Protective particles allow engineered probiotics to report gut disease
Rice U. bioengineers developed a platform that enhances survival and function of probiotics engineered to diagnose inflammatory bowel disease in animals. The technology holds promise for minimally invasive disease monitoring and advanced smart therapeutics.
Rice chemist wins $3.2M National Cancer Institute grant
Rice University chemist Han Xiao has won a $3.2 million research project (R01) grant from the National Cancer Institute to develop the first tissue-specific epigenetic inhibitor drug to treat bone metastasis.
Reporters broadcast live, on-the-scene, inside living cells
Synthetic biologists from Rice University and Princeton University have demonstrated “live reporter” technology that can reveal the workings of signaling networks in living cells with far greater precision than current methods. The first-of-its-kind reporting tool can show how quickly signaling networks respond and how responses vary from cell to cell in time and space.
James Chappell wins NSF CAREER Award
Rice bioscientist James Chappell has won a National Science Foundation CAREER Award to develop RNA programming methods that can improve human health and the environment.
Daylong wastewater samples yield surprises
Rice engineers find snapshots lead to bias in testing wastewater for antibiotic-resistant genes.
Pathogenic sensor’s surprising capabilities revealed
Rice synthetic biologists have uncovered new capabilities of a genetically encoded sensor that allows salmonella, E. coli and other pathogens to sicken millions of people each year.
Bacterial sensors send a jolt of electricity when triggered
Rice researchers develop programmable bacteria that sense contaminants and release an electronic signal in real time.
NSF backs bid to speed environmental tests for viruses
The NSF backs Rice University efforts to speed the analysis of wastewater for coronaviruses from hours to seconds.
Rice lab grows macroscale, modular materials from bacteria
Rice bioscientists have created bacteria that self-assembles into a material like putty that could soak up pollutants.
Rice team eyes cells for sophisticated data storage
Rice University receives National Science Foundation support to turn living cells, starting with bacteria, into random-access memory devices. These will be able to store and report data about their environments.
NSF awards 38 Graduate Research Fellowships to Rice students
The National Science Foundation has awarded 38 Graduate Research Fellowships to Rice University students.
Living sensor research wins federal backing
Rice researchers are leading a federally funded project to improve communications between microelectronics and microorganisms.
Inaugural class of Rice Innovation Fellows announced
The Provost’s Office and the Liu Idea Lab for Innovation & Entrepreneurship (Lilie) have announced the inaugural class of Rice Innovation Fellows, a program that will provide educational and financial support to the next generation of scientist- and engineer-led spinout ventures.
Grant backs effort to build useful bacterial colonies
Rice scientists have won a grant to advance the development of custom-designed microbial colonies for a variety of applications.
Light flips genetic switch in bacteria inside transparent worms
Researchers from Rice University and Baylor College of Medicine have shown that colored light can both activate and deactivate genes of gut bacteria in the intestines of worms. The research shows how optogenetic technology can be used to investigate the health impacts of gut bacteria.
