CPRIT awards $2 million grant to study prostate cancer

The Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) has awarded its initial grant for a First-Time, Tenure Track Faculty Member to the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. The $2 million, 4-year grant will be utilized to recruit noted researcher Dr. Ralf Kittler to establish a fully independent laboratory focusing on the study of prostate cancer beginning February of 2010. In his new position as Assistant Professor in the McDermott Center for Human Growth and Development (Center for Human Genetics), Dr. Kittler will serve as the first CPRIT Scholar in Cancer Research.

Commenting on the selection, Dr. Al Gilman, Chief Scientific Officer for CPRIT, said “Dr. Kittler is quite perfect for the first award with a superb background and future plans, both of which include top-notch scientific research with a strong cancer focus.”

The goal of this award is to recruit exceptional faculty to Texas universities and/or cancer research institutions in the state to enhance innovative programs of excellence by providing scientific and programmatic support for promising early-stage investigators seeking their first tenure-track position. A post-doctoral fellow in the Department of Human Genetics and the Institute for Genomics and Systems Biology at the University of Chicago, Dr. Kittler received his Ph.D. at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics in Germany, and his work to date has included the application and development of very high-level, state-of-the art technology for analysis of gene expression.

“We are delighted that CPRIT can play a significant role in the recruitment of Dr. Ralf Kittler to Texas,” said William “Bill” Gimson, CPRIT executive director. “This is one more step in our efforts to win the fight against cancer in Texas.”