CTAC: CPRIT-funded clinical trials expand; new RFAs to boost rural trial capacity and clinical-trialist recruitment
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Summary
The Clinical Trials Advisory Committee reported increased CPRIT trial activity and new funding opportunities to build trial infrastructure and recruit trial leaders in rural and underserved Texas communities.
The Clinical Trials Advisory Committee (CTAC) reported to the CPRIT oversight committee on Aug. 20 that CPRIT-supported clinical-trial activity in Texas expanded over the prior year and that CTAC has issued two new RFAs to grow trial capacity in rural and underserved areas.
CTAC co-chair Dr. David Gerber said CPRIT’s portfolio now includes 372 total trials (a 17% increase year over year), 147 active interventional trials (a 20% increase), and cumulative enrollment of 63,782 patients (an 11% increase). CTAC said both interventional and observational trials cover most regions of Texas, and the advisory committee has prioritized expanding access in historically underrepresented regions including West Texas and South Texas.
CTAC highlighted three existing supportive mechanisms and two recently posted RFAs:
- Texas Clinical Trial Participation Award: CPRIT funds to offset patients’ nonmedical costs for participation; sites must serve Texas residents and use income-based eligibility. CTAC noted the Baylor and UT Southwestern sites have reimbursed nearly 100 patients at UT Southwestern alone. CTAC members said reimbursement is provided on a sliding scale to Texas residents with household income below specified thresholds.
- Texas Clinical Trial Network Award: Network active at 10 sites statewide; CTAC said recent additions in Lubbock (Covenant Health) and Abilene (Hendrick Medical Center) extend outreach beyond the I-35/I-45 corridor.
- New RFAs posted in August: the Clinical Trials Accelerator Award (seed funding up to $900,000 over up to three years) to establish infrastructure and trial-ready capacity at community oncology practices, critical access hospitals, federally qualified health centers and safety-net providers in rural or medically underserved Texas locations; and the Recruitment or Retention of Clinical Trialists Award (support packages up to $2 million to $3 million over five years depending on rank) to recruit or retain qualified oncology trial investigators in rural and underserved communities.
Gerber said CTAC’s recent outreach includes webinars for sponsors and CROs, and the network’s participation in industry alliances to increase trial visibility. CTAC leaders emphasized that trial access requires local investigators and operational capacity and that the new RFAs aim to create that capacity in underserved regions.
Why it matters: CTAC’s actions signal a targeted strategy to expand equitable access to cancer clinical trials across Texas, reduce financial barriers for participants, and build local trial leadership outside major academic centers.
Less-critical details: CTAC noted national efforts to clarify reimbursement tax treatment remain unresolved, and CTAC recognized the recent closure of a national reimbursement pilot (Lazarus Impact) as underscoring the importance of CPRIT-funded reimbursement programs.