Getting to the Heart of THI’s Work with TMCx
As a long-standing and active member institution of the Texas Medical Center, the Texas Heart Institute collaborates in a number of different ways across TMC — the world’s largest medical city. As TMC has grown and evolved its healthcare-focused accelerator program — TMCx — since its launch in 2015, the Texas Heart Institute has stepped to the fore as a critical resource for cardiovascular-oriented startups that enter the program seeking the input of leading experts in both the pre-clinical and clinical heart spaces; to that end, there is no better resource to be found for a blossoming cardiac care startup than the collective brainpower at the Texas Heart Institute, which has been pushing the boundaries of cardiovascular research and education for nearly 60 years.
Spearheading THI’s multi-faceted work with the TMC Innovation Institute and TMCx is its Manager of Innovation Partnerships, Dr. Allison Post — who recently moved into the new position that was established in order to further Texas Heart Institute innovation initiatives and expand its collaborative ecosystem, which includes TMCx and other TMC Innovation components. “I have really enjoyed the process of bringing THI and TMCx closer together; we’ve had the opportunity to work with new cutting-edge technologies on different fronts, and I am excited to see the partnerships with both the TMCx and these startup companies continue to grow,” Dr. Post noted. She added, “We have incredible preclinical and clinical facilities and incredible teams working at each of these facilities [here at THI], and we want to be able to share this resource with outside members of the Texas Medical Center.”
Most recently, THI partnered in a number of different capacities with three of TMCx’s fall 2020 cohort companies. Aryn Knight, Administrative Director of the THI Center for Clinical Research, and Dr. Abdou Elgalad, THI’s Assistant Director of its Center for Preclinical Surgical & Interventional Research, provided valuable insights and elucidated the preclinical and clinical processes at THI; they also worked with the companies on initial quotes for what they wanted to achieve during their time in the TMCx program.
Additionally, various THI physicians and leadership individuals gave of their time in order to vet initial technologies and provide feedback to the startup founders on their technologies, including Dr. Mehdi Razavi, Dr. Emerson Perin, and Dr. Darren Woodside — three of THI’s most distinguished and highly-published medical professionals.
