The Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute (NRI) at Texas Childrens Hospital in Houston is a leading research institution continuously making breakthroughs in the field of neurological research on topics such as autism, Alzheimer's and epilepsy. Now, thanks to Charif Souki, co-founder of Tellurian, the NRI will have an additional $10 million to further their life science research. (Image courtesy of Zereshk via Wikimedia Commons)
Souki recently made a commitment of $10 million to the NRI, bringing his total committed to the institution up to $16 million. This recent gift will fund the Huda Y. Zoghbi, M.D. Director’s Endowment. Scientists within the institution will use this funding to further their research, begin new projects, and procure the newest technologies needed to advance their research.
Director of the NRI and a professor at Baylor College of Medicine, Dr. Huda Zoghbi explained: “I am so honored by the continued generosity of Charif Souki. He continues to be a generous supporter of the institute’s research efforts allowing us to make significant contributions to our field and advancing research in many areas including obesity, eating disorders, addiction and bipolar disease."
Within the NRI at Texas Childrens Hospital, researchers from different fields collaborate on projects, providing different strengths that benefit research. With a collaborative approach to studying disease biology, researchers at the NRI are able to develop new treatments and therapies that would not be possible if researchers from only one specialty were working alone.
Dr. Zoghbi said: “It takes a truly interdisciplinary team of researchers to understand and solve brain disorders our patients are suffering from. Our teams are collaborating and working on dozens of diseases. With this new round of funding, I am confident the NRI team will be able to make great headway to help more patients, both children and adults, with disorders such as Rett syndrome, Batten disease, addiction, bi-polar, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer's.”
Texas is a leading state for life science research. The state contains institutions like Texas A&M University, the University of Texas, and the Texas Medical Center - the largest medical complex in the world. Texas Childrens Hospital is one of the 21 hospitals that along with 3 medical schools, 13 support organizations, 8 academic and research institutions, 6 nursing programs, 3 public health organizations, 2 universities, 2 pharmacy schools, and 1 dental school making up the Texas Medical Center (TMC).
In total, all the institutions that make up the Texas Medical Center have received more than $1.7 billion in life science funding. This funding supports a vast variety of research projects and new building constructions. Current projects being undertaken at TMC include:
- Texas Researchers Receive $5.7M to Further Cancer Research
- Biomedical News: Charlie's Law Opens Opportunities for Stem Cell Treatments in Texas
- $11.5M Granted to Houston Scientists for Lymphoma Treatment Research
With so much funding and so many world-class institutions, it is no surprise that TMC is a thriving marketplace for life science laboratory suppliers to meet with active life science researchers. Biotechnology Calendar, Inc. holds an annual BioResearch Product FaireTM Event in Houston that gives lab suppliers the opportunity to meet face-to-face with more than 400 of these active life scientists in a matter of hours. The 18th Annual BioResearch Product FaireTM Event at the Texas Medical Center will be held on January 25th, 2018.
Laboratory suppliers looking for new leads, and life science researchers interested in discovering the best and newest products available for their labs are invited to attend this popular yearly event. To learn more about participating in the upcoming event, visit the links below:
