University of Texas at Dallas Receives CPRIT Grants to Propel Cancer Detection and Treatment Technology Forward
The Cancer Prevention & Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) has awarded grants totaling more than $2 million to two University of Texas at Dallas engineers for their research to develop technologies for early detection of oral cancers and to deliver medication past the blood-spinal cord barrier.
The Individual Investigator Awards to Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science researchers are among $98.6 million in CPRIT grants announced Feb. 21 to advance the state’s fight against cancer.
Dr. Baowei Fei, professor of bioengineering, received a $1 million grant to develop a handheld imaging tool for early detection of oral and oropharyngeal cancers. Dr. Zhenpeng Qin, associate professor of mechanical engineering and bioengineering, also was awarded $1 million to advance his work to deliver medication to treat spinal cord tumors.
Portable Oral Cancer Scanner
Oral and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas are often diagnosed after the cancer has advanced, leading to low survival rates. Dentists currently screen for oral cancers visually through oral examination under normal light.
Fei, the Cecil H. and Ida Green Chair in Systems Biology Science at UT Dallas, and his team have developed a small, portable device that uses hyperspectral imaging to analyze how cells reflect and absorb light across the electromagnetic spectrum, beyond what the human eye can see. The device uses artificial intelligence to identify suspicious masses that require follow-up diagnosis and possible treatment. Fei is collaborating with researchers at Texas A&M University School of Dentistry and UT Southwestern Medical Center, where he is a professor of radiology, to test the technology in a prospective clinical study.
“The handheld probe could be widely used as a low-cost, easy-to-use point-of-care device at dental offices, outpatient clinics and remote areas to detect tumors earlier, which would help reduce deaths from oral cancer,” Fei said.
Fei received a $1.6 million CPRIT grant in 2019 to advance hyperspectral imaging technology.
Delivering Treatment to Spinal Tumors
The blood-spinal cord barrier is a complex structure that protects spinal cord tissue by stopping most molecules, including medications, from entering.
“Treating spinal cord tumors is challenging because we don’t have a well-defined course of treatment,” said Qin, Fellow, Eugene McDermott Distinguished Professor. “The difficulty in getting medication past the blood-spinal cord barrier means there are limited options for therapy. Our light-based approach offers a unique approach for treating tumors in the spinal cord due to its minimal invasiveness.”
Qin and his team use light to stimulate tiny particles remotely that temporarily open the blood-spinal cord barrier so medication can pass through. He is working with colleagues at UT Southwestern to demonstrate the efficacy of the approach in mice. His research partners at UT Southwestern include Dr. Robert Bachoo, associate professor of neurology and internal medicine, and Dr. Elizabeth Maher, professor of internal medicine and neurology.
Qin previously received four CPRIT grants, in 2016, 2018, 2019 and 2021, totaling $1.6 million.
CPRIT has funded 1,967 awards totaling $3.5 billion for cancer research, product development and cancer prevention since 2010. UT Dallas has received $30.7 million from CPRIT to date to support cancer-related research.
Dr. Joseph Pancrazio, vice president for research and innovation and professor of bioengineering at UT Dallas, said CPRIT support accelerates the development of lifesaving technologies.
“CRPIT funding is critical to university research that will improve the prevention and treatment of cancer,” Pancrazio said. “These new grants will help UT Dallas engineers take their research to the next level.”