A new biotechnology research center in Texas is launching behind a $3 million investment from the state's Emerging Technology Fund.
Gov. Rick Perry announced Friday that the taxpayer dollars will help create the Center for Cell and Organ Biotechnology. The center is a partnership between the Texas Heart Institute and Texas A&M University.
The research will tackle chronic diseases in both human and veterinary health care. More than one million people in the U.S. die from end-stage organ failure each year.
The Texas Emergency Technology Fund is one of Perry's signature programs in his 13 years as governor. It has doled out more than $200 million to more than 140 startup companies since launching in 2005. The state has lost some of that money over troubled and failed investments.
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