Federal Grant Award Summary

Award Details: The Defense Health Agency (DHA) awarded The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center a $559,463 Project Grant under the Military Medical Research and Development program (CFDA 12.420) for the period August 1, 2026, through July 31, 2028. The project, titled "Alternating Clonal Dominance and Local Microenvironment Evolution at the Primary Tumor Site as Key Drivers of Metastatic Dissemination in Pancreatic Cancer," supports basic and applied biomedical research aligned with DHA's mission to advance medical solutions for Service Members and the military population.

Research Products and Services: Under this award, MD Anderson will conduct investigator-initiated research examining the mechanisms underlying pancreatic cancer metastasis, specifically investigating how clonal evolution and tumor microenvironment dynamics at primary tumor sites drive metastatic disease progression. The research deliverables will include mechanistic findings, analytical methodologies, and biomarker data intended to inform future therapeutic interventions for pancreatic cancer—a condition affecting the military and broader population. This project represents one of multiple pancreatic cancer research initiatives within MD Anderson's DHA portfolio, which collectively addresses cancer immunotherapy, precision oncology, and disease-specific mechanisms relevant to Service Member health outcomes.