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Congratulations to three University of Illinois Cancer Center members who were among the 2026 recipients of the Chancellor’s Translational Research Initiative (CTRI) Fund, as announced by the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) Office of Technology Management, which is now accepting applications for the UIC Proof of Concept Awards Program.

To support early-stage innovations with strong commercialization potential, the CTRI provides up to $25,000 per project to advance the technologies toward licensing, startup formation, and future translational funding. See a full list of 2026 awardees.

Among the 11 recipients, the Cancer Center members are:

• Richard Minshall, PhD; Cancer Center Cancer Biology Research Program, College of Medicine, Departments of Anesthesiology and Pharmacology; for optimization of nanoparticle formulation of Myr-SBD6 inhibitor peptide for prevention of vWF-dependent microthrombosis.
• Terry Moore, PhD; Cancer Center Translational Oncology Research Program; Retzky College of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences; for ISGylation blockade as a strategy to enhance immune recognition and suppress metastasis.
• Zongmin Zhao, PhD: Cancer Center Translational Oncology Research Program, Retzky College of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences; for new tail-expanding ionizable lipids for tissue-selective mRNA delivery.

The Proof of Concept awards program is designed to accelerate the commercialization of innovative technologies developed at UIC by bridging the gap between translational research and commercialization with up to $50,000 in initial funding and the potential for follow-on funding up to an additional $150,000. 

A technology disclosure must be on file with the Office of Technology Management by July 30 for a proposal to be considered, and the application deadline is September 8.