The Cancer Therapy & Research Center announced Nov. 15 a merger with The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.
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SAN ANTONIO (Nov. 15, 2007) – The board of directors of the Cancer Therapy & Research Center (CTRC) announced Nov. 15 that the organization is formally merging with The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, pending approval by the UT System Board of Regents.

According to CTRC Chairman of the Board Mark E. Watson Jr., the merger will forge a lasting alliance for the betterment of cancer care and research in Texas. The vibrancy of the UT Health Science Center’s academic environment will be the foundation of everything that happens at the cancer center.

Goal is become world’s premier cancer research and treatment center
“Since our goal is to become the world’s premier cancer research and treatment center, we felt we could not afford to pass up the opportunity to join forces with a world-class institution like The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio,” said Watson, owner of Diamond K Ranch who has been the CTRC chairman of the board for three years. “We are pleased to be able to make such a significant gift. Together we move forward with a common goal to eradicate cancer.”

Merger subject to approval by UT System Board of Regents
An agreement was signed by the UT System, the Health Science Center and CTRC board members Nov. 14. The merger is subject to approval by the UT System Board of Regents and continued due diligence by the UT System.

Health Science Center and CTRC already partners in San Antonio Cancer Institute
Health Science Center faculty members treat patients at CTRC facilities, and the two institutions are partners in the San Antonio Cancer Institute, a National Cancer Institute Cancer Center, one of three in Texas. This agreement calls for melding the clinical, research and administrative structures of the institutions.

Alignment will benefit Texans and the world
“The complete alignment between the efforts of the Health Science Center and the CTRC in the fight against cancer will greatly enhance the clinical and research environment that will benefit the citizens of Texas and the world,” said Francisco G. Cigarroa, M.D., president of the Health Science Center. “Our mission is to eliminate cancer in children and adults, and wherever possible to prevent it from occurring in the first place.”

Collaboration will take advantage of efficiencies
The best cancer centers in the world benefit from the efficiencies of collaborations, Dr. Cigarroa said, adding, “We will focus on what is best for cancer care and cancer research.”

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The Cancer Therapy & Research Center (CTRC) is one of the nation’s leading academic research and treatment centers, serving more than 4.4 million people in the high-growth corridor of South and Central Texas including San Antonio, Austin, Laredo and the Rio Grande Valley. CTRC handles more than 120,000 patient visits each year and is a world leader in developing new drugs to treat cancer. The CTRC Institute for Drug Development (IDD) is internationally recognized for conducting the largest oncology Phase I clinical drug trials program in the world. Fifteen of the cancer drugs most recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration underwent development or testing at the IDD. The CTRC was founded in 1974 with 15 employees as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation and freestanding outpatient clinic. Today it has an $81 million operating budget and more than 400 employees.

The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio is the leading research institution in South Texas and one of the major health sciences universities in the world. With an operating budget of $576 million and 5,000 faculty and staff, the Health Science Center is the chief catalyst for the $15.3 billion biosciences and health care sector in San Antonio’s economy. The Health Science Center has had an estimated $35 billion impact on the region since inception and has expanded to six campuses in San Antonio, Laredo, Harlingen and Edinburg. More than 22,000 graduates (physicians, dentists, nurses, scientists and allied health professionals) serve in their fields, including many in Texas. Health Science Center faculty are international leaders in cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, aging, stroke prevention, kidney disease, orthopedics, research imaging, transplant surgery, psychiatry and clinical neurosciences, pain management, genetics, nursing, allied health, dentistry and many other fields.