Texas becoming big player in life science and biotech industry
June 20, 2017Texas is headed to San Diego this week to showcase the state’s thriving biotechnology and life sciences sector at the world’s largest biotechnology conference, BIO International. More than 16,000 biotechnology and pharmaceutical leaders are expected to attend the annual conference, said Texas Economic Development Corporation.
Home to approximately 4,000 life science and research firms, and 100,000 workers in related fields, Texas is fast becoming “big in biotech” as it has generated groundbreaking discoveries in medical research, pharmaceutical development and treatment innovation. Dozens of global life sciences companies, such as Novartis, Abbott, Medtronic, McKesson, Galderma, Allergan and Monsanto, have major operations in the Lone Star State.
Led by Texas Secretary of State Rolando B. Pablos and organized by Texas Economic Development Corporation (TxEDC) in partnership with the Office of Governor Greg Abbott and Texas Healthcare and Bioscience Institute (THBI), the Texas delegation includes the Cancer Prevention & Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT), 15 life sciences businesses and economic development organizations from across the state.
“BIO offers Texas a world stage to showcase our well-rounded strengths in health science, from our top-ranked workforce and business climate to our extensive R&D initiatives and breakthrough medical school programs,” said Robert Allen, President and CEO of TxEDC. “Texas has become a very big player in this industry.”
Just last month, for instance, the $310 million Dell Seton Medical Center at UT Austin opened its doors, anchoring a new healthcare innovation zone in downtown Austin. Dell Seton will serve as the primary teaching hospital for Dell Medical School—the first medical training institution in nearly 50 years to be built from the ground up at a top-tier U.S. research university.
Texas Medical Center, the world’s largest medical center, is also expanding its footprint in Texas with a 28-acre TMC3 translational research campus that will add to its existing campus by almost a third and bring together four of Texas’ most powerful institutions—the University of Texas, Texas A&M, Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, which ranks No. 1 for cancer care by the U.S. News & World Report’s annual “Best Hospitals” survey.
