IBB Medical Innovations Grant Program 2009

This program, now in its third year, is made possible thanks to generous support from the Sid W. Richardson Foundation.  For the IBB Medical Innovations Grants, IBB Rice faculty will be required to include among their collaborators researchers from the Texas Medical Center .  Grants may be awarded at a level of up to $25,000 (direct costs) for a duration of 1 year.  Funds can be used in any way to support the establishment of a new collaboration.  Proposals are judged on the originality of the idea, the soundness of the scientific plan, the potential impact of the work, and the integration of the collaborative team.   Collaborators should not have worked together on prior projects, as the goal of this program is to initiate new interactions.

IBB Medical Innovations Awards for 2009

Dr. Yousif Shamoo, Director of IBB, presents the Medical Innovations Awards for 2009 to Dr. Ronald J. Parry, Dr. Jeffrey Jacot, and Dr. Michael Diehl at the 5th Annual IBB Symposium.

• Michael Diehl, Rice University Assistant Professor of Bioengineering and Chemistry, and Dr. Walter N. Hittelman, Department of Experimental Therapeutics, M.D. Anderson Cancer Research Center, for their project, "Highly-Multiplexed Immunofluorescence Imaging for the Molecular Profiling of Cancer."
• Jeffrey G. Jacot, Rice University Assistant Professor of Bioengineering and Adjunct Assistant Professor, Baylor College of Medicine and Division of Congenital Heart Surgery, Texas Children's Hospital, and Dr. David L. Morales, Assistant Professor of Surgery, Michael E. DeBakey Dept. of Surgery, Baylor College of Medicine and Associate Surgeon, Division of Congenital Heart Surgery, Texas Children's Hospital, for their project "Voltage Mapping of Cardiac Patch Integration." 
• Ronald J. Parry, Rice University Professor of Chemistry, and Dr. Edward Mason, Professor of Pediatrics and Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, for their project, "Preparation and Evaluation of Lactonamycin Analogs with Potential Anti-MRSA and Anti-VRE Activity."

IBB Medical Innovations Awards for 2008

• Michael Wong, Rice University Associate Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and Chemistry, and Dr. Ching H. Tung, The Methodist Hospital Research Institute Chief of Imaging Chemistry in the Department of Radiology, for their project “Protease-Responsive Nanoprobes for Tumor Imaging.”
• Tomasz Tkaczyk, Rice University Assistant Professor of Bioengineering, and Dr. Mary Dickinson, Baylor College of Medicine Assistant Professor of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, for their project “Assembly Free Technology for a New Class of Miniature Imaging Systems."
•  Jeffrey Hartgerink, Rice University Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Bioengineering, and Dr. Farhad Danesh, Baylor College of Medicine Associate Professor of Medicine and Pharmacology in the Department of Medicine and Nephrology Division, for their project “Evaluation of Peptide Nanofiber Hydrogels for the Encapsulation of Stem Cells and Renoprotection in Diabetic Nephropathy.”

IBB Medical Innovations Awards for 2007

• Michael Diehl, Rice University Assistant Professor of Bioengineering and Chemistry, and Peter Saggau, Baylor College of Medicine Associate Professor of Neuroscience, for their project "Simultaneous High-Speed Particle Tracking and Fast Activity Imaging of Endocytic Particles."
• Jane Grande-Allen, Rice University Assistant Professor of Bioengineering, Frank Gannon, VA Med Center Staff Pathologist of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Michael Ittmann, VA Med Center Chief of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Elizabeth Olmstead-Davis, Baylor College of Medicine Assistant Professor of the Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, and Alan Davis, Baylor College of Medicine Associate Professor of the Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, for their project "Hyaluronan Homeostasis and Regulation of Heterotopic Calcification in Aortic Valve Disease."
•  Rebecca Richards-Kortum, Rice University Professor of Bioengineering, and Mary Estes, Baylor College of Medicine Professor of Molecular Virology and Microbiology, for their project "Nanoparticle Based Point of Care Diagnostic Assay for Multiplexed Detection of Viral Nucleic Acids From Stool Specimens."
• Graham Palmer, Rice University Professor of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Yury Kamensky, Rice University Research Scientist of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, and Lin Ji, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center Assistant Professor of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, for their project "How Does the 101F6 Gene-Product Exercise its Function as Putative Tumor Suppressor: Are Redox Reactions Involved?"
• Mary Ellen Lane, Rice University Assistant Professor of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Richard Behringer, M.D. Anderson Center Professor of Molecular Genetics, Mary Dickinson, Baylor College of Medicine Assistant Professor of Physiology and Biophysics, for their project "Live Imaging of Retinal Horizontal Neurons During Early Retinal Development."