At Rice University, we are using modern molecular, genetic, and bioinformatic tools to address such fundamental questions as how plants develop, respond to their environment, sense and respond to signaling molecules, and synthesize an incredible diversity of chemical compounds.  Of particular interest for Rice University, given its close association with the Texas Medical Center, much of plant science and biotechnology is naturally linked to the biomedical field.  For example, nutrition and natural product discovery and/or modification for new drug development are areas of interest for both plant biologists and biomedical researchers. 

The Center for Plant Science at Rice University is focused on fundamental discovery and biotechnology research in plants and plant-based products.  Our work is exploiting the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, in which we can generate thousands of transgenic plants, isolate mutants defective in almost any process, and rapidly clone the genes affected by these mutations.  The Arabidopsis genome is completely sequenced, which enables whole genome analyses, such as transcriptional and protein profiling.  Ultimately, the information gained from these studies will not only increase our basic understanding of plant biology, but may allow the development of improved crops, plants that withstand diverse environmental stresses, and plants that produce valuable compounds, such as anti-cancer agents.