Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas

Last updated
Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas
AbbreviationCPRIT
Formation2009
PurposePromote and fund cancer research. Develop cancer research industry in Texas. [1]
Headquarters1701 North Congress Avenue, Suite 6-127
Austin, Texas 78701
Region served
State of Texas
Chief Executive Officer
Wayne Roberts
Main organ
Oversight Committee of nine appointed commissioners
Website www.cprit.state.tx.us

The Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) is a state agency that funds cancer research in Texas. It is funded by bonds issued by the state of Texas. Researchers and organizations in Texas are invited to apply for grants that match CPRIT's mission and goals.

Contents

A financial statement prepared by CPRIT showed the organization planned to award over $250 million in cancer research grants and $28 million in cancer prevention grants in 2018. [2] The organization has taken in revenue of just under $300 million per year from sale of bonds in recent years.

By law CPRIT was established to: "(1) create and expedite innovation in the area of cancer research and in enhancing the potential for a medical or scientific breakthrough in the prevention of cancer and cures for cancer;(2) attract, create, or expand research capabilities of public or private institutions of higher education and other public or private entities that will promote a substantial increase in cancer research and in the creation of high-quality new jobs in this state; and(3) develop and implement the Texas Cancer Plan." [3] The organization's website says it is focused on “academic research, prevention and product development research.”

CPRIT is the second largest public funder of cancer research in the United States besides NIH's National Cancer Institute. [4]

History

On May 25, 2007, the Texas House of Representatives passed HJR 90 to put a $3 billion bond proposal for the establishment of CPRIT on the November 2007 statewide ballot. [5]

"Who hasn't been affected by this terrible disease, either personally or with a loved one?" asked Rep. Jim Keffer, R-Eastland, author of HJR 90, approved by 116 members of the House. "What a wonderful thing it would be to say we actually cured cancer and that Texas was in the middle of it.” [6]

"This initiative will help our colleges and universities establish Texas as a major medical research corridor and, most importantly, send a powerful message of hope to the cancer community: Help is on the way," said Senator Jane Nelson, R-Lewisville. [5]

June 6, 2007, Governor Rick Perry signed HJR 90 into law, setting the stage for a November vote on Proposition 15 to establish CPRIT. [7]

Starting in October 2007, Lance Armstrong led a statewide bus tour to galvanize voters to support Proposition 15. "With the kind of shot in the arm this extra money will give us here in Texas, we're going to make discoveries and we're going to have new treatments," said Armstrong. [8]

In November 2007 voters approved Proposition 15 to amend the state constitution and create funding for CPRIT. The proposition approved up to $3 billion in bonds to fund the agency. Lance Armstrong and the Texas-based Susan G. Komen foundation publicly supported the proposition. [9]

In early 2009 the 80th Texas Legislature passed House Bill 14 which created CPRIT and merged it with the old Texas Cancer Council. William “Bill” Gimson was named the first executive director. [10] Nobel laureate Alfred G. Gilman was named Chief Scientific Officer. [11]

Within a few years the agency was afflicted with allegations of wrongdoing in the awarding of grant money. Observers protested that agency personnel did not follow appropriate scientific review. Law enforcement authorities began to investigate whether CPRIT officials broke the law in their distribution of grant funds. A press investigation alleged CPRIT made a $11 million grant to Peloton Therapeutics in 2010 without review. A $20 million grant the M.D Anderson Institute for Applied Cancer Science also drew attention and criticism. [12] [13]

By 2012 the agency was being investigated by the Travis County district Attorney, the state Attorney General's office, and was being reviewed by the state auditor's office, which is overseen by the Legislature. [14]

The Associated Press reported “at least seven scientists” had resigned in protest in October 2012. [15] Alfred G. Gilman and fellow Nobel Laureate Phillip Sharp were among those who left. [16]

Gimson resigned as executive director in December 2012. [17] He was replaced on an interim basis by Wayne Roberts, who was appointed permanent CEO in December 2013. [18]

In December 2012, CPRIT announced its new chief scientific officer was Margaret L. Kripke, a cancer immunologist who in 2007 retired as executive vice president and chief academic officer of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. [19]

A 2013 article in the Houston Chronicle stated CPRIT had made “misstep after misstep in awarding tens of millions of dollars to commercial interests.” [20]

In June 2013, Governor Perry signed Senate Bill 149 to clarify and strengthen conflict-of-interest and peer review procedures at CPRIT and implement all state auditor recommendations. In compliance with one of the Senate Bill 149 provisions, state leaders appointed new members to the CPRIT oversight committee in September 2013. [21]

