MD Anderson, UT Austin turn combined focus to cancer

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The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston and the University of Texas at Austin have launched a joint initiative, the Collaborative Accelerator for Transformative Research Endeavors, to support research projects focused on preventing, diagnosing and treating cancer.

The program has awarded funding to five teams to support research projects aimed at addressing unmet needs in oncology. It builds on a pilot program that was launched in 2021, which provided seed funding for joint research projects between MD Anderson and UT Austin.

Five collaborative teams comprising researchers from both institutions have been selected to conduct research over the next four-and-a-half years and hope to position themselves to secure external funding beyond 2029.

“We want to capitalize on the unparalleled talent and expertise that can only be enabled through a collaboration between UT Austin and MD Anderson,” said Jim Davis, interim president of UT Austin. “The goal of this grant program is to accelerate discoveries and identify research initiatives that can grow to scale and break new ground.”

WHAT’S THE IMPACT

The project seeks to do a number of things, including addressing microplastic pollution as a potential contributor to rising cancer rates, with an emphasis on early-onset cancers, and advancing the understanding of metal chemistry and biology to pave the way for the development of new metal-based therapies, which may overcome resistance to radiation therapy.

Another goal for the initiative is to identify new protein therapeutics to treat inflammatory and triple-negative breast cancers, which have high rates of resistance to standard-of-care treatment and account for almost half of breast cancer-related deaths, the organizations said.

The project will also seek to improve treatment options for tumors in the spine, sacrum and pelvis by using computer modeling to create advanced, personalized surgical implants and by developing robotics systems and imaging technology to guide the placement of the implants.

As well, the accelerator will develop a digital learning companion to provide treatment options based on protein insights for patients with rare and complex cancers lacking genome-targeted therapies. UT Austin and MD Anderson said this will lay the foundation for artificial intelligence-assisted precision oncology and its integration into clinical research.

The two organizations have partnered on cancer research projects before, notably the Joint Center for Computational Oncology – which includes UT Austin’s Oden Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences and Texas Advanced Computing Center – which brings together oncology, data and computational science, and high-performance computing strengths to support cancer research.

These collaborations will be supported by the development of the University of Texas at Austin Medical Center, announced by the University of Texas System in 2023, and slated to open in 2030. It will house a comprehensive cancer center built and operated by MD Anderson as well as a tertiary hospital built and operated by UT Austin.

THE LARGER TREND

Last year MD Anderson launched the Institute for Cell Therapy Discovery and Innovation, a research center that will focus on immunology and cell engineering with the goal of creating new cancer and autoimmune disease treatments.

The institute will bring together scientists and clinicians to conduct research to that end, with the hope that this will deliver new insights into immunology and cell engineering and fuel the creation of new, rapidly adaptable treatments.

Philanthropic and institutional support of $80 million has helped MD Anderson get the project off the ground.

Earlier that summer, MD Anderson further expanded its global oncology efforts by entering into a five-year agreement with the Zambian Ministry of Health – a deal that aims to enhance cancer prevention, treatment, research and education.

MD Anderson began collaborating with Zambia’s Cancer Diseases Hospital in Lusaka in 2013, with a particular focus on radiation oncology. The institution will now work directly with the Ministry of Health to support its national cancer control planning and implementation, and also to expand capacity-building efforts across the country.

Jeff Lagasse is editor of Healthcare Finance News.
Email: jlagasse@himss.org
Healthcare Finance News is a HIMSS Media publication.