Seed Grant to Advanced Dementia-Focused Research Awarded

February 20, 2026

UTHealth Houston has awarded 21 seed grants to advance dementia-focused research and prepare investigators for the inaugural funding cycle of the Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (DPRIT), a new $3 billion state initiative launching in 2026. The program was highly competitive, with 118 applications submitted by 150 faculty members, and only 21 projects selected for funding.

Among the funded proposals, two projects from our department were selected for support. The first award funds, “Chi3l1 – Biomarker, Driver, and Therapeutic Target for Alzheimer’s Disease,” led by Wei Cao, Cynthia Ju, and Zhiqiang An. The second supports “The Role of Adipose Tissue APP in Neuroinflammation and Alzheimer’s Disease,” led by Yu “Aaron” An.

Selection in such a competitive funding cycle underscores the strength of these projects and highlights our department’s leadership in advancing innovative Alzheimer’s research that bridges fundamental discovery and clinical impact.Seed-Grant-Awardees