CPRIT announced on June 15, 2015, that it reached a new milestone: more than 2 million cancer prevention services had been provided to Texans in all 254 counties of the state. [22]

In January 2016, CPRIT appointed James Willson as its new chief scientific officer. Previously, Dr. Willson was the director of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center's Harold C. Simmons Cancer Center. [23]

In June 2017 Governor Abbott signed into law Senate Bill 81, extending CPRIT's Sunset Review date by two years from 2021 to 2023. [24]

In July 2018, The Texas State Agency Business Administrators’ Association (TSABAA) named CPRIT CEO Wayne Roberts its Administrator of the Year. [25]

In October 2018, CPRIT grantee Jim Allison, Ph.D., chair of Immunology and executive director of the immunotherapy platform at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, was awarded the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for launching an effective new way to attack cancer by treating the immune system rather than the tumor. [26]

In October 2018, CPRIT grantee Livia S. Eberlin, assistant professor of chemistry at the University of Texas, was named as a MacArthur fellow, a prestigious award that includes a $625,000, no-strings-attached grant. She was recognized for leading a research team that developed a pen-sized device to detect cancer. [27]

Also in October 2018, another CPRIT grantee, UT Southwestern biochemist Dr. Zhijian “James” Chen, won the 2019 Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences for his discovery of the cGAS enzyme that launches the body's immune defense against infections and cancers. [28]

In February 2019, CPRIT named Cindy WalkerPeach, Ph.D., as its Chief Product Development Officer. Dr. WalkerPeach previously served as Innovation-Corps (I-Corps) Program Director at the National Science Foundation (NSF) in Alexandria, Virginia. [29]

CPRIT Foundation

In 2009 the Texas legislature authorized the CPRIT Foundation, a privately funded charity to raise money in support of CPRIT. The non-profit foundation accepted donations and gave money to CPRIT executives in addition to the salaries they received as state employees. [30] The foundation was criticized for lack of transparency by members of the Texas legislature. [31]

In 2013 the foundation announced it was shutting down. [11]

Continuation

In May 2019, the Senate voted 31–0 to approve HJR 12 a month after the House voted 130–15 in favor of it. The measure called for a referendum to authorize another$3 billion in general bonds to fund CPRIT. [32] Proposition 6 on the November 2019 statewide ballot in Texas would authorize an increase in the limit of state bonds issuance to fund CPRIT from $3 billion to $6 billion. A maximum of $300 million in bonds would be issued each year. On November 5, 2019, Texas voters approved Proposition 6 by a margin of 64% to 36%. [33]

Related Research Articles

Texas Medical Center Business district and neighborhood of Houston in Harris County, Texas, United States

The Texas Medical Center (TMC) is a 2.1-square-mile (5.4 km2) medical district and neighborhood in south-central Houston, Texas, United States, immediately south of the Museum District and west of Texas State Highway 288. Over 60 medical institutions, largely concentrated in a triangular area between Brays Bayou, Rice University, and Hermann Park, are members of the Texas Medical Center Corporation—a non-profit umbrella organization—which constitutes the largest medical complex in the world. The TMC has an extremely high density of clinical facilities for patient care, basic science, and translational research.

MD Anderson Cancer Center Hospital in Texas, United States of America

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center is a comprehensive cancer center in Houston, Texas. It is the largest cancer center in the U.S. and one of the original three comprehensive cancer centers in the country. It is both a degree-granting academic institution and a cancer treatment and research center located at the Texas Medical Center in Houston. It is affiliated with The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. According to Newsweek, MD Anderson Cancer Center is considered the best hospital in the world for oncology and related cancer treatment.

The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) is a public academic health science center in Houston, Texas. It was created in 1972 by The University of Texas System Board of Regents. It is located in the Texas Medical Center, the largest medical center in the world. It is composed of six schools: McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, UTHealth School of Dentistry, Cizik School of Nursing, UTHealth School of Biomedical Informatics and UTHealth School of Public Health.

The Institute of Biosciences and Technology (IBT), a component of the Texas A&M Health Science Center represents the Texas A&M University System, one of the two main Texas state university systems, in the state's and world's largest medical center, the Texas Medical Center, in Houston, Texas. The institute provides a bridge between Texas A&M University System scientists and other institutions' researchers working in the Texas Medical Center and the biomedical and biotechnology research community in Houston. It emphasizes collaboration between member scientists and others working in all the fields of the biosciences and biotechnology. IBT encourages its scientists to transfer discoveries made in their laboratories to the clinic and marketplace.

