By Angie Arranz Abreu
Special to Rice News
Seven research partnerships involving Rice University, the Baker Institute for Public Policy and various institutions within the Texas Medical Center (TMC) received seed grants in 2024 through the Provost’s TMC Collaborator Fund. These grants were facilitated by Rice’s office for Educational and Research Initiatives for Collaborative Health (ENRICH).
Established in 2021, the Provost's TMC Collaborator Fund at Rice is a seed grant program that awards up to $50,000 for multidisciplinary research proposals. The program fosters new collaborative projects with faculty from TMC institutions such as Baylor College of Medicine (BCM), UTHealth Houston, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and Memorial Hermann. Rice ENRICH funds half of the grant to the Rice co-principal investigator with matching support required from the partner institution.
“Through this funding opportunity, we aim to promote the development of self-sustaining, nationally competitive research programs that address critically important issues in or relevant to health care,” said Sharon Pepper, executive director of ENRICH.
The seven funded projects focus on expanding research in medical ethics, cancer therapeutics, pediatrics, nursing, neurology and immunotherapy:
Enhancing Ethics and Humanities Research on Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare
Primary investigators:
● Kirstin Matthews, fellow in science and technology policy, Rice’s Baker Institute
● Vasiliki N. Rahimzadeh, assistant professor, Center for Medical Ethics & Health Policy, BCM
The project aims to assess the use and ethical implications of AI technologies within the TMC community, establish an internship program with the Baker Institute and the Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy and identify collaborators to create a national center for ethical AI in health care. Expected outcomes include peer-reviewed papers, educational modules on AI ethics in health, collaborative grant proposals and new research initiatives at Rice and BCM.
Real-Time Analysis and Monitoring of FLASH Radiotherapy Beams
Primary investigators:
● Pablo Yepes, research professor of physics and astronomy, Rice
● Emil Schueler, assistant professor of radiation physics, MD Anderson
This study explores the use of low-gain avalanche diodes (LGADs) for ultra-high dose rate (FLASH) therapy. These advanced sensors measure radiation with remarkable precision, capturing time intervals as short as 30 trillionths of a second and spatial resolutions down to 0.03 millimeters. The research focuses on LGADs’ ability to measure electron and proton beams accurately at high intensities, aiming to establish it as a reliable tool in clinical settings. This will enhance the understanding of FLASH therapy and improve its effectiveness for future treatments.
Futbolito for All: Supporting Active Lifestyles for Latino Children in Galena Park
Primary investigators:
● Christopher Kulesza, scholar in child health policy, Rice’s Baker Institute
● Dr. Andrea Ramirez Varela, assistant professor of pediatrics, McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston
This research seeks to establish a novel physical activity pilot program, “Futbolito for All.” This soccer-based intervention aims to promote physical activity and sports access for children, specifically targeting Latino youth and low-income communities. Using a mixed methods approach, data will be collected through surveys and focus groups involving teachers, administrators, parents and students. The study will assess the program’s immediate impact and its potential for large-scale adoption and sustained benefits within the Galena Park Independent School District population.
Understanding hellocare Implementation Outcomes
Primary investigators:
● Pat DeLucia, professor of psychological sciences, Rice
● Tajudaullah Bhaloo, research scientist, Institute for Nursing Excellence, Memorial Hermann Health System
Based at Memorial Hermann Cypress Hospital, this project studies the implementation of a virtual nursing model in a general medicine unit from three stakeholder perspectives: the virtual nurse, the bedside care staff and the patient. Using an implementation science approach, the study will highlight staff and patient benefits, concerns and preferences, and assess the potential to replicate this technology across other acute care sites. Employing a user-centered approach that considers human-technology interaction, this research addresses the critical issue of the global nursing shortage, exacerbated by an aging nursing workforce, a shortage of new nurses entering the profession and high rates of burnout.
A Mechanistic Framework for Optimal Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation: Application to Pediatric Stroke Survivors with Arm Impairment
Primary investigators:
● Raudel Avila, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, Rice
● Dr. Stuart Fraser, pediatric neurologist, UTHealth
This research collaboration, initiated at the Inaugural Meeting of the Minds event organized by the Rice Neuroengineering Initiative and Rice ENRICH, combines engineering modeling, clinical imaging and clinical trials to develop a framework for evaluating the effectiveness of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) as a therapy for children recovering from pediatric cerebrovascular disease (stroke). tDCS is a safe and noninvasive technique that uses very small electrical currents (1-4 milliamperes) to modulate brain activity through the scalp.
Over-expression of p62 for an Enhanced BCG Vaccine for Tuberculosis Prevention
Primary investigators:
● Han Xiao, associate professor of chemistry, Rice
● Chinnaswamy Jagannath, professor of pathology and genomic medicine, Houston Methodist Academic Institute
This project aims to enhance the efficacy of the BCG (Bacille Calmette-Guerin) vaccine to address tuberculosis by introducing the ectopic expression of p62 to recruit autophagy-related proteins. These proteins possess superior lysosome trafficking capacity and antigen presentation capabilities compared to the parental BCG vaccine. The goal is to develop a highly immunogenic BCG strain through p62-induced selective autophagy.
Molecular Mechanisms of FLASH Radiation Therapy
Primary investigators:
● Anna-Karin Gustavsson, assistant professor of chemistry, Rice
● Emil Schueler, assistant professor of radiation physics, MD Anderson
This project aims to elucidate the mechanism behind FLASH radiation therapy, offering crucial insights for designing optimized treatment strategies. FLASH therapy, which delivers radiation at rates exceeding 40 Gy/s, far surpasses conventional methods and holds the potential to revolutionize radiation treatment outcomes. By addressing the current knowledge gap, this research seeks to understand the FLASH effect, directly informing and enhancing the ability to optimize treatments.
The cohort of awarded proposals was selected based on scientific merit, the strength of interdisciplinary collaboration and the likelihood of sustaining the collaboration through subsequent competitive, peer-reviewed funding.
Since 2019, the ENRICH Office has funded more than 50 research projects, advancing biomedical fields through various joint seed programs. Rice-TMC partnerships can achieve transformative advancements in health care with a global societal impact. “ENRICH will continue to support faculty in establishing collaborations focused on translating clinical and applied research into innovative solutions,” Pepper said. By removing institutional barriers, Rice strengthens its commitment to becoming a leading nonmedical institution in health research.