Innovators Join Texas Medical Center’s 2025 Accelerator for Cancer Therapeutics (ACT) to Advance Oncology Treatment in Texas
Twenty-four participants will be immersed in the nine-month program funded by the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT)
Texas Medical Center Innovation (TMCi) announces its fifth cohort to the 2025 Accelerator for Cancer Therapeutics (ACT). Featuring 10 women leaders and three international participants from Portugal, Spain, and South Korea, these innovators are advancing cancer treatments through immunotherapies, targeted drugs, and personalized medicine.
Over the nine-month program, participants will have access to a curated mentor network, grant writing support, computational chemistry resources, and the dedicated Entrepreneur-in-Residence program. These resources are designed to equip participants with the strategic insights needed to secure investments, develop partnerships and advance the commercialization of cancer therapeutics in Texas.
“We’re excited to welcome this new cohort as we celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Texas Medical Center Innovation Factory this year. Since launching ACT, we’ve worked to bridge the gap between oncology research and tangible outcomes by bringing startups to TMC’s collaborative environment, where they can access lab spaces, expert mentorship, and funding opportunities to advance their commercialization journey. With over 35 million new cancer cases predicted by 2050, the urgency to develop safer, more effective, and personalized treatments cannot be overstated. We remain committed to advancing healthcare innovation through this year’s group of leaders, all working to improve patient outcomes,” said Tom Luby, Chief Innovation Officer at Texas Medical Center.
ACT is already producing success stories. Since its launch in 2021, 77 researchers and companies have participated in the Accelerator, collectively securing over $202 million in funding from NIH, CPRIT, and venture capital to advance oncology work. Recent highlights include:
- Barricade Therapeutics: Received a $14,005,035 CPRIT Product Development Research grant to advance treatments for colorectal cancer.
- Aakha Biologics: Awarded a $2,549,580 CPRIT Product Development Research grant for its innovative approaches to lung and bronchus cancer.
- Crossbridge Bio: Secured a $2,575,275 CPRIT Product Development Research grant and $10 million in seed financing to target bladder, breast, lung, and bronchus cancers.
- March Biosciences: Closed an oversubscribed $28.4 million Series A financing round to develop novel treatments for leukemia and lymphoma.
“This cohort showcases promising innovations in immunotherapy, precision drug discovery, monoclonal antibodies, and diagnostic and therapeutic technologies—all working in unique ways to address unmet medical needs and drive innovative solutions. We are excited to support this group as they move from early-stage discovery to new business milestones by using the resources and collaborative opportunities available on our campus,” said Devin Dunn, Director of Accelerators at Texas Medical Center.
The 2025 cohort includes participants from leading Texas institutions along with companies spearheading cancer research and therapeutics:
- Alexandre Reuben, PhD (The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center)
- Andre Catic, MD, PhD (Baylor College of Medicine)
- Cynthia (Changqing) Hu, PhD, & Zhiqiang An, PhD (UTHealth Houston)
- Christopher Powala, Aaron Sato, PhD, & Mark de Souza (ARespo Biopharma)
- Daniel Romo, PhD, Susan Bates, MD, & Ken Hull, PhD (Baylor University)
- Eugene Sa & Minseok S. Kim, PhD (CTCELLS)
- Gomika Udugamasooriya, PhD, & Nathaniel Dawkins (University of Houston)
- Hector Alila, DVM, PhD (Remunity Therapeutics)
- Iosif Gershteyn, MBA, & Victor Goldmacher, PhD (ImmuVia)
- João Seixas, PhD, Pedro Cal, PhD, & Gonçalo Bernardes, PhD (TargTex)
- Ku-Lung (Ken) Hsu, PhD, & Yelena Wetherill, PhD (The University of Texas at Austin)
- Kunal Rai, PhD & Cassian Yee, MD (The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center)
- Luis Martin, MBA, & Alberto Ocaña, MD, PhD (C-Therapeutics)
- Lynda Chin, MD, Keith Flaherty, MD, Padmanee Sharma, MD, PhD, James P. Allison, PhD, & Ronan O’Hagan (Project Crest / Apricity Health)
- Martin M. Matzuk, MD, PhD (Baylor College of Medicine)
- Michael Coleman, PhD, & Shaker Reddy (Metaclipse Therapeutics)
- Robert Skiff, EdD, & Norman Packard, PhD (3852.ai)
- Rolf Brekken, PhD (UT Southwestern Medical Center)
- Ryan Swoboda, MsC, & Maria Teresa Sabrina Bertilaccio, PhD (NAVAN Technologies)
- Shu-Hsia Chen, PhD, & Ping-Ying Pan, PhD (Houston Methodist)
- Thomas Kim, Esq., Philipp Mews, PhD, & Eyal Gottlieb, PhD, MBA (ReEngage Therapeutics)
- Uttam Tambar, PhD, Ping Mu, PhD, Su Deng, PhD, Melanie Rodriguez, PhD, & Alexander Busse (UT Southwestern Medical Center)
- Wantong Yao, MD, PhD, & Haoqiang Ying MD, PhD (The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center)
- Xiling Shen, PhD, & Zhao Chen, PhD (The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center)
About Texas Medical Center (TMC) — the world’s most comprehensive life science ecosystem—is at the forefront of advancing life sciences. TMC is on a mission to further accelerate the pace of healing by harnessing our collective expertise in innovation, research, development, production, and patient care within a single, centralized medical ecosystem. With over 70+ million square feet and 120,000+ employees, we will bring a new economic impact of $63 billion, TMC is leveraging the collective power by pioneering a revolutionary life sciences initiative to house the entire treatment life cycle from discovery to delivery, within a single, world-class medical complex, on a scale never before seen.
About TMC Innovation (TMCi): Housed in the TMC Innovation Factory, TMC Innovation forms, fosters, recruits, and funds healthcare companies worldwide that are writing the future of healthcare. TMCi performs diligence on the companies seeking to progress toward clinical and business milestones in collaboration with TMC’s Medical Campus member institutions and our global network of advisors and embedded corporate partners. We align these resources through our globally recognized programs: Biodesign, Accelerator for Cancer Therapeutics, and Health Tech.