University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio

The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio is a public academic health science center in San Antonio, Texas. It is part of the University of Texas System.

A regional mobility authority (RMA) is an independent local government transportation agency in the U.S. state of Texas.

2005 Texas Proposition 2

Proposition 2 was a referendum for a state constitutional amendment placed on the ballot by the Texas legislature and approved by the voters at the November 8, 2005 general election. The measure added a new provision to the Texas Constitution, Article 1, Section 32, which provides that "Marriage in this state shall consist only of the union of one man and one woman", and "This state or a political subdivision of this state may not create or recognize any legal status identical or similar to marriage." Texas thus became the nineteenth US state to adopt constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. It was the most populous state to adopt a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage until California passed its ban in November 2008.

2007 Texas constitutional amendment election

The 2007 Texas Constitutional Amendment Election took place 6 November 2007.

2004 California elections Elections held in California

California's state elections were held November 2, 2004. Necessary primary elections were held on March 2. Up for election were all the seats of the State Assembly, 20 seats of the State Senate, and sixteen ballot measures.

2008 California Proposition 10 Ballot measure in California

California Proposition 10, also known as the California Alternative Fuels Initiative, was an unsuccessful initiated state statute that appeared on the November 2008 ballot in California. Proposition 10 was funded by Clean Energy Fuels Corp., a corporation owned by T. Boone Pickens. Clean Energy Fuels Corp. is the nation's leading operator of natural gas vehicle fueling stations.

Margaret L. Kripke is an American immunologist. She is an expert in photoimmunology and the immunology of skin cancers. She earned a BS and MS in bacteriology, and a Ph.D in immunology, at the University of California at Berkeley.

Steven C. Currall

Steve C. Currall is an American psychological scientist and academic administrator, and served as the seventh president of the University of South Florida. He previously served as Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Southern Methodist University from January 1, 2016. From 2009 to 2014, Currall served as Dean of the UC Davis Graduate School of Management. He has also held leadership roles at University College London and Rice University. On March 22, 2019, Currall was named to succeed Judy Genshaft as President of the University of South Florida, and took office July 1, 2019. He announced his resignation due to health and family reasons on July 19, 2021.

2012 California Proposition 29 California law

Proposition 29, the California Cancer Research Act, is a California ballot measure that was defeated by California voters at the statewide election on June 5, 2012.

James P. Allison American immunologist and Nobel laureate (born 1948)

James Patrick Allison is an American immunologist and Nobel laureate who holds the position of professor and chair of immunology and executive director of immunotherapy platform at the MD Anderson Cancer Center at the University of Texas.

Lynda Chin is a Chinese-American medical doctor. She is a board-certified dermatologist who was the founding department chair and professor of genomic medicine at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, as well as scientific director of the MD Anderson Institute for Applied Cancer Science. In late 2012 she was elected as a member of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the National Academies.

2020 California elections

The California state elections in 2020 were held on Tuesday, November 3, 2020. Unlike previous election cycles, the primary elections were held on Super Tuesday, March 3, 2020.

Inspector Vicki King is a pioneering threat safety scientist in the healthcare sector. She is the leader of the Threat Assessment Unit at the University of Texas at Houston Police Department, which is a component of the University of Texas System.

Christopher Ian Amos is an American genetic epidemiologist and the director of the Institute for Clinical and Translational Research at Baylor College of Medicine, where he is also the associate director for quantitative science at the Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center. He is known for his research on the genetic basis of certain types of human cancer.

2020 California Proposition 14 Citizen-initiated ballot measure

California Proposition 14 is a citizen-initiated ballot measure that appeared on the ballot in the 2020 California elections, for November 3, 2020. It authorizes state bonds to be issued worth $5.5 billion, which will fund the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), which serves as the state's center for stem cell research, and enable it to continue its operations. This measure passed with 51% of the vote.

Stephanie S. Watowich is an American immunologist. Watowich is the Deputy Chair of the Department of Immunology at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX. She is a professor within the department as well and serves as the Co-Director of the Center for Inflammation and Cancer at the MD Anderson Cancer Center. Watowich’s research has focused on transcriptional control of innate immunity, with specific interest in the actions of the cytokine-activated STAT transcriptional regulators.

