UT Southwestern Medical Center Completes Brain Institute Funding Push

DALLAS (CBSDFW/AP) - The UT Southwestern Medical Center has completed a five-year, $1 billion campaign to benefit its institute for brain research and clinical care.

The campaign for the Peter O'Donnell Jr. Brain Institute is among the largest brain-focused investments at a U.S. academic medical center, according to a news release.

A spokesperson for the medical center said more than $500 million came from donations from the community, which will fund research, technology enhancements and faculty recruitment. Additionally, UT Southwestern said it made a $500 million investment in facilities and programs for the institute.

"We want to thank everyone who contributed to this campaign," said Robert B. "Bob" Rowling, Chair of the Campaign for the Brain Steering Committee. "The funds that have been raised will make the O'Donnell Brain Institute an epicenter for research. There's no telling what kind of discoveries are going to come out of this."

The funds will help researchers at the institute study the underlying mechanisms of brain disease.

"Our hope is that one day no patient diagnosed with brain disease will ever hear the words 'there is no cure,' " Dr. Daniel K. Podolsky, UT Southwestern's president, said in a news release.

The support is enabling the O'Donnell Brain Institute to:

• Advance research on the underlying mechanisms of brain disease in order to develop more effective therapies.
• Enroll more people in clinical trials to quickly move research discoveries to patients.
• Expand UT Southwestern's research and clinical expertise by recruiting rising stars across the spectrum of relevant disciplines.
• Provide state of the art facilities to carry out the Institute's mission including a nine-story research tower – the Peter O'Donnell Jr. Biomedical Research Building – that will open later this year to significantly expand research space for the O'Donnell Brain Institute's 2,100-plus faculty members and additional recruits as well as the Third Tower of Clements University Hospital opened last year as the in-patient home of the Institute to provide the very best environment of care for our patients suffering from brain disease.
• Broaden the computational and analytical support needed to effectively analyze large numbers of proteins, genes, neurons, and other potential therapeutic targets.
• Acquire enhanced imaging and other advanced technology such as the most sensitive magnetoencephalography, or MEG in the country, which maps brain activity to assess everything from concussions to dementia.
• Provide breakthrough treatments such as high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) for patients with essential tremors (ET) and tremor-predominant Parkinson's disease (TPPD).

Epilepsy and neurosurgery specialists at the O'Donnell Brain Institute helped SMU student Hope Anderson get her life back on track after being diagnosed with a glioma.

"I consider the brain the next frontier in medicine," said the late Mr. O'Donnell when making an initial gift to launch the Institute in 2015. "We need discovery, and that's going to be done by the most talented people we can find and support. It can't be done just wishing it's going to happen. You've got to make it happen."