Federal Grant Award Summary

The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) awarded The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center a $735,436 Project Grant (CFDA 93.121: Oral Diseases and Disorders Research) effective March 1, 2026, through February 28, 2031, to conduct research on subclonal evolution and fitness dynamics in oral carcinogenesis. The research addresses a critical clinical need to improve risk stratification of oral premalignant lesions (OPLs), which affect approximately 70 million people worldwide and progress to oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) in a subset of cases. The project will employ serial brush biopsy techniques and genomic analysis to identify and characterize the functional importance of genomic events—beyond early inactivation events—that drive subclonal selection and transformation from OPL to OSCC, with the hypothesis that copy number gains and oncogene activation promote subclonal diversity and competition leading to malignant transformation.

The research deliverables will include comprehensive interrogation of the molecular mechanisms underlying oral carcinogenesis evolution, with findings intended to enhance current histopathologic risk assessment approaches and support improved clinical decision-making for early identification and removal of high-risk lesions. By leveraging orthogonal genomic and functional approaches, the project will generate knowledge to address the existing gap in understanding how sequential genomic events lead to selection of high-risk subclones, thereby advancing prevention and early detection strategies in oral cancer care.