References

  1. ↑ "About Us — Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas". www.cprit.texas.gov.
  2. ↑ https://www.cprit.state.tx.us/media/1489/report_cprit-542_fy18_operating_budget_v2.pdf [ bare URL PDF ]
  3. ↑ "About Us — Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas". www.cprit.state.tx.us.
  4. ↑ "Who's afraid of big government? Texas' public push into cancer research pays off". Dallas News. November 3, 2019.
  5. 1 2 Chronicle, Copyright 2007 Houston (2007-05-23). "Senate gives voters a voice in cancer fight". San Antonio Express-News. Retrieved 2020-01-21.
  6. ↑ Hughes, Polly Ross; Bureau, Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle Austin (2007-05-25). "Texas Legislature OK's bond measure to fund cancer research". San Antonio Express-News. Retrieved 2020-01-21.
  7. ↑ "Perry signs cancer research bill; voters must approve funding". www.myplainview.com. June 13, 2007.
  8. ↑ Grant, Alexis; Chronicle, Copyright 2007 Houston (October 10, 2007). "Armstrong asks voters to back cancer aid plan". Houston Chronicle.
  9. ↑ "Texas cancer-fighting agency faces uncertain future as lawmakers prepare for new session". Dallas News. January 7, 2019.
  10. ↑ "Bill Gimson Named Executive Director of the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas". www.businesswire.com. March 30, 2009.
  11. 1 2 Board, Editorial. "CPRIT Foundation brings itself to a timely end". Austin American-Statesman.
  12. ↑ "Texan State-Run Cancer Research Institute Accused of Putting Politics Ahead of Cures". December 4, 2012.
  13. ↑ "Health Care Renewal: The Story of CPRIT, Part 2: A Problematic Grant". February 3, 2013.
  14. ↑ "Editorial: CPRIT shakeup could help agency mend". Dallas News. December 13, 2012.
  15. ↑ "7 advisers resign at embattled Texas cancer agency". news.yahoo.com.
  16. ↑ "Dr. Alfred Gilman, Nobel Prize-winning cell researcher, dies". San Diego Union-Tribune. December 24, 2015.
  17. ↑ Ackerman, Todd; Berger, Eric (December 12, 2012). "Leader of cancer agency resigns; state opens probe". Houston Chronicle.
  18. ↑ "CPRIT Taps Wayne Roberts to Transition from Interim to Official Executive Position BioNews Texas". Archived from the original on 2015-03-24. Retrieved 2019-11-18.
  19. ↑ "Texas cancer agency names new chief scientist : News blog". blogs.nature.com.
  20. ↑ Ackerman, Todd; Berger, Eric (July 28, 2013). "Abbott's role at cancer agency under fire". HoustonChronicle.com.
  21. ↑ Aaronson, Becca (September 26, 2013). "State Leaders Appoint New Members to Oversee Cancer Institute". The Texas Tribune.
  22. ↑ "CPRIT Milestone". Bridge Breast Network. June 15, 2015.
  23. ↑ "UT Southwestern cancer chief to join CPRIT leadership team". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2019-11-19.
  24. ↑ "85th Legislature Update From CPRIT CEO Wayne Roberts — Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas". www.cprit.state.tx.us.
  25. ↑ "Roberts receives Administrator of the Year Award from the Texas State Agency Business Administrators — Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas". www.cprit.texas.gov.
  26. ↑ Release, MD Anderson News. "MD Anderson immunologist Jim Allison awarded Nobel Prize". MD Anderson Cancer Center.
  27. ↑ Haurwitz, Ralph K. M. "UT chemist Livia S. Eberlin wins MacArthur 'genius' grant". Austin American-Statesman.
  28. ↑ "UT Southwestern researcher wins Breakthrough Prize for innate immunity discovery".
  29. ↑ "CPRIT Appoints Cindy R. WalkerPeach, Ph.D. As Chief Product Development Officer — Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas". www.cprit.texas.gov.
  30. ↑ Aaronson, Becca (January 10, 2013). "CPRIT Foundation Releases List of Donors". The Texas Tribune.
  31. ↑ Aaronson, Becca (December 20, 2012). "At Hearing, Lawmakers Question CPRIT Officials". The Texas Tribune.
  32. ↑ Ackerman, Todd (2019-05-11). "Legislature extends cancer agency; issue now up to voters". HoustonChronicle.com. Retrieved 2019-11-19.
  33. ↑ "Texas Proposition 6, Cancer Prevention and Research Institute Bonds Amendment (2019)". Ballotpedia.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.