Perry appoints Gillis to cancer research grant committee

By Catherine Bratic     3/20/08 7:00pm

Former Rice President and current economics professor Malcolm Gillis was appointed to Texas' Cancer Prevention and Research Institute Oversight Committee last Thursday by governor Rick Perry. The institute was formed after a statewide vote in November with the purpose of allocating a total of $3 billion in grants for cancer research to researchers nationwide, not just those based in Texas."I wouldn't have signed up if it had been just Texas researchers," Gillis said. "This proves that we can compete with anybody on equal footing."

The oversight committee, which will consist of 11 advisors, will be responsible for choosing the institute's leader and establishing and monitoring its goals. Members of the committee are expected to hold their first meeting within the next few months and will then begin the process of forming the structure of the organization.

"It could take us a year to find a director for the institute because we want a first-rate scientist with management capabilities," Gillis said.

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The leader the committee chooses will be responsible for directing the institute once it is set up.

Gillis became involved with the institute through his encouragement of research in bio-, info- and nanotechnology, the intersection of which he hails as one of the greatest advancements in recent years.

Gillis recently helped to establish the Texas/United Kingdom Collaborative Research Initiative, a group connecting Texas and United Kingdom universities and medical centers.

He said he views both projects as essential in keeping talented, young engineers in Texas and providing Texas researchers with the tools they need.

"My personal goal for the Cancer Institute is to make sure that we find, identify and fund the most promising treatments for cancer that are available," Gillis said.

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