Center for Innovation and Translation of Point-of-Care Cancer Tests to Reach More Patients
Official title: The Center for Innovation and Translation of Point of Care Technologies for Expanded Cancer Care Access (CITEC)
Funded at Rice University · NIH-11599395 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A center is being created to develop simple, low-cost point-of-care tests to detect cancers early, especially in low-resource settings, so more people can get timely care.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Rice University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Houston, United States) |
| Project start | September 13, 2023 |
| Project end | July 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $24,754 |
| NIH project number | 3U54EB034652-04S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11599395 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates include individuals at risk for epithelial-surface cancers in settings with limited resources, including rural or primary-care clinics.
✕Less likely to help
Patients in settings with existing, already-integrated advanced cancer screening systems may see less impact.
What this research studies
This grant supports building and testing easy-to-use cancer detection tools that can work in primary care and rural clinics. It focuses on identifying real clinical needs, speeding up the development of practical tests, and measuring how well these tools improve patient outcomes in diverse settings. It also includes training for developers and healthcare workers to adopt and scale these technologies. The goal is to make early cancer detection more accessible and affordable for people who currently have limited access to care.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, patients could benefit from earlier cancer detection and more equitable access to effective screening tools.
How similar studies have gone: Other point-of-care cancer tests have shown promise in improving access and timeliness of detection, though wide-scale implementation remains a challenge.
Where this research is happening
-
Rice University
Houston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Richards-Kortum, Rebecca R. — Rice University
- Study coordinator: Richards-Kortum, Rebecca R.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.