Texas-United Kingdom Collaborative
Saint Petersburg 2011
Dr. James Abbey
International Strategic Collaborations Advisor
Swansea University
The Texas – United Kingdom Collaborative:
Background:

Following a lecture by Dr. Gillis to the Royal Society in Edinburgh in 2001
and a meeting with Lord Sainsbury, the UK Minister for Science and
Innovation a high level UK government delegation to the USA visited
Texas, the northeast and the west coast exploring opportunities for
collaborations in the life sciences. Texas was selected as the strategic
partner for the establishment of a US – UK biosciences collaborative the Texas - UK Collaborative.
The top institutions in Texas became partners in the Collaborative in
2003, these included Baylor College of Medicine, Rice University, the
University of Houston, the University of Texas Health Science Center,
the University of Texas Medical Branch and the University of Texas M.D.
Anderson Cancer Research Center.
More than 70 collaborations, involving over 200 researchers have been
established.
The Texas – UK Collaborative:
Vision: To foster cross disciplinary collaborations among researchers in
world class institutions in Texas and the UK building new areas of
research and capacity in these areas.
The cross disciplinary research is at the interface of the nano, bio
and information sciences creating new ideas, techniques and
opportunities.
The Collaborative supports:
~ Thematic workshops bringing researchers from diverse
backgrounds together focusing on specific problems.
~ Research planning meetings for the preparation of research
proposals.
~ Faculty/student visits/exchanges, including student internships, to
build collaboration and broaden horizons.
~ Seed funding research projects and “proof of concept studies”
bringing projects to the demonstration, D2, in the R&D3 continuum.
International Collaborations:
Importance for Wales:
A small fraction of the world’s research can take place in Wales international collaborations will increase the influence and
reputation of Wales in research and development
Wales can benefit from research carried out elsewhere by forming
collaborations with leading researchers in other parts of the world,
especially the USA
Building international collaborations provides access to the world’s
best science, scientists and facilities
International Collaborations
Building Team Science:
Team Science through alliances, collaborations and consortia
availing of the synergy of team approaches and “big” science.
An example is the changing face of the biosciences in the post
genomic era with converging technologies – nano, bio and info.
New enabling technologies.
Opportunities for interdisciplinary collaborations – crossdepartmental, cross-institution, academia/public/private,
international.
Building new areas of research and building capacity in these
areas.
The Texas – UK Collaborative:
Why Texas?:
Houston is home to the world’s largest medical center, the Texas
Medical Center (TMC) with more than 40 MM sq.ft. in 47
institutions.
The UT MD Anderson Cancer Center located in the TMC is
frequently ranked #1 cancer center in the US
Texas ranks # 4 in the US for its share in Federal R&D funding –
almost US$4billion annually.
Rice University, opened the Smalley Center for Nanoscale
Science and Technology in 1993 - the first such center in the
world, Rice leads in the development and commercialization of
nanotechnology.
The Alliance for NanoHealth, an alliance of all academic
institutions in the region, has more than 150 researchers
researching applications of nanotechnology in medicine and
health.
The University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston with
international recognition in emerging infectious diseases is home
to a National Laboratory providing BSL-4 facilities.
The Texas – UK Collaborative:
Why Texas?:
University of Texas Medical Branch is also home to the Sealy
Center for Vaccine Development with demonstrated excellence in
translation with programs in immunization for respiratory diseases,
malaria and Hepatitis C
Baylor College of Medicine, #1 medical school in Texas and
ranked in the top 10 in the USA houses the Center for Cell and
Gene Therapy with GMP facilities and, with Texas Children’s
Hospital, a translational research laboratory
Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) with
a budget of $3 billion over 10 years funds cancer research and
prevention in public and private entities
Texas A&M University has particular strengths in engineering,
and early stage clinical development
The Texas – UK Collaborative:
Why Texas:
The University of Texas at Austin is the nation’s largest state
university with a student population approaching 60K – particular
strengths are in engineering, physical and life sciences
The University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston is
home to the Institute of Molecular Medicine which holds the
leadership position in the recently established Texas Therapeutic
Institute (TTI)
The University of Houston with a student population of 35K has
strengths in cell signalling, technology development ,the Center
for Industrial Partnerships, and, together with the Methodist
Hospital, the Center for the Future of Health.
