At the Michael E. DeBakey Institute for Comparative Cardiovascular Science and Biomedical Devices, cardiovascular scientists, engineers, and clinicians from Texas A&M University and the UT Medical School in Houston have joined forces to fight cardiovascular disease in both human and veterinary patients. Administratively housed in the Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (VMBS), the Institute has unique access to naturally-occurring cardiovascular disease in animals. Through the use of novel cardiovascular devices and pharmaceuticals in humans and animals, we can play a pivotal role in improving the quality of life of all species. The DeBakey Institute is named for the world’s most renowned cardiothoracic surgeon and cardiovascular researcher. Like Dr. DeBakey, we are dedicated to relentlessly pursuing scientific and technological advances to save lives.
The DeBakey Institute is located in a 15,000 sq. ft. freestanding facility containing operating rooms for both acute and chronic sterile surgeries, recovery rooms, treatment rooms, as well as animal housing facilities for both acute and chronic studies ranging from small to large species. Our laboratories and teaching hospital maintain state of the art surgical, and intensive care facilities. Instrumentation for data acquisition and analysis along with technical assistance exists throughout the Institute’s facilities.
The breadth and depth of funding sources for the DeBakey Institute ensures the continuity of programs and provides the opportunity to explore the frontiers of cardiovascular sciences and medicine. Federal funding from the National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control, and National Science Foundation provides a significant portion of our base research funding. Competitive grants from specialty organizations such as the Whitaker Foundation, American Heart Association and American Lung Association also contribute to our research activities. A significant revenue stream also comes from partnerships with industry to evaluate cardiovascular devices prior to FDA approval. Revenue stability is ensured by endowments from private organizations such as the Sid Richardson Foundation and from individuals who have financed the Tom and Joan Read Endowed Chair in Cardiothoracic Surgery and the Wiseman-Lewie-Worth Chair in Cardiology. Since the Founding of the Institute in 1999, total funds from private, state, and federal sources acquired by the Institute and its 19 Founding Fellows have exceeded $50 M.