Medical research

Patient needs

Regarding “Medical Center powers to create innovation hub” (Page A1, Wednesday), I felt the excitement of the planned endeavor. The doublehelix building concept is a reminder to me of my research studies at the National Cancer Institute in the 1970s. I researched damaged DNA as it related to causing colon cancer by breaking the double-helix.

However, as a patient advocate, I must plead with the organizers of this enterprise to include patients in the development and leadership of the institution. I am fearful of the possibility that the institution will seek to compete in the world based on unbridled marketing skills, rather than on serving the genuine needs of patients. There are too many examples in which clever marketing of drugs and devices has trumped patient needs: fluoroquinolone antibiotics, anti-psychotic drugs, mesh implants in women, metal-on-metal hip replacements, vascular filters, etc.

Patient trust in the acumen of the Food and Drug Administration to protect them from poorquality drugs and devices has eroded recently. The weakness of the FDA’s post-marketing data capture is legendary. In this weak regulatory environment, one must hope that the Texas Medical Center will establish a culture of “patient needs first” for the new innovation hub, and the idea of cleverly competing for market share will never eclipse those needs.

John T. James, founder, Patient Safety America, Houston

Include Taiwan

Plans for constructing TMC3, a medical research campus that “would unite four powerhouse research institutions and make Houston an international hub for biomedical innovations” marks forward thinking that will push Houston to greater heights.

Beyond an estimated $5.2 billion impact and projections to create 30,000 jobs, this new campus will help identify Houston as the Third Coast for life sciences and reinforce the importance of collaborative innovation in health care.

As a Houstonian, I look forward to TMC3’s transformative impact and, as a Taiwanese, I am heartened that inclusive, robust collaboration is guiding this project. During a time when Taiwan continues to be kept out of the World Heath Assembly and World Health Organization meetings, seeing esteemed institutions in Houston join forces is a reminder that public health is a truly a team effort.

Mr. Peter C.Y. Chen, director-general, Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Houston