Partner Institutions:
Texas
Baylor College of Medicine
Methodist Hospital Research Institute
Rice University
Texas A&M University
University of Houston
University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas Health
Science Center at Houston
University of Texas M.D.
Anderson Cancer Center
University of Texas Medical Branch
United Kingdom
Imperial College London
King’s College London
Queen’s University Belfast
Swansea University
University College London
University of Cambridge
University of Southampton
University of Strathclyde
Notable Achievements:
A collaboration between UT M.D. Anderson Cancer Center and Imperial College
London, the “Texas Proteomic Collaborative”, was established with funding of more
than US$1MM.
Endomagnetics, Inc., a spin out company from the University of Houston and University
College London, supported by the Collaborative, completed a clinical trial detecting
sentinel lymph nodes in 20 breast cancer patients.
A Quantum Grant of US$2.9MM, over 3 years, from the National Institutes of
Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering of the National Institutes of Health (USA) to
fund a research project for ‘neuro-vascular regeneration’ has been awarded to Baylor
College of Medicine, Rice University, King’s College London and the National Institute
for Medical Research in London 30% will be spent in the UK. The proposal was
facilitated through support from the Collaborative.
The Abramson Center for the Future of Health at the University of Houston and at the
Methodist Hospital Research Institute will work with researchers in the Institute of Life
Sciences at Swansea University, Queen’s University Belfast and the European Center
for Connected Health, Belfast, in the development of their Blue Box Technology .
Over the past two years the Collaborative has organized workshops in the areas of
nanohealth, intelligent control systems, healthcare technologies, regenerative medicine
and connected health, bringing together more than 150 researchers from Texas and the
UK.
Recent Highlights:
Prime Minister Brown’s speech, “Enlarging the Anglosphere”,
delivered in the US on April 16, 2008 contained six proposals, four
of which are currently fostered by the Collaborative: enhancing
student and faculty exchanges, increasing cooperation on
enterprise, strengthening cooperation in health research and
fostering collaboration in other areas of research.
In 2008 Endomagnetics was awarded the Innova Award, an award
presented in the USA, for the most promising developments
involving the use of magnet technology.
Arrowhead Research Corporation is at an advanced stage with
respect to a decision on locating their European operations at
Swansea University.
nanoTox, Inc., is currently in progress of establishing their UK
center in its global activities in risk assessment of nanotechnology
at Swansea University.
Recent Highlights:
The Collaborative has been recognized as a unique network of leading
research led and entrepreneurial institutions in the UK and Texas:
Rice University’s Bioscience Research Collaborative Center, a 500,000
sq.ft., strategically located between the Rice campus and the Texas
Medical Center, has just opened.
The State of Texas has committed funds of US$3 billion over 10 years
for cancer research through the Cancer Prevention and Research
Institute of Texas (CPRIT).
In 2008, Texas was named as one of the top 5 regions in the world for
biotechnology development.
The ‘Global Medical Excellence Cluster’ in the UK includes four UK
partners.
Recent Highlights:
The successful £50M proposal for the establishment of a Center for
NanoHealth and Institute of Life Science II at Swansea University was
greatly strengthened by the support of the Collaborative.
Funding of £6.77 million from the EPSRC for research on number entry
errors with medical devices has been secured by Professor Harold
Thimbleby of Swansea University and colleagues at University College
London which will lead to the design and safe use of interactive medical
devices – the proposal was enhanced through the support of the
Collaborative.
Research support for Professor Huw Summers and Dr. Shareen Doak of
Swansea University of more than £1 million from the EPSRC involves a
collaboration with researchers at Texas A&M University was facilitated
by the Collaborative.
Building for the Future:
The challenges and the opportunities in the first half of the 21st century are
clear:
The integration of biomedicine with engineering, physical, biological and
computational sciences and with nanotechnology will be one of the most
important developments.
The application of nanotechnology in medicine - Nanohealth - will be
one of the most fertile areas of technological and economic development
and opportunity.
Partner institutions in the UK with the Texas partners in the
Collaborative are uniquely positioned in the at the frontiers of research in
the converging technologies – in the past such frontiers have offered the
greatest opportunities.
Spasibo Bolshoi
j.v.abbey@swansea.ac.uk