Texas Biomedical Research Institute
| Texas Biomedical Research Institute | |
|---|---|
| Established | 1941 |
| Faculty | 90 |
| Staff | 400 |
| Location |  San Antonio, Texas, USA* |
| Website | www.txbiomed.org |
Texas Biomedical Research Institute (Texas Biomed), located in San Antonio, Texas, is an independent biomedical research institution, specializing in genetics and in virology and immunology. Texas Biomed is funded by government and corporate grants and contracts, and donations from the public.
History
Founded in 1941 by Tom Slick as the Foundation of Applied Research, Texas Biomed became the Southwest Foundation for Research and Education in 1952, Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research (SFBR) in 1982, and Texas Biomedical Research Institute on February 1, 2011.
Structure
Located on a 200-acre (0.81 km2) campus on the northwest side of San Antonio, Texas Biomed employs over 75 doctoral level biomedical scientists, including 28 principal investigators and 400 staff members. Focused on basic biomedical research, the Institute is divided into the Department of Genetics and the Department of Virology & Immunology. The Southwest National Primate Research Center, a part of Texas Biomed, is an international resource that provides specialized facilities and expertise in research with nonhuman primates to investigators from around the US and other countries. It maintains 4,000 nonhuman primates.
Texas Biomed maintains the only privately owned Biosafety level 4 (BSL-4) laboratory in the United States, developing bioterrorism defenses and novel strategies against incurable infectious diseases.
The AT&T Genomics Computing Center, "the world's largest computer cluster devoted to statistical genetic analysis," helps scientists find genes that influence susceptibility to diseases at record speed.
Scientific Accomplishments
- Developed high frequency ventilator to rescue premature babies from death or lifelong disabilities.
- Played key role in developing the current hepatitis B vaccine now administered in 116 countries.
- Identified genes that influence heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and other common health problems.
- Developed vaccines, antibodies and antitoxins for deadly agents of bioterrorism such as Ebola, botulinum neurotoxins, and anthrax.
- Developed promising hormone-derived therapies with potential to treat breast and prostate cancer.
- Developed invaluable animal models for research on cancer, heart disease, obesity, AIDS, and hepatitis among other public health problems that afflict millions around the globe.
- Created methods to diagnose infections with herpes B virus, which is lethal to humans.
Current Research Projects
- Investigating genetic and dietary factors that have major roles in influencing susceptibility to cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity.
- Evaluating novel approaches to curing hepatitis C, which infects three percent of the world’s population and is the leading cause of liver failure in the US.
- Developing vaccine strategies for Ebola, HIV, Lassa virus, West Nile virus, Japanese encephalitis viruses, and herpes.
- Genetically characterizing the parasites which cause malaria and schistosomiasis, with the common goal of developing more effective drugs and disease control strategies for these global health problems.
- Studying genetic determinants of susceptibility to Chagas disease and intestinal worm infections in order to discover novel strategies for these diseases common in the developing world.
- Studying ways of preventing or treating diseases caused by respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), herpes simplex virus, and dengue virus.
- Developing the monodelphis domestica as an animal model for various diseases.
See also
↑Jump back a sectionExternal links
- Texas Biomedical Research Institute website
- Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research from the Handbook of Texas Online
- Map: 29°26′12″N 98°38′14″W / 29.43667°N 98.63722°WCoordinates: 29°26′12″N 98°38′14″W / 29.43667°N 98.63722°W
