Texas A&M University's Bio Corridor In The Research Valley

[WestGrayGuy]

Texas A&M has been awarded a very large governmental grant to create one of three national bio defense centers.

Quote

From the Star Tribune:

AUSTIN, Texas - The Texas A&M University System will be the home of one of three national biodefense centers to help the country quickly develop vaccines in the event of a pandemic and strategies for responding to bioterrorism. Texas A&M's Center for Innovation in Advanced Development and Manufacturing was one of three centers announced Monday by Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Texas A&M System Chancellor John Sharp.

A second center will be led by Emergent Manufacturing Operations Baltimore LLC in Maryland in partnership with Michigan State University, Kettering University in Michigan and the University of Maryland-Baltimore. A third center will be based in North Carolina, and led by Novartis, in partnership with North Carolina State University in Raleigh and Duke University in Durham.

The biodefense centers will work to develop and manufacture vaccines to rapidly respond and protect against influenza pandemics and conduct research and training for responding to chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats.

"The threats we face today as a nation are constantly evolving," Sebelius said, calling the centers a "dramatic step forward in ensuring that the United States can produce life-saving countermeasures quickly and nimbly.

"They will improve our ability to protect Americans' health in an emergency," Sebelius said.

The federal government will spent about $400 million on the initial contracts. Texas A&M will get about $176 million in federal money with another $109 million from its commercial and academic partners. The state of Texas already has committed about $ 40 million to the project.

Texas A&M will partner with pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline's facility in Pennsylvania, Kalon Biotherapeutics in College Station and more than 20 other public and private researchers across the country.

University system officials project a long-term investment in the billions and laud it as the biggest federal program to be awarded to the state of Texas since NASA.

"It's a game-changer for us, and, we think, for Texas," Sharp said. "This is just another war: A war against natural pandemics and not-so-natural terrorism."

In 2010, President Barack Obama said he wanted the country to develop a new plan for a better and quicker response to bioterrorism threats and attacks. The move came after the Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation gave the government a failing grade for its efforts to prepare for and respond to a biological attack.

Sharp said Texas A&M was well-positioned to bid for the project, given its historical connection to the military and its ongoing research in the fields of engineering, life sciences and veterinary medicine.

The system's flagship campus in College Station already built the National Center for Therapeutics Manufacturing and had developed a cheaper version of industrial "clean rooms" that could speed up vaccine testing to unprecedented rates.

Sharp also projected spinoff research and development in fields such as cancer research, predicting the contract will results in the thousands of construction and professional jobs for the state.

"This is a once-in-a-generation research grant that will profoundly enhance national security," Sharp said.

Good news for Texas and Texas A&M

http://onehealthplusbiocorridor.com/

Edited March 19, 2017 by Scotch
updating title with new portion of biocorridor

[The Pragmatist]

I remember reading about it when they first applied for the grant. It's good to see they brought it home for the state and university. Hopefully the new facilities will spur further biotechnology development in the area.

Edited June 19, 2012 by The Pragmatist

[LTAWACS]

Indeed. This is good news. The more centers/facilities such as this one that we get the better.

[Highway6]

All-around great news.

From

http://www.mysananto...-be-3642958.php

The contract to create a

Center for Innovation

in Advanced Development and Manufacturing in College Station is likely worth at least $1.5 to $2 billion over the next 25 years.

“It's the biggest federal grant to come to Texas since NASA, quite frankly,” Texas A&M University System Chancellor

John Sharp

said.

The economic implications for the College Station area are also significant. About 1,000 jobs will be created during a construction phase that will last about five years. After that, there should be many more, said Dr.

Brett Giroir

, the Texas A&M scientist who led the university's bid. Additionally, the development should attract drug companies to invest in or relocate to the area.

For the state's biotechnology industry, the announcement is a game-changer, said

Jacqueline Northcut

, president and CEO of BioHouston, which promotes life sciences commercialization in the Houston region.

In the Twittersphere, there are numerous fake joke accounts that are fun to follow when news breaks.

Here is TAMUS-Regents as the news broke Monday...

