JANUARY 19, 2021 —UTSA has launched a collaborative research institute that will benefit people suffering from a variety of vascular and other medical issues. The lnstitute of Regenerative Medicine will provide a unique resource and collection of research and expertise for UTSA and San Antonio communities.
A joint initiative between UTSA’s College of Engineering and the College of Sciences, the IRM will be led by Eric Brey, the Edward E. Whitacre Jr. Endowed Chair in Mechanics, and John McCarrey, the Kleberg Distinguished University Chair in Cellular and Molecular Biology.
“We really want the institute to very much be inclusive of many different entities in San Antonio,” said McCarrey. “Our research will span the most basic, biological research of stem cells to tissue engineering to clinical applications to biotechnology.”
Brey and McCarrey are working to establish collaborative partnerships with research, industrial and military institutions across South Texas. These organizations include UT Health San Antonio, the U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research at Joint Base San Antonio–Fort Sam Houston, the U.S. Airforce 59th Medical Wing at Lackland Airforce Base, the Southwest National Primate Research Center, BioBridge Global, StemBioSysm, INCELL, the Southwest Research Institute and other area institutions.
Over the past decade McCarrey has been a key player in the expansion of research and development in San Antonio in the areas of regenerative medicine, precision therapeutics, tissue engineering, stem cell biology and related biotechnology. Brey’s research specialties are in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.
“This institute provides a chance to form a stronger bond between the College of Engineering and College of Sciences,” said McCarrey. “The biomedical engineers know about making materials that can function in conjunction with the body and the biologists know about the cells in the body. Putting those things together is really powerful.”
McCarrey and Brey plan to bring together resources housed in multiple colleges and departments at UTSA, not just in sciences and engineering.
“More than anything you see that there is expertise across the campus in these areas, and often it exists in departments or individual labs,” said Brey “This institute really helps bring us together to focus on having a greater impact. These types of institutes allow you to take your research to the next level by building these collaborations and by going after larger funding.”
Brey and McCarrey see opportunities for research that can benefit a wide variety of people, from soldiers wounded in action to civilians suffering from a wide variety of issues.
“The two things I think about are vascular disease and peripheral vascular disease [like diabetes],” said Brey. “Regenerative medicine around heart disease works to regenerate some of the heart muscle that has been lost, and the same thing with people who are suffering diabetes-related limb amputations, or even a breast cancer patient who has had a mastectomy and the reconstructive surgery after that.”
Another major application of IRM research could be wound healing.
In addition to the IRM’s contribution to scientific knowledge, Brey says he is especially excited about the opportunity for multidisciplinary research for undergraduates and graduates to work on projects that span multiple disciplines.
“We want to establish unique training programs where students can participate in programs that are focused in this area of regenerative medicine,” said Brey. “Our students should be going back and forth more frequently than they are, and taking advantage of the expertise and resources that are sitting in the building next door. The IRM will break down silos.”
UTSA Today is produced by University Communications and Marketing, the official news source of The University of Texas at San Antonio. Send your feedback to news@utsa.edu. Keep up-to-date on UTSA news by visiting UTSA Today. Connect with UTSA online at Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Instagram.
This spring UTSA is hosting a 30-second film festival on TikTok! Your mission? Create a 30-second video that highlights how you relax with Adobe Creative Cloud. This is your chance to take a break from the world around you make something fun. The top three videos will receive prizes that will help you on your creative journey and the top ten winners will receive free Adobe swag!
Virtual EventA lecture series brought to you by Loma de Vida Spa & Wellness and UTSA College for Health, Community and Policy. Dr. Sara Oswalt is the chair of & professor in the Department of Public Health at UTSA. She is also a certified sexuality educator through the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors, & Therapists.
Virtual EventAs part of the annual Campus Race to Zero Waste, the Office of Facilities will provide sensitive document shredding services for our UTSA community. You can bring work-related or personal documents. All we ask is for you to shred away to help recycle!
Parking Lot UTSA Student Union and Ximenes Avenue GaradeIn many courses, faculty broach relevant but difficult topics surrounding race, ethnicity, civil rights, and much more with sensitivity and caring—-but this may be especially difficult in an online classroom. In this session, Dr. Shelley Howell will discuss how faculty can create an inclusive classroom environment digitally to allow for conducive conversations for all parties.
Virtual EventGreat discussions continue this spring with Mary McNaughton-Cassill, Professor of Psychology and Donna Edmondson, University Ombuds. They are providing five 30-minute interactive webinars. Topics include bridge building, stigmas, team building, staying engaged at work and our shared experiences.
Virtual EventThe Black Student Union of UTSA presents a panel discussion on Black women in history and the impact of prominent Black women in the Roadrunner Community.
Virtual EventJoin this workshop to explore how this instructor designed and delivered an exemplary course with an innovative design and a student-centered approach. This workshop is focused on the use of virtual labs and interactive content using interactive tools such as PlayPosit and Softchalk for an enhanced learning experience in large classes (more than 400 students).
Virtual EventThe University of Texas at San Antonio is dedicated to the advancement of knowledge through research and discovery, teaching and learning, community engagement and public service. As an institution of access and excellence, UTSA embraces multicultural traditions and serves as a center for intellectual and creative resources as well as a catalyst for socioeconomic development and the commercialization of intellectual property - for Texas, the nation and the world.
To be a premier public research university, providing access to educational excellence and preparing citizen leaders for the global environment.
We encourage an environment of dialogue and discovery, where integrity, excellence, inclusiveness, respect, collaboration and innovation are fostered.
UTSA is a proud Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) as designated by the U.S. Department of Education.
The University of Texas at San Antonio, a Hispanic Serving Institution situated in a global city that has been a crossroads of peoples and cultures for centuries, values diversity and inclusion in all aspects of university life. As an institution expressly founded to advance the education of Mexican Americans and other underserved communities, our university is committed to ending generations of discrimination and inequity. UTSA, a premier public research university, fosters academic excellence through a community of dialogue, discovery and innovation that embraces the uniqueness of each voice.
