TEXAS — Rice University received $2 million in renewed funding from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT). The funding will expand the university's Genetic Design and Engineering Center and support cancer immunotherapy and ovarian cancer research.
The university also received provisions within the funding awards to recruit up to three new researchers to its faculty. The expanded center will support various research projects, including studies on live visualization of biological responses, improving cancer-fighting T cells, and examining the role of age in ovarian cancer spread.
Anna-Karin Gustavsson will lead a project focused on live visualization of biological responses, which aims to inform next-generation radiation therapy. Peter Lillehoj will lead research with the goal of improving cancer-fighting T cells. Cynthia Reinhart-King will lead research that examines the role age plays in how ovarian cancer spreads.
Amy Dittmar, Howard R. Hughes Provost, said, "Rice is grateful for CPRIT's support to bring more researchers to Texas to develop more precise, effective treatments, as well as CPRIT's ongoing investment in the needed infrastructure." The center was initially established in 2022 with a $4 million award.
Gang Bao, Foyt Family Professor of Bioengineering, said, "This CPRIT grant will allow a major expansion of the core facility by adding an automated mammalian cell hub to GDEC, enabling the generation of new cell models for cancer research and supporting collaborative projects that require automated handling of mammalian cells." The center provides centralized access to DNA tools for cancer research and biomedical studies, serving researchers at Rice, the Texas Medical Center, and other institutions.