SAN ANTONIO PARTNERSHIP FOR PRECISION THERAPEUTICS AWARDS INAUGURAL RESEARCH FUNDING

Leaders of the newly-established San Antonio Partnership for Precision Therapeutics (SA PPT) have awarded the partnership’s first research grant. A seven-person team researching sepsis-induced organ failure will receive $200,000 in funding over two years. The award’s purpose is to advance research and breakthroughs in precision therapeutics, which is the development of drug therapies for specific populations based on genetics, lifestyle and environment.

The team, led by Principal Investigator Dr. Madesh Muniswamy of UT Heath San Antonio, is studying the cause, prevention and treatment of multi-organ failure during sepsis. Sepsis occurs when an infection spreads to a patient’s blood or tissues causing a high risk of organ failure and death. According to the World Health Organization, an estimated 30 million people worldwide are affected by sepsis every year.

The San Antonio Partnership for Precision Therapeutics was established in October 2019 to leverage the unique bioscience capabilities of four prominent San Antonio research institutions — Southwest Research Institute, Texas Biomedical Research Institute(link is external), The University of Texas at San Antonio(link is external) and UT Health San Antonio(link is external). The partnership focuses on creating breakthrough treatments tailored to specific patient populations, while serving as a model to improve health care in San Antonio, statewide and globally. The field of precision therapeutics integrates precision medicine with the drug discovery pathway, including basic research, compound development, formulation, testing, production and clinical trials leading to new FDA-approved treatments.