Rice University has launched the Rice Brain Institute (RBI), an interdisciplinary hub dedicated to advancing brain health research and driving medical breakthroughs to reduce the burden of neurological diseases and improve health outcomes.
The RBI will explore how the brain works, from molecules to behavior, with research spanning Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases, mental health, brain injury and brain development. The RBI will also unify and expand brain-related work already underway at Rice through three strategic pillars: the existing Neuroengineering Initiative, and two new efforts — the Neuroscience Initiative and the Brain and Society Initiative.
“A fundamental understanding of the molecular and cellular processes of neural development and neurodegeneration is the foundation on which all other exploration builds,” said Thomas Killian, dean of the Wiess School of Natural Sciences, in a news release. “Rice has leading experts in these core fields, and the Brain Institute will integrate this with pioneering research in neuroengineering and psychology to accelerate discoveries that help us better understand cognition, memory, emotion and disease — and ultimately translate that understanding into solutions for society.”
Despite not having a medical school, Rice continues to advance its influence in medical research and innovation by taking an engineering-driven approach, leveraging its strengths in robotics, advanced imaging, data science and artificial intelligence. By combining these technologies, the RBI aims to create new tools that can monitor and even influence brain activity in real time.
“My focus at Rice has been to figure out how we — a place without a medical school — will be the top health and medicine institution in the world,” Rice University President Reginald DesRoches said at the Greater Houston Partnership’s Future of Health Care event. “And the only reason that we know we can do that is because we have the greatest asset across the street from us in the Texas.”
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Health and Economic Impact
The announcement comes at a critical time as brain disorders pose a rapidly growing health and economic challenge worldwide. According to the World Economic Forum, neurological and mental health conditions cost the global economy an estimated $5 trillion annually — a figure that could climb to $16 trillion by 2030.
In Texas, more than 400,000 residents are currently living with Alzheimer’s disease, a number projected to exceed 500,000 by 2030 as the state’s population ages, according to the Texas Dementia Institute.
“Few areas of research have as direct and profound an impact on human well-being as brain health,” DesRoches said. “As rates of Alzheimer’s, dementia and other neurological diseases rise in our country and around the world, universities have a responsibility to lead the discovery of solutions that preserve memory, movement and quality of life. We all know someone who has been affected by a brain-related health issue, so this research is personal to all of us.”
The RBI complements statewide efforts like the newly proposed Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (DPRIT), created to accelerate research into dementia and related brain disorders such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. In the November election, voters approved $3 billion in funding for DPRIT over the next decade, dedicating up to $300 million annually in competitive grants. Together, these efforts could position Houston and Texas as global leaders in brain-related research.
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