award
● Texas Seed Company Award
Of these four award categories, Magee highlighted the TNTC or “new technologies” track as the newest grant mechanism in the PDR program, highlighting the fact that it was specifically designed to support companies working in the new and emergent technologies space with examples including but not limited to bioinformatics, AI, the production of radiation therapy drugs or precursors, cell-based therapies manufacturing, processes and technologies for higher-quality samples for cancer research or clinical care and therapeutics biomanufacturing.
“We’ve launched the Texas New Technologies Award in the past three years, and part of the motivation there was to capture more companies that are in the AI or machine learning space that don’t necessarily follow the traditional regulatory path for developing a drug, for example,” Magee said.
The TNTC funding mechanism provides uncapped funding over three years for Texas-based or Texas-bound companies focused on cancer detection, diagnostics and treatment. For researchers and entrepreneurs looking to leverage AI in health care, CPRIT’s new technologies award offers a unique opportunity. More broadly, the program aims to draw companies that are on the cutting edge of technology but may not fit traditional funding categories.
“We’ve recently funded a company in Austin that’s producing radioisotopes for radiation therapy,” said Magee, citing the importance of fostering local innovation. “Typically, this was being completed and manufactured in Russia, but now there is a company in Austin who is able to produce these isotopes in Texas and then deliver them to countries across the world.”
Magee said most companies funded through the PDR program are from the Houston area. For companies relocating to Texas, Magee emphasized the importance of collaboration with Texas-based academic institutions as a key eligibility requirement, specifically noting Houston’s edge as home to the Texas Medical Center.
Magee also addressed a number of questions from the audience, including conditions for funding and requirements on making information available to the public. Magee explained that as far as the product development program goes, awardees’ information is treated as proprietary.
“CPRIT has a dedicated legal team that protects applications and all of the funded companies’ data, so that they maintain their market edge … and Texas can get its return on investment,” Magee said.
In closing her talk, Magee shared insights into what CPRIT looks for in successful applicants, from robust commercialization plans to strong leadership teams. Researchers or entrepreneurs looking to apply for funding through CPRIT’s PDR program should be prepared for a rigorous review process, which includes independent peer reviews conducted by experts from outside Texas to minimize conflicts of interest.
Companies interested in relocating can also refer to CPRIT’s online Texas Resource Guide for early stage support and funding resources.
Magee’s talk from the AI in Health Conference was recorded and shared on the Ken Kennedy Institute YouTube channel.
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https://rice.box.com/s/m3msq2uptfrcye7u5uv5hn922aynzsz4
CAPTION: Abria Magee, senior program manager for the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas, during a talk delivered at the 2024 AI in Health Conference hosted by Rice University’s Ken Kennedy Institute. (Photos by Jeff Fitlow/Rice University)