Larry Schlesinger, President & CEO, Texas Biomedical Research Institute

San Antonio has become a critical region for biomedical research globally, according to Larry Schlesinger, president and CEO of Texas Biomedical Research Institute (Texas Biomed).  “We’re in that critical space that moves science innovation forward by converting discoveries in the lab into practical applications for the clinic, which is really where Texas Biomed wants to be,” Schlesinger told Invest:

What makes Texas Biomedical Research Institute an essential entity in the regional sector?

Texas Biomed is one of the world’s foremost independent biomedical research institutions and has been an important part of San Antonio’s history for 84 years. We are tackling the threat of infectious diseases, and our discoveries focus on individuals at greatest risk for infection, due to factors like aging or chronic conditions, such as diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. 

We are also an independent, nonprofit research institute with assets and resources that exist nowhere else in North America. That alone provides a unique and important impact, contributing leadership in our areas of science and development. Our community has always been supportive of our work. We are proud to be a leader in the thriving bioscience and healthcare corridor that San Antonio is increasingly known for.

What were some significant achievements for the Institute during the last year?

We are five years post-pandemic, and the threats of infectious disease outbreaks continue to increase. Here in Texas, there is a large measles outbreak and the continued emergence of bird flu, which will become an even greater concern if, in fact, it modifies itself further to be transmissible from human to human. We have continued outbreaks of different viruses throughout the globe, particularly in Africa, and COVID-19 is still with us. So, the threat of infectious diseases is ongoing, and in the last year, we’ve been busy. The pandemic brought us into international markets, and we now have several new international partners that we’re working with. We have greatly expanded our portfolio as part of the National Biodefense Network, creating new countermeasures to infectious disease threats of all kinds. 

Over the past five years, demand for our business has increased and now outstrips our supply. We are more than halfway through a 10-year strategic plan mapping out the growth of our Institute, which was launched in January 2019. We now have just about 500 employees, having grown by at least another hundred since last year. We have also diversified our business model. Under our new Applied Science and Innovation division, we’ve had some big wins. Texas Biomed has been appointed as a prime contractor by BARDA, HHS’s Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, and we are one of just 14 in the country that have a portfolio of work up to $100 million.  

We also work with the National Institutes of Health (NIH), including the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). For example, under a recent $146 million NIAID contract, the Institute is working on creating infectious disease countermeasures so they’re available before they are needed, rather than when it’s too late. 

As a result of all this work, one of the biggest things happening right now on campus is the biggest, most expensive part of our strategic plan, which is modernizing our campus. We’ve finished $60 million of modern organization on the campus, and in the next 15 months or so, we will be putting over $200 million into new infrastructure, labs, and research facilities.

What makes San Antonio a great place for this development?

Our secret sauce continues to be the tremendous support of the city and county, and our close partnerships with academic institutions and the private sector. The critical work conducted at Texas Biomed is deeply rooted in compliance, safety, and experience. The way we’ve built the Institute and the support of the region enable us to perform top-level, highly regulated science and development. That has always been a huge advantage for our partners.

Through our Applied Science and Innovation division, we have built out our Good Laboratory Practice, or GLP, science capabilities. This is the highly rigorous and regulated science that the FDA requires for bringing anything to the market. We’re in that critical space that moves science innovation forward by converting discoveries in the lab into practical applications for the clinic, which is where Texas Biomed wants to be. 

How are you supporting the commercialization of these developments?

We have too many patents collecting dust at universities, primarily, but also in other academic settings. The goal is to dust off those patents and bring them to the market. To do that, several required steps go beyond the discovery. That’s why I’m emphasizing our ability to do those regulated science studies that are necessary to enable more funding and forward progress. We are efficient, nimble, and responsive in working with customers, building trust, and consequently generating more business. As a physician-scientist, my passion each day is to think about moving science innovation forward in a way that makes it to the clinic and improves human lives. That is the sole purpose of the science we do. 

How is the Institute working to develop the talent pipeline of the future?

This is a critical topic as new government policies are introduced. As a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to research that makes a difference in human lives, we are always focused on enriching our pipeline of talent. Our K-12 educational programming related to Texas Biomed is broadening its scope and impact. Each year, we impact about 10,000 students through this outreach. Also, in the past few years, we focused on a new program funded by Valero, the Valero Young Scholars program. This is where we bring 60 local high schoolers onto campus into a new building for hands-on laboratory experiences in the summer. It is highly invigorating to see these young people get so excited about doing biomedical research. We’re working with local public school science teachers and students in many of the school systems in the region to advance curriculum and to provide opportunities for students to have exposure to biomedical research. We also have an active intern program for undergraduate and graduate students. Through the work we do in our laboratories, we also advance the careers of young professionals. Anything we can do to promote that pipeline is essential to ensure that San Antonio and the United States continue to be leaders in biomedical research.

What are your top priorities for these next two to three years? 

In the next two to three years, we will continue to advance our strategic plan. We are halfway through a modernization of our campus, putting in place new facilities, including building new water and electrical infrastructure that will help support the business that is coming our way. That’s thanks to $13.5 million in pandemic emergency funding supported through the city of San Antonio and Bexar County. We will continue to work closely with our government and pharmaceutical industry partners and will be working to further develop alliances in Europe and Asia with companies that are interested in the technology we have. We’re also expanding our high containment research to speed up discoveries in infectious diseases and related conditions that put human health at risk worldwide. And we will continue expanding our education outreach and recruiting programs to ensure that our talent pipeline remains strong and that we continue to serve as leaders in the biomedical science sector.