Queensland gets closer to Texas

Closer ties between a Texas biomedical research powerhouse and Queensland biotech institutes have been foreshadowed by Queensland Premier Peter Beattie.

Beattie has met with University of Texas Southwestern medical school president Dr Kern Wildenthal during an 11-day trade swing through the US to discuss potential collaborations.

UT Southwestern - whose medical faculty boasts four Nobel Laureates - already has one Queensland link in the form of Sequenom, a US biotech which recently located its Asia-Pacific headquarters at the Queensland Institute of Medical Research.

A discovery genetics company that is systematically identifying potential disease-related genes with broad population impact, Sequenom is currently collaborating with UT Southwestern on genetic research relating to the prediction or treatment of heart disease.

A number of activities at UT Southwestern's medical school could mesh with recent initiatives in Queensland in the fields of foods, neutraceuticals and nanotechnology, Beattie said.

One possibility is future collaborative ties with the fledgling Australian Institute for BioEngineering and Nanotechnology which focuses on nano-medical devices, drug delivery systems, diagnostic devices, tissue engineering and biomaterials, Beattie suggested.

Both Queensland and Texas have well-developed biotechnology strategies aimed at creating bioindustry jobs.