News from CPRIT

Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas via mail121.us4.mcsv.net	Nov 29 (9 days ago)

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CPRIT TAKES STEPS TO IMPROVE PROCEDURAL PROCESSES Review recommends resubmission of one commercialization grant CPRIT brought on a compliance officer to provide an additional layer of oversight and assurances in the stewardship of taxpayer money. At the direction of CPRIT’s executive director, the compliance officer initiated a top-to-bottom compliance review of all commercialization awards funded to date. This extensive review revealed that one company award lacked documentation of the standard review process. The company, Peloton Therapeutics, was on the very first commercialization award slate funded in June 2010. In response, the Institute immediately notified Peloton and placed a hold on future funding. "CPRIT must have the trust of our fellow Texans that we are not only doing great work but that we are doing everything the right way," said executive director Bill Gimson. "We proactively initiated this comprehensive review to be transparent and ensure good stewardship." CPRIT’s compliance officer learned that CPRIT’s chief commercialization officer had improperly included the Peloton proposal on a commercialization award slate presented to the Institute’s Oversight Committee two years ago. The proposal did not have the required formal recommendation from the commercialization or scientific research peer review committees. Additionally, CPRIT’s investigation revealed that Peloton was unaware CPRIT processes had not been followed and had played no role in placement of the proposal on the award slate. At CPRIT’s request, Peloton has resubmitted its proposal to undergo a commercialization and scientific review pursuant to CPRIT’s formal process. Like all grant reviews, the peer review committee’s recommendation to fund or not fund the proposal will determine whether the application is included on a proposed award slate presented to the Oversight Committee. CPRIT’s compliance officer, in conjunction with CPRIT’s third party grant management provider, confirmed that all other commercialization awards were assigned to and reviewed by a peer review committee pursuant to CPRIT’s established policies. CPRIT is committed to continuing quality improvement in the agency’s processes and procedures.