September/October 2018
Success
Texas Biomed Forum Awards Grants to Scientists with Big Ideas

The Forum is an exceptional group of women who collaborate with Texas Biomed scientists in a powerful way. This year, the group has provided money for pilot projects totaling $240,000 to test new diagnostics and vaccines and fund important insights into infectious diseases. Click  here  to read about each of the specific projects the Forum is funding this year. 
Innovation
Olena Shtanko, Ph.D.
Texas Biomed Scientists Research Ebola-Malaria Connection

Ebola virus is a continuing threat in Central and West Africa, with an outbreak currently taking place in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Texas Biomed researchers -- in collaboration with the University of Iowa -- are trying to find out how malarial infections impact people exposed to Ebola virus.  Olena Shtanko, Ph.D., will be testing the hypothesis that people with acute malaria -- when the immune response of the body is already ramped up -- have a greater chance of surviving Ebola. People with malaria whose infection is chronic may be more susceptible. Knowing about the malaria-Ebola connection could change how doctors design therapies in areas where both diseases are present. Click here to read more.
Collaboration 
Robert Lanford, Ph.D.
San Antonio Business Journal highlights Texas Biomed International Collaboration
 
Texas Biomed made headlines in the San Antonio Business Journal with a recent article titled "Texas Biomed's Taiwan deal a global endorsement for SA Institute." The story by W. Scott Bailey included interviews with Dr. Robert Lanford and Dr. Chris Chen. The report states the deal could "draw further international attention to San Antonio's Texas Biomed and its efforts to become a more globally recognized center of excellence for research into infectious diseases." Subscribers to the SABJ can click here to read the full report. The team is testing a new vaccine for hepatitis B, a disease that affects 250 million people across the world.
Education
Texas Biomed to Engage Young People in Science at Hispanic Chamber Event
 
In early November 2019, volunteers from Texas Biomed will be helping make science fun and accessible for middle school students during the Core4 STEM program hosted by the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce at Freeman Coliseum. The program stimulates students' interest in the sciences. At our table, girls and boys will be making their own microbes out of Play Doh and donning PPE (Personal Protective Equipment). Making science fun is one of our passions! We're planting the seeds of curiosity in the next generation of scientists.
Listen! New Podcasts
Artist's rendering of HIV virus in the bloodstream
Learn about Texas Biomed's Research into Parkinson's Disease and HIV
 
What does a monkey wearing a Fitbit-like device have to do with Parkinson's disease? Click here to listen and learn about how marmosets are mimicking some of the mysterious non-motor symptoms of Parkinson's and how that helps researchers zero in on better therapies for patients.

Also, Assistant Scientist Dr. Smita Kulkarni talks about her new grant from the National Institutes of Health to open a whole new line of investigation about HIV -- the virus that causes AIDS. Click here to listen.
Contact:
Wendy Rigby
Media and Communications Specialist
8715 W. Military Dr., San Antonio, TX 78227
wrigby@txbiomed.org