Gang Bao will bring a host of new expertise to Rice Universitys part in the fight against cancer and many other diseases when he joins the faculty March 1. The highly regarded Robert A. Milton Chair in Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University is the latest recruit to move to Houston with $6 million in funding from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT). Bao and his colleagues, nine of whom will join him at Rice, cover a wide range of research linked primarily by their interest in the genetic roots of disease and the promise of nanotechnology and biomolecular approaches to treat them. Among their ongoing projects, lab members are working on targeted genome modification using engineered nucleases, the development of magnetic nanoparticles for use as contrast agents and for ablation of tumors and the application of fluorescent molecular beacons for specific RNA detection in living cells. Dr. Bao has an outstanding track record of center leadership in developing and applying nanomedicine for disease diagnosis and treatment, and is a fantastic addition to the Rice effort in translational nanomedicine, said Michael Deem, chair of the Department of Bioengineering and the John W. Cox … Continue reading →

Contact Information Available for logged-in reporters only Newswise La Jolla, Calif., December 16, 2014 Two professors at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute (Sanford-Burnham) have been named Charter Fellows of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI): Erkki Ruoslahti, M.D., Ph.D., distinguished professor and former president of Sanford-Burnham, and Kristiina Vuori, M.D., Ph.D., current president of the Institute. Ruoslahti and Vuori are now part of a group of 414 NAI Fellows from more than 150 prestigious research universities, government, and nonprofit research institutions. Election to the NAI Fellows is a significant professional distinction accorded to academic inventors who have demonstrated a highly prolific spirit of innovation in creating or facilitating outstanding inventions that have made a tangible impact on quality of life, economic development, and the welfare of society. Im honored to be named a Charter Fellow of the NAI, said Vuori. I owe a large part of this distinction to the talented scientists, staff, and students I have worked with at Sanford-Burnham over the years. Academic inventors are elected by their peers for innovative contributions in areas such as patenting and licensing, innovative discovery and technology, significant impact on society, and support and enhancement of innovation. An internationally recognized leader in nanomedicine, … Continue reading →