Texas Institute For Preclinical Studies (TIPS) Established At Texas A&M University
The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents established the new Texas Institute for Preclinical Studies (TIPS) on the campus of Texas A&M University. The institute will be an organizational unit of the university, reporting to the vice president for research.
“TIPS will help set the stage for Texas to expand its leadership role in biotech innovation,” said Regents Chairman John D. White. “Along with companion activities at Texas A&M, including the Texas Institute for Genomic Medicine, currently under construction, TIPS is poised to elevate the A&M System’s position as a major player in research and discovery leading to the commercialization of new technologies, products and startup companies.”
The Texas Institute for Preclinical Studies will train veterinarians, physicians, scientists, technicians and engineers to meet the needs of Texas’ biomedical industry, and it will serve as a key resource for training undergraduate and graduate students, and academic and industry personnel in regulatory issues.
“This institute is uniquely positioned to perform pre-clinical development and testing of drugs and devices leading to human clinical trials,” said Texas A&M University System Chancellor Michael D. McKinney, M.D. “Faculty and students in the Texas A&M Health Science Center and Texas A&M’s College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Dwight Look College of Engineering and Mays Business School will develop partnerships with major medical centers throughout the world to provide research and support services complementing institute activity.”
The institute will provide core services in developing and conducting research activities, including medical device and combination product safety studies in large animal models such as those with naturally occurring disease; pre-clinical studies using Good Laboratory Practices; and biomedical imaging to support pharmaceutical and medical equipment development.
“TIPS will foster multi-disciplinary service, research and education as a state-of-the-art pre-clinical research center and advanced clinical and pre-clinical imaging center,” said Richard E. Ewing, vice president for research at Texas A&M. “The creation of TIPS will allow A&M System faculty to compete for significant federal and industrial funding that would otherwise be out of reach.”
By developing and creating new intellectual property, the institute will help new discoveries, particularly medical devices and therapies, move more quickly from concept to the marketplace to treat and prevent disease.
TIPS director is Theresa W. Fossum, D.V.M., a professor of surgery and holder of the Tom and Joan Read Chair in Veterinary Surgery at Texas A&M’s College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. An internationally recognized veterinary surgeon and prominent leader in the field of heart research, Fossum also is the director for cardiothoracic surgery and biomedical devices in the Michael E. DeBakey Institute at Texas A&M.
TIPS will begin operations using facilities available through the DeBakey Institute. The institute is expected to receive funding from a variety of sources, including Texas A&M, which has been authorized to commit $40 million of PUF bonding authority to construct the facility.
The TIPS facility will be comprised of three buildings totaling approximately 112,000 square feet. The buildings will be located in the Texas A&M University Research Park, at the northeast corner of Discovery Drive and Raymond Stotzer Parkway. It will be located in close proximity to the facilities now under construction for the Texas Institute for Genomic Medicine (TIGM).
Media contact: tamunews@tamu.edu.
