Texas Biomed launches new International Center for the Advancement of Research & Education

SAN ANTONIO (Sept. 20, 2023) – Capitalizing on the power of its longstanding international partnership portfolio, Texas Biomedical Research Institute (Texas Biomed) has created a new global center to foster collaborations in infectious disease research.

The International Center for the Advancement of Research & Education (I·CARE) leverages the power of global exchange to solve complex health issues in an increasingly connected world. Texas Biomed currently maintains a portfolio of more than 15 international partnerships across Latin America, Africa, Asia and Europe. These partnerships are driving research in tuberculosis (TB), malaria, Ebola and more. I·CARE will strengthen these existing collaborations and grow partnerships worldwide.

The center’s mission is to identify, facilitate and strengthen national and international partnerships to improve human, animal and environmental health through Texas Biomed’s expertise in laboratory-based science and the expertise onsite at its global partner locations.

Trainees, researchers and lab personnel are able to learn from one another and gain real-world experience through training and research exchanges – whether in a lab in San Antonio, a community health center in the Rio Grande Valley or a clinic in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

“I·CARE aims to listen and learn from our global partners, while simultaneously sharing its member’s assets and knowledge,” says the new I·CARE Director and Texas Biomed Professor Jordi B. Torrelles, PhD.  “I•CARE will capitalize on the power of Texas Biomed’s longstanding international partnership portfolio, while also focusing on cultivating more collaborations, creating a global hub for the advancement of infectious disease research and granting opportunities for educational exchange.”

This unique global center creates a robust infrastructure for two-way educational efforts, serving as a tool for next generation scientists. Texas Biomed has significant strength in infectious diseases of global impact including pathogens causing AIDS, hepatitis, hemorrhagic fever and influenza, as well as those causing TB and parasitic diseases responsible for malaria and schistosomiasis.

“I•CARE enables researchers to apply their discoveries in the laboratory to human- and animal-based studies outside the lab and collaborate in the development of new applied research projects and clinical trials in real world settings,” Juan Ignacio Garcia, PhD, I•Care Operations Coordinator, explains.

Understanding what works in communities in a way that increases the effectiveness of their discoveries is critical for laboratory-based scientists. Additionally, scientists working with patients or operating in environments in need of critical equipment and expertise will benefit from the lab-based training and resources I•CARE can provide.

“New diagnostics and therapies only work if people use them and they are cost effective,” explains Texas Biomed Executive Vice President for Research and Professor Joanne Turner, PhD. “Lab-based scientists benefit from understanding the environmental, social and political landscapes of the people and places where these solutions will be deployed. And, researchers working directly with patients benefit from access and understanding of the science that goes into lab-based discoveries.”

Learn more about (I·CARE) here and ways to get involved.

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About Texas Biomed

Texas Biomed is one of the world’s leading independent biomedical research institutions dedicated to eradicating infection and advancing health worldwide through innovative biomedical research. Texas Biomed partners with researchers and institutions around the world to develop vaccines and therapeutics against viral pathogens causing AIDS, hepatitis, hemorrhagic fever, tuberculosis and parasitic diseases responsible for malaria and schistosomiasis disease. The Institute has programs in host-pathogen interaction, disease intervention and prevention and population health to understand the links between infectious diseases and other diseases such as aging, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity. For more information on Texas Biomed, go to www.TxBiomed.org.