Big press conference in Austin this afternoon. We've been told we have to put on pants, which honestly is a pretty tall order on a Monday.

We hate big government. Unless it's handing us hundreds of millions for a bio research thingy. Then we're cool with it.

That's right. When the monkey swine flu zombie apocalypse happens, we'll determine who lives and who dies.

http://is.gd/AggieDrugsRUs

Austin's really excited about getting a Trader Joe's. We just locked up the biggest federal grant of the 21st century. Priorities.

Our top priority: Making all vaccines maroon.

We're a perfect fit for vaccination research. We've been treating boys coming back from Lubbock road trips for decades.

First order of business: Remove all hand sanitizer from System buildings. We can't supply if there's no demand, ya know?

We anticipate this biomedical thingy will create more than 1,000 jobs in the Brazos Valley. Mostly in the "test subject" field.

Edited June 21, 2012 by Highway6

[EllenOlenska]

Bio Corridor has a sign now and a few cool-for-College-Station buildings, but still mostly grass.

 

[Scotch]

Nice pictures, thanks for the updates. Both of those buildings are in Bryan, the southern portion of Atlas will be in College Station, though by agreement Bryan will receive a direct benefit from taxes from that area as well.

[IronTiger]

They were supposed to build a hotel around there for Atlas. Is that it...?

[Luminare]

its to bad that they haven't really stuck to the original master plan that they set out with. It just seems they are randomly placing buildings out there instead of creating an actual urban core for this "corridor".

[Scotch]

 

The Stella Hotel in late July, I'll try to make it out there again later this week.

 

http://www.atlastx.com/

[Scotch]

 

Stella Hotel nearing completion.

 

http://www.thestellahotel.com/

[Scotch]

Alliance Residential Company Acquires Nine-Acre Site for 261-Unit Luxury Apartment Community within the Atlas Master Development of Bryan-College Station, Texas

 

link

 

Quote

Known as Broadstone Traditions, the three-story, walk-up community will offer one-, two- and three-bedroom apartment homes within Lake Walk Town Center on Atlas Pear Drive. Interior finishes will include LED lighting packages, granite and quartz counter tops, tile backsplash, under-mounted sinks, stainless steel appliances, 42-inch wood cabinets with under cabinet lighting, hardwood flooring in kitchen, dining and living areas, kitchen islands, intrusion alarms, and ceramic tile on the bath floors. Community amenities will include a recreation pool with an outdoor kitchen area offering lush landscaping and outdoor seating, along with a community area dog-park. The property will also include a package concierge, full scale fitness center and a massive clubhouse with business center, internet café and kitchen area.

"Alliance is excited to join forces with the Atlas team in this master development and build a product with unmatched finishes and amenities that will cater to the neighboring uses of the Lake Walk Town Center," said Cyrus Bahrami, managing director of South Texas for Alliance Residential Company. "We pride ourselves in building the highest quality product within the most sought after town locations destined for growth and you definitely have that here in this location. It's simple – you've got the Biocorridor on one side of you, The Stella Hotel and Traditions Club on the other side, Lake Walk Town Center at your front door, and Texas A&M University right down the road.  It's good to be in Aggieland and we are proud to be a part of this community's continued growth."

The project will sit adjacent to the ATLAS corporate campus and within the Lake Walk Town Center, which will include The Stella Hotel, retail and restaurant space as well as office space. Lake Walk is a comfortably upscale, lively collection of regional dining, hospitality, retail and wellness offerings situated between ATLAS and the highly-acclaimed Traditions Club and Community. 

 

Edited March 11, 2017 by Scotch

[Scotch]

[strickn]

Doesn’t seem to be a problem they thought about creatively, even if creating thoughtful solutions to problems is supposed to be supported in it.  Pretty much your standard starter military-industrial business casual towncentre office park.  
 

Hopefully has nothing to do with the future of our state becoming some sort of . fusion of the very . Arizona-Utah-Nevada-California image-driven lifestyle and the very . Duke / Atlanta / SEC bland economic development-driven preppy mindset.