Baylor College of Medicine: First in Texas with NIH Research Center for Diabetes

WASHINGTON – Texas’ senior Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) today applauded the National Institutes of Health (NIH) designation of the Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) as a Diabetes and Endocrinology Research Center which will bring increased resources to be used for research to find a cure for the disease. Sen. Hutchison released the following statement regarding the award:

 “Since its founding in 1900 the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston has been a worldwide leader in medical research.  Today the NIH recognized the Baylor College of Medicine for its outstanding diabetes research.  This new center will add significant financial resources to expand research improve and accelerate prevention and treatment efforts and promote community awareness.  Diabetes is a devastating disease that affects over 1.8 million adults in Texas.

 “Increasing research funding for Texas has been one of my highest priorities in the Senate and through collaborative efforts we have made BCM second in the nation in federal funding for research and development in the biological sciences at universities and colleges.  Today’s announcement is a major catalyst increasing research funding at our Texas institutions of higher education.”

This center will be one of 17 in the country and the only one in Texas.  Ten are biomedical research-focused centers and seven are training centers that have an added component of translational and clinical research. All must have an existing base of high quality diabetes-related research as a primary requirement for the establishment of either type of center.

Dr. Lawrence Chan Betty Rutherford Chair for Diabetes Research at BCM will serve as director of the center