Introduction to the Healthcare and Bioscience Sector in San Antonio
Healthcare and Biosciencein San Antonio
- Largest economic sector in San Antonio
- Over $42B economic impact (2019)
- Nearly 1 out of 5 workers employed in biomed (over 185,000 workers in biomed)
- Over $42B economic impact (2019)
- 28 colleges and universities, including 3 medical schools
- Home to ground-breaking research
- New medical devices and pharmaceuticals
- 7th and 8th largest hospital systems in USA
- Strong industry connections and resources (BioMedSA)







TARGETED DISEASE AREAS IN SAN ANTONIOPRIVATE AND PUBLIC FOCUS
- Trauma, wound care, regenerative medicine
- Infectious diseases
- Cancer
- Diabetes
- Neurological disorders
- Collaboration results in stronger proposals and more successful outcomes
- Disease specific meetings in San Antonio







TRAUMA/REGENERATIVE MEDICINE/WOUND CARE
- Military medicine research (59th Medical Wing, US Army Institute for Surgical Research, Navy Medical Research Unit)
- Dedicated support for military collaborations from City, UT Health SA, and direct contracting organizations)
- Non-profit research (Coalition for National Trauma Research, UT Health San Antonio)
- Medical device companies (3M KCI, numerous small to mid-size)
- Clinical studies using public and military populations (Trauma Insight – focused CRO)
- Several tissue/biologic manufacturers (GenCure, Cellright Technologies and others)
- Collaboration: home to SURF conference (industry, academia, military)
INFECTIOUS DISEASES
- Non-profit research (Texas Biomedical Research Institute; UT Health SA, South Texas Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases; US Military)
- Texas Biomed is the only independent primate lab with BSL4 labs in USA; developed the first animal models for COVID-19 testing
- Incubator focused on therapeutics – Crown Scientific
- Corporations (small-midsize)
- Longhorn Vaccines & Diagnostics – only FDA cleared inactivation media for COVID-19 testing
- San Antonio Partnership for Precision Therapeutics – funds collaborative research through UTSA, UT Health, TX Biomed, SwRI
CANCER
- Non-profit research (Greehey Children’s Cancer Research Institute, Mays Cancer Center/UT Health SA MD Anderson Cancer Center)
- Seno Medical (photo-acoustic imaging)
- Many pharmaceutical companies
- Clinical studies using public and military populations (Cancer Insight – focused CRO)
- Collaboration: home to largest breast cancer conference (SABCS)
- Dedicated state funding available: CPRIT
DIABETES
- Research (Center for Community Based and Applied Health Research, Center for Renal Precision Medicine, Inst. for Health Promotion Research)
- Numerous clinical trials due to prevalence in population in public and veterans
- Foundation for Advancing Veterans Health Research facilitates all veteran clinical research
NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS
- Non-profit research (Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies, US Military, Brain Health Consortium, Center for Biomedical Neurosciences, Glen Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s, Neurodegenerative Diseases, Perry & Ruby Stevens Parkinson’s Disease Center of Excellence, Brain Science Institute)
- Several small-midsize companies
- Dedicated funding: Brainstorm (Mind Science Foundation), military medicine (City)
ENVIRONMENT TO SUPPORT BIOSCIENCE COMPANIES
- Collaborative, friendly culture
- Low cost to do business
- Business friendly government
- Land available for build-to-suit
- Lab/office space available for lease
- Safe; low natural disaster risk; stable power
- Strong network/cybersecurity presence
- High quality of life with outdoor activities year round
- Reasonable traffic
WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
- Community and government support for healthcare and bioscience workforce
- $70M on-the-job subsidized training program in 2020-21
- $154 million in sales tax revenue to retrain up to 40,000 workers, starting in Q3 2021


CAPABILITIES TO SUPPORT BIOSCIENCE COMPANIES

BASIC RESEARCH
- Over $530 million of federal funds awarded for biomed research (2019)
- World renowned research organizations available to assist
- Texas Biomedical Institute
- Southwest National Primate Research Center
- UT Health San Antonio
- Southwest Research Institute
- UTSA
- US Military Medicine Facilities









INNOVATION
- Innovators are here: 175 life science US patent applications published in 2019
- Innovation/accelerator support available through 8 organizations
- Funding available in the region (San Antonio, Austin, Houston), at the state level, at local level









DEVELOPMENT
- Drug discovery support (modeling, screening, small volume manufacturing)
- Supporting organizations for contracted research and customer discovery
- Companies and consultants available to support engineering, design, development, and regulatory








TESTING
- Custom and standard lab testing is available
- Multiple vivarium for pre-clinical testing, including the world’s largest colony of baboons available for internal and contracted biomedical research
- Over 1400 active clinical trials in 2019
- Diverse population of ethnicities and diseases (diabetes, fatty liver, obesity, heart disease)
- Population supports participation in clinical trials
- Local Contract Research Organizations (CROs)
















MANUFACTURING
- Diverse manufacturing capabilities: small to high volumes
- Medical device components
- Medical devices, packaging, and accessories
- Biologics and tissue manufacturing
- Pharmaceutical manufacturing










COMMERCIALIZATION
- Local access to military medicine insights
- Marketing and sales expertise available
- Distribution and logistics support, typically by manufacturers
- Export assistance
- Business incentives






support from biomedsa:hub of the life science industry in san antonio
- Convener of targeted working groups and collaboration events
- Communicates funding opportunities, events, and news
- Facilitates collaborations and connections
- Advocates for life science sector
- Job board
- Targets city workforce initiatives for life science sector