Landmark foundation brings together internationally-leading academic, commercial and nonprofit organizations to enhance national security against infectious diseases and bioterrorist attacks
HOUSTON – The Texas A&M University System today announced the formation of the National Biosecurity Foundation, a nonprofit corporation with the mission to provide comprehensive, integrated solutions to enhance biosecurity against naturally emerging infectious diseases and bioterrorist attacks.
By developing highly integrated public-private partnerships, the Foundation will leverage the expertise of the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, combined with the interdisciplinary innovation of top- tier academic institutions. Dr. Brett Giroir, vice chancellor for research for the Texas A&M System and executive director of the system’s Institute for Innovative Therapeutics, announced the formation of the Foundation during his address to BioHouston, where he detailed the Foundation’s goals:
- Develop a comprehensive and integrated international coalition of leading academic, commercial and nonprofit organizations dedicated to discovering and implementing capabilities to enhance our nation’s biosecurity;
- Provide a mechanism to facilitate first-in-class collaboration, research and technology commercialization across diverse organizations;
- Respond to the federal government’s call for Centers for Innovation in Advanced Development and Manufacturing to augment public health and biodefense needs on a cost-effective, reliable and sustainable basis.
“The threat of a new emerging epidemic or intentional biological attack is among the greatest facing our nation,” said Giroir, one of the leading national experts on biodefense research, who will serve as the Foundation’s president and CEO. “This summer, the comprehensive biosecurity review sponsored by the federal Department of Health and Human Services indicated that the United States needs a new model, as well as significant investment, to provide the flexible, assured capability required for lasting biosecurity. We in Texas have anticipated many of these national needs and are well prepared to answer our nation’s call. The formation of the Foundation is the next step in the A&M System’s commitment to accelerating new therapies on behalf of global health and biosecurity, and the work ahead for the Foundation will be my highest priority.”
The A&M System has recently established R&D programs and infrastructure to lead the national efforts in biosecurity and global health. Among these programs is the Institute for Innovative Therapeutics, which represents the integration of the system’s multiple state-of-the-art research programs, facilities and affiliated academic and commercial partners. The IIT enables innovators to seamlessly integrate development of new vaccines and therapeutics from the basic research laboratory, through initial validation, GLP (Good Laboratory Practice) preclinical models, GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) manufacture and Phase One clinical trials. As such, the IIT accelerates translation of biomedical countermeasures from the basic research “idea” into a commercially available product to prevent or treat diseases as diverse as pandemic influenza and cancer.
Texas A&M System-led research teams are currently at work on multiple biosecurity-related projects with high potential impact, including:
- A high-throughput cell platform for discovering new drug and vaccine targets against biothreats, at the Texas A&M Institute for Genomic Medicine;
- A program to improve survival after traumatic hemorrhage on the battlefield, conducted at the Texas A&M Institute for Preclinical Studies;
- A first-in-class, flexible, modular and scalable therapeutics research and manufacturing program to revolutionize product development and emergency responses, at the National Center for Therapeutics Manufacturing;
- Project GreenVax, a federally sponsored research and development project to demonstrate the production of at least 10 million doses of pandemic flu vaccine per month, made with plants in partnership with G-Con, LLC;
- The globally-recognized disaster response training and facilities available through the Texas Engineering Extension Service’s National Emergency Response and Rescue Training Center;
- Countering the mental and physical affects on veterans and citizens following battle or disaster experiences, through Texas A&M University’s Department of Psychology.
The Foundation will be headquarted in College Station, Texas, with an advisory board comprised of key academic, nonprofit and commercial leaders.
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About the A&M System
The A&M System is one of the most influential systems of higher education in the nation, with a budget of $3.2 billion. Through a statewide network of 11 universities, seven state agencies and a comprehensive health science center, the A&M System educates nearly 115,000 students and makes more than 22 million additional educational contacts through service and outreach programs each year. Externally funded research expenditures exceed $730 million and help drive the state’s economy. Its flagship campus, Texas A&M University, is ranked among the top 20 research universities in the nation by the National Science Foundation. http://tamus.edu/
About the Institute for Innovative Therapeutics
Established by the Texas A&M System Board of Regents in July 2009, the Institute for Innovative Therapeutics integrates translational biomedical resources of the A&M System and its external academic, governmental, commercial and philanthropic partners. The primary assets within the IIT include the Texas A&M Institute for Genomic Medicine, the Texas A&M Institute for Preclinical Studies and the National Center for Therapeutics Manufacturing. The IIT’s current major external collaborations include the Mary Crowley Clinical Research Center, Project GreenVax, and the MD Anderson Cancer Center. The IIT accelerates research, development and commercialization of biomedical discoveries with the goal of improving global health. http://www.tamus.edu/iit/index.html
About BioHouston
BioHouston is a trusted source of information and resources about Houston’s biotechnology industry. Academic and research institutions connect with life science companies and service providers to build successful companies and ultimately products that save and improve lives. BioHouston hosts events to nurture the critical elements required for strong commercial development in Houston. The ultimate goal is to facilitate translational research and technology transfer, enhance capital formation, increase the availability of investment capital and support technology development and commercialization.
http://biohouston.org/
