Texas Medical Center Innovation has named more than 50 health care innovators to the fifth cohort of its Accelerator for Cancer Therapeutics (ACT).

The group specializes in immunotherapy, precision drug discovery, monoclonal antibodies, and diagnostic and therapeutic technologies, according to a statement from TMC.

During the nine-month ACT program, participants will enjoy access to a network of mentors, grant-writing support, chemistry resources, and the entrepreneur-in-residence program. The program is designed to equip participants with the ability to secure investments, develop partnerships, and advance the commercialization of cancer therapeutics in Texas.

“With over 35 million new cancer cases predicted by 2050, the urgency to develop safer, more effective, and personalized treatments cannot be overstated,” Tom Luby, chief innovation officer at Texas Medical Center, said in a news release.

Members of the new cohort are:

• Alexandre Reuben, Kunal Rai, Dr. Cassian Yee, Dr. Wantong Yao, Dr. Haoqiang Ying, Xiling Shen, and Zhao Chen, all of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
• Dr. Andre Catic and Dr. Martin M. Matzuk, both of the Baylor College of Medicine
• Cynthia Hu and Zhiqiang An, both of UTHealth Houston
• Christopher Powala, Aaron Sato, and Mark de Souza, all of ARespo Biopharma
• Daniel Romo, Dr. Susan Bates, and Ken Hull, all of Baylor University
• Eugene Sa & Minseok Kim, both of CTCELLS
• Gomika Udugamasooriya and Nathaniel Dawkins, both of the University of Houston
• Dr. Hector Alila of Remunity Therapeutics
• Iosif Gershteyn and Victor Goldmacher, both of ImmuVia
• João Seixas, Pedro Cal, and Gonçalo Bernardes, all of TargTex
• Ken Hsu and Yelena Wetherill, both of the University of Texas at Austin
• Luis Martin and Dr. Alberto Ocaña, both of C-Therapeutics
• Dr. Lynda Chin, Dr. Keith Flaherty, Dr. Padmanee Sharma, James Allison, and Ronan O’Hagan, all of Project Crest/Apricity Health
• Michael Coleman and Shaker Reddy, both of Metaclipse Therapeutics
• Robert Skiff and Norman Packard, both of 3582.ai
• Rolf Brekken, Uttam Tambar, Ping Mu, Su Deng, Melanie Rodriguez, and Alexander Busse, all of UT Southwestern Medical Center
• Ryan Swoboda and Maria Teresa Sabrina Bertilaccio, both of NAVAN Technologies
• Shu-Hsia Chen and Ping-Ying Pan, both of Houston Methodist
• Thomas Kim, Philipp Mews, and Eyal Gottlieb, all of ReEngage Therapeutics

The ACT launched in 2021 and has had 77 researchers and companies participate. The group has collectively secured more than $202 million in funding from the NIH, CPRIT and venture capital, according to TMC.