The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and The University of Texas at Austin have launched a joint initiative, the Collaborative Accelerator for Transformative Research Endeavors, to enable groundbreaking research projects that align complementary strengths to improve cancer prevention, diagnosis, treatment and survival.

The two institutions announced that the Accelerator program has awarded funding to five teams to support research projects aimed at addressing some of the most pressing unmet needs in oncology.

“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.”
This initiative builds upon the success of a pilot program launched in 2021, which provided seed funding for joint research projects between MD Anderson and UT Austin.

“We are pleased to continue supporting exceptional research that brings together the brightest minds from our two stellar institutions,” said Giulio Draetta, M.D., Ph.D., chief scientific officer at MD Anderson. “Through these projects, we aim to translate groundbreaking scientific discoveries into clinical advances that improve patient care across many cancer types.”

Five collaborative teams composed of researchers from both institutions have been selected to conduct research over the next 4.5 years and position themselves to secure external funding beyond 2029. The projects seek to:

Undertake the first comprehensive approach to address microplastic pollution as a potential contributor to rising cancer rates, with an emphasis on early-onset cancers
Advance the understanding of metal chemistry and biology to pave the way for the development of new metal-based therapies to overcome resistance to radiation therapy in cancer treatment
Identify new protein therapeutics to treat inflammatory, triple-negativeand aggressive metastatic breast cancers, which have high rates of resistance to standard-of-care treatment and account for almost half of breast cancer-related deaths
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

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