As one of the world's leading independent biomedical research institutions, Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research is dedicated to advancing the health of our global community through innovative biomedical research.

Campus:

Located on a 332-acre campus on the northwest side of San Antonio, Texas, SFBR partners with hundreds of researchers and institutions around the world, targeting advances in the fight against cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, cancer, psychiatric disorders, problems of pregnancy, AIDS, hepatitis, malaria, parasitic infections and a host of other infectious diseases.

Staff:

Its staff of more than 400 employees includes a multidisciplinary team of approximately 85 doctoral-level scientists who lead more than 200 major research projects in the Foundation's Department of Genetics; Department of Virology and Immunology; and Southwest National Primate Research Center. Click here to view the SFBR organizational chart [PDF file].

Extraordinary Resources:

As they conduct their life-saving research, Foundation scientists have access to some extraordinary resources.

For example, SFBR is the site of the Southwest National Primate Research Center and the world's largest colony of baboons for biomedical research, including a unique pedigreed colony of approximately 1,200 animals. The Foundation enjoys a distinguished history in the innovative, humane and appropriate use of nonhuman primates for biomedical research.

The Foundation also is home to the nation's only privately owned biosafety level 4 (BSL-4) laboratory. This maximum containment lab allows for safe research on lethal pathogens for which there are no treatments or vaccines, including potential bio-terror agents and emerging diseases.

Another resource that puts SFBR on the cutting edge of biomedical research is the AT&T Genomics Computing Center, which houses the world's largest computer cluster for human genetic and genomic research. This high-performance computing facility allows scientists to search for disease-influencing genes at record speed.

Yesterday and Today:

SFBR, originally known as the Foundation of Applied Research, was created as a non-profit institution in 1941 through the philanthropic vision of Thomas B. Slick Jr., and philanthropy sustains it today. In addition to the competitive grants and contracts that fund SFBR's research, a significant portion of its nearly $55 million annual budget is met through the financial contributions of foundations, corporations and individuals. These generous donors share in the vision of SFBR's founder, who dreamed of building a “city of science” that would become a “great center for human progress through scientific research.”