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28 t m c » p u l s e | d e c 2 0 1 9/JA N 2 02 0 9 2019 BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE Restored sight with a prosthesis Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine brought partial sight to a handful of study par- ticipants who have been blind for years using Orion, a visual cortical prosthesis surgically implanted in the brain. The researchers bypass broken optical nerves and input visual infor- mation—seen by a camera that is part of the Orion device—directly into the brain. Patients who were previously unable to see no change in light or shades are able to identify white boxes shown on a monitor. Orion is being tested at Baylor as part of a collaboration with Second Sight Medical Products. Daniel Yoshor, M.D., chair and professor of neurosurgery at Baylor, is using the prosthesis to support research he has been working on for more than a decade, along with neuroscientists William Bosking, Ph.D., and Michael Beauchamp, Ph.D. • • • THE CENTER FOR HEARING AND SPEECH Broke ground on a new campus The Center for Hearing and Speech broke ground on a new, 42,000-square-foot campus in the Texas Medical Center in 2019. The new facility, located near State Highway 288 and MacGregor Way, will dramatically increase the number of children the organization can serve. "It's really exciting that we will finally have a facility that starts to match the passion and expertise that we have within our walls right now," said Kyle Swift, CEO of The Center for Hearing and Speech. The new facility will offer innovative services and support for children with hearing loss. • • • GULF COAST REGIONAL BLOOD CENTER Expanded cellular therapy services Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center launched Cellular Life Solutions, a division of the orga- nization dedicated to biotherapies. One of the challenges facing cell therapy companies is procuring a quality starting product. Cellular Life Solutions aims to help make the dream of new, cutting-edge blood and cell therapies a standard of care. Cellular Life Solutions' highly trained nursing and medical personnel work with organizations worldwide to help provide autologous and allogeneic therapies for patients. The organization collects mononu- clear cells, and these immune system cells are used for existing clinical trials, research and development, and/or protocol validation and training. The food "farmacy" at Strawberry Health Center in Pasadena is part of Harris Health System. • • • BAYLOR ST. LUKE'S MEDICAL CENTER Elevated rankings U.S. News and World Report's 2019-2020 Best Hospital rankings ranked Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center in four adult specialties. For neurology and neurosurgery, Baylor St. Luke's was ranked 18th in the nation and at the top in Houston. Baylor St. Luke's ranked 21st in cardiology and heart surgery and 22nd in gas- troenterology and gastrointestinal surgery. The Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center was ranked 36th for cancer care. CHI St. Luke's Health is driven by its faith-based mission and strong alliance with its academic and commu- nity partners—Texas Heart Institute and Baylor College of Medicine—to improve the health of communities in Houston and across Texas. HEADLINES Top Texas Medical Center News Stories of the Year Credit: Felix Sanchez