Texas is holding up a Texas-sized magnet for stem cell super star researchers and it is working.
The upper mid-West is reeling from the departure of two stem cell superstars in less than one year and both went South to Texas.
First in May 2011, we had the departure of Sean Morrison from U. of Michigan to UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.
Now today we hear that reportedly Doris Taylor is leaving U. of Minnesota and is also Texas bound, in this case for Houston. Taylor will be joining the Texas Hearth Institute at St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital in Houston. Dr. Taylor is a true pioneer in the stem cell field, particularly in clinical applications. She received her PhD in pharmacology from UT Southwestern in Dallas where Morrison is now on faculty.
Texas is serious about stem cell research (just ask my good friend Keri Kimler!) and look for Texas to land even more stem cell leaders in the coming years.
Many in California were hoping that Taylor would have been lured to this state via one of the CIRM leadership awards, but alas no such luck. You can read more about Taylor’s research on her still-active U. of Minn website.
Who will be the next stem cell star drawn to Texas?