The Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas has granted $3.7 million to Rice University researchers to fund an innovative cancer diagnostics program.

The funds will help the BioScience Research Collaborative lab overseen by John McDevitt, Rice's Brown-Wiess Professor in Bioengineering and Chemistry, in its mission to make the Texas Medical Center the hub for diagnostics research into cancer and other diseases.

The work is made possible by McDevitt's development of a cost-effective Bio-Nano-Chip that can provide patients with early warning of the onset of disease, cutting the time and cost of treatment. McDevitt is principal investigator of a multi-investigator project that totals $6 million for cancer research, of which Rice's portion is $3.7 million. The remainder of the grant will be subcontracted to investigators at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio.

CPRIT is a state-funded agency charged by Texas voters with issuing $3 billion in bonds over 10 years to fund grants for cancer research and prevention. Last week, the agency announced $142 million in grants to support innovative programs, including the funds to Rice.

To learn more about the McDevitt lab, visit tastechip.com.