Rice University Bioengineering

A new AI-powered microscope developed by Rice faculty and collaborators at UT MD Anderson Cancer Center could revolutionize early cancer detection.

PrecisionView, developed in part by Rebecca Richards-Kortum, Rice bioengineer and director of Rice360 Institute for Global Health Technologies, is a handheld endomicroscope that overcomes limitations in medical imaging by combining advanced optics with deep learning.

“Early detection is one of the most critical factors in improving cancer outcomes, but today’s tools often force clinicians to choose between detail and coverage,” said Rebecca Richards-Kortum. “With PrecisionView, we no longer have to make that trade-off — we can see both clearly and in real time.”
Rice University Electrical & Computer Engineering chair Ashok Veeraraghavan is a co-author along with Richard-Kortum on this study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Huayu Hou, a graduate student in Richards-Kortum’s Optical Spectroscopy and Imaging Laboratory, is an author on the paper. https://news.rice.edu/news/2026/ai-powered-handheld-microscope-aims-spot-cancer-earlier

Today we celebrate Rice Bioengineering's 2026 graduating class!

We began the day with an Order of the Engineer induction ceremony, where graduates made the commitment to pursue their careers with ethics and integrity.

After the ceremony, we celebrated with graduates, families, faculty and alumni as the next generation of Rice Bioengineering Owls takes flight. Congratulations, Class of 2026! 🦉 🎓