Lead Innovations in Health

Rice’s Medical Humanities Research Institute is aiming for a paradigm shift in medicine

Medicine is so much more than delivering treatments or writing prescriptions: It’s about helping a person. The Medical Humanities Research Institute at Rice, launched in October 2023, is aiming for a paradigm shift in medicine that refocuses on the human beings at the core of medicine, both as health care professionals and patients. Medical humanities not only elevates the contributions and perspectives that the humanities can bring to health care; it’s a multidisciplinary approach that also engages the arts, social sciences, engineering and other fields to ensure that patients are seen as people in the context of healing and to make health care more equitable and inclusive for all.

Rice President shares vision for university in conversation with Texas Medical Center CEO

The president and CEO of the Texas Medical Center led a discussion with President Reginald DesRoches at the TMC3 building at Helix Park.

Research institute representative highlights Texas’ collaborative efforts with Rice in cancer battle

Abria Magee, senior program manager for the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas, gave an overview of the agency’s efforts to fuel innovation in cancer research and drive advancements in prevention and cures at the recent AI in Health Conference hosted by Rice’s Ken Kennedy Institute.

Rice bioengineers awarded $3.4M for project to end polio

Rice bioengineer Kevin McHugh has been awarded $3.4 million for a project to incorporate protection against polio into the combination vaccine that protects against five common and dangerous childhood diseases.

Rice partners with BeOne Sports to transform athlete performance with AI technology

Rice’s Athletics Department and Office of Innovation have formed a strategic partnership with BeOne Sports, an innovative startup founded by Rice alumni that is pioneering advanced sports performance technology.

Momentous: Personalized Scale for Global Impact: Rice unveils new strategic plan

Under the leadership of President Reginald DesRoches, Rice has unveiled a new strategic plan to become the world’s premier teaching and research university by delivering unparalleled personalized education and propelling breakthrough discoveries to transform lives and better humanity. Momentous: Personalized Scale for Global Impact serves as a road map for the next decade and reflects the collective contributions of the entire Rice community, capitalizing on the university’s size as a competitive advantage.

Rice’s Biotech Launch Pad to lead commercialization of bioelectrical implant treatment for obesity, Type 2 diabetes

Rice is part of multiuniversity research team that has secured $34.9 million from ARPA-H to accelerate the development of a bioelectronic implant designed to revolutionize treatment for obesity and Type 2 diabetes, improving patient experience and outcomes while reducing the development and manufacturing costs.

$18M ARPA-H award supports Rice-led research on tumor analysis system for breast, head and neck cancer

A Rice-led multi-institutional research collaboration has won an award of up to $18 million over five years from the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) to develop and validate a new system for improving tumor removal accuracy for two types of cancer: breast, and head and neck cancer.

Tanzanian officials praise NEST360 contribution to newborn care

Rice President Reginald DesRoches joined Rice360 Institute for Global Health Technologies Co-Director Maria Oden and Rice360 supporters on a trip to Africa marking significant milestones on the road to ending preventable newborn deaths in the sub-Saharan region.

Rice and MD Anderson launch Cancer Bioengineering Collaborative

Rice and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center today announced the creation of the Cancer Bioengineering Collaborative to develop innovative technologies and bioengineering approaches to improve cancer research, diagnosis and treatment.

Rice Biotech Launch Pad startup Motif Neurotech closes Series A financing of $18.75 million

Rice University today announced that Motif Neurotech, a neurotechnology developing minimally invasive bioelectronics for mental health formed through the Rice Biotech Launch Pad, closed an oversubscribed Series A financing round of $18.75 million.

Reducing newborn deaths across Africa enters Phase 2 with $65M

The Newborn Essential Solutions and Technologies (NEST360) international alliance launches Phase 2 of its mission to reduce newborn mortality in sub-Saharan Africa with $65 million in funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, The ELMA Foundation, and generous individual contributions.

Rice’s Medical Humanities Research Institute has transformational agenda

Rice University recently launched its Medical Humanities Research Institute, the only institute in the United States and one of the few in the world that is solely dedicated to advancing translational research on human experiences of health and illness.

Feds fund $45M Rice-led research that could slash US cancer deaths by 50%

The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health has awarded a Rice-led team $45 million to rapidly develop an implant with sense-and-respond technology that could slash U.S. cancer-related deaths by more than 50%.

​​​​​​​Rice Biotech Launch Pad accelerator aims to rapidly turn medical and health discoveries into cures

Rice University today introduced the Rice Biotech Launch Pad, a Houston-based accelerator focused on expediting the translation of the university’s health and medical technology discoveries into cures.