UT Tyler Wins $890K Rural Cancer Trials Award
The Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas funds expanded clinical trials at UT Tyler's Athens clinic in Henderson County.
Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Cancer
The University of Texas at Tyler received an $890,472 Rural Oncology Trials Accelerator Award from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas. The funding will expand cancer clinical trials to the university's Athens clinic in Henderson County.
Why it matters
Many Henderson County residents have driven 40 miles or more to access clinical research, and roughly 66% of the county's population lives in a rural area. Bringing trials closer to home addresses a barrier that rural cancer patients face.
The $890,472 Rural Oncology Trials Accelerator Award is funded by the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas, and it covers staff, equipment, and infrastructure at the Athens clinic. The source does not yet state a timeline for when trial enrollment at the Athens site will start.
The players
University of Texas at Tyler
A public university in East Texas whose School of Medicine runs hematology and oncology research and clinical programs across the region.
Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas
A state agency created by voters in 2007 that funds cancer research and prevention programs across Texas.
Dr. Erminia Massarelli
An oncologist who leads the Hematology/Oncology division at UT Tyler and specializes in lung and head and neck cancers.
The details
The award funds staff, equipment, and infrastructure at UT Tyler's Athens clinic, so clinical trials can be offered locally instead of requiring travel to Tyler. Dr. Erminia Massarelli, who leads the Hematology/Oncology division at UT Tyler School of Medicine, is medical director for Hematology/Oncology at the UT Health East Texas HOPE Cancer Center.
Timeline
November 6, 2026: The award and expansion plans were announced.
Big Picture
The award comes through the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas, the state program voters created in 2007 to fund cancer research and prevention. It extends that program's reach into rural East Texas, where distance to specialty care has long limited patient access to trials.
Rural Texans with cancer may be able to join clinical trials in Athens rather than traveling 40 miles or more to Tyler. Patients should ask their oncologist whether a local trial matches their diagnosis.
The takeaway
Bringing trials closer to home can reduce travel barriers for rural cancer patients. Residents interested in clinical research can ask their care team about trials near their community.
Further reading
For related coverage, explore more Cancer news and research.
Source note: This article includes information reported by KTBB.
