Houston Nobel Prize nominee earns latest award for public health research

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Dr. Peter Hotez with Dr. Maria Elena Bottazzi. Photo courtesy of TMC

Houston vaccine scientist Dr. Peter Hotez can add one more prize to his shelf.

Hotez — dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine and professor of Pediatrics and Molecular Virology & Microbiology at Baylor College of Medicine, co-director of the Texas Children’s Center for Vaccine Development (CVD) and Texas Children’s Hospital Endowed Chair of Tropical Pediatrics — is no stranger to impressive laurels. In 2022, he was even nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize for his low-cost COVID vaccine.

His first big win of 2025 is this year’s Hill Prize, awarded by the Texas Academy of Medicine, Engineering, Science and Technology (TAMEST).

Hotez and his team were selected to receive $500,000 from Lyda Hill Philanthropies to help fund The Texas Virosphere Project. The endeavor was born to help create a predictive disease atlas relating to climate disasters. Because the climate crisis has ushered in changes to the distribution of diseases, including dengue, chikungunya, Zika, Chagas disease, typhus and tick-borne relapsing fever, it’s important to predict outbreaks before they become a menace.

Rice University researchers are collaborating with Hotez and his team on a project that combines climate science and metagenomics to access 3,000 insect genomes. The goal is to aid health departments in controlling disease and informing policy.

The Hill Prize, which is being awarded to six innovators for the first time, thanks to a $10 million commitment from the philanthropic organization, is intended to back ideas that are high-risk and high-reward. Each of the projects was chosen for its potential real-life impact on some of Texas's — and the world’s — most challenging situations. Hotez’s prize is the first Hill Prize to be given in the realm of public health. The additional winners are:

  • Hill Prize in Medicine: Kenneth M. Hargreaves, D.D.S., Ph.D., The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
  • Hill Prize in Engineering: Joan Frances Brennecke, Ph.D. (NAE), The University of Texas at Austin
  • Hill Prize in Biological Sciences: David J. Mangelsdorf, Ph.D. (NAM, NAS), UT Southwestern Medical Center
  • Hill Prize in Physical Sciences: James Chelikowsky, Ph.D., The University of Texas at Austin
  • Hill Prize in Technology: Robert De Lorenzo, M.D., EmergenceMed, LLC
Read about other Houston-area researchers recognized by TAMEST here.
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The Texas Heart Institute is hosting a conference to educate the health care community about Cardiometabolic Syndrome. Photo courtesy of THI

Houston health care organization to host conference about cardiac health crisis

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Cardiometabolic Syndrome (CMS) is a major danger to public health around the world. No one knows this better than the Texas Heart Institute, which will host its first Cardiometabolic Syndrome Conference on Friday, August 23.

The conference’s subtitle, “A population health crisis” brings home the unpleasant reality that many recent projections anticipate drastic growth for the condition.

CMS is a combination of interrelated metabolic maladies that are risk factors not just for cardiovascular disease, but also fatty liver disease and cancer. According to THI, the underlying conditions for CMS may include hypertension, insulin resistance and type II diabetes, elevated serum lipids, and obesity, all increasingly common among the global population.

The conference will address the crisis with the help of Arianna Huffington, the founder and CEO of Thrive Global and former editor in chief of The Huffington Post Media Group. Thrive's behavior change technology may be a possible step in the right direction to prevent CMS.

“We are at a pivotal moment in the fight against cardiometabolic syndrome,” Huffington says in a press release. “This conference is not just a gathering of experts, but a catalyst for innovative thinking and actionable solutions. By integrating diverse perspectives and harnessing the collective expertise of our attendees, we can transform disease prevention strategies and improve health outcomes globally.”

THI experts will both lead the conference and participate in discussions. The co-directors are renowned cardiologists, Dr. Joseph G. Rogers, CEO and president of The Texas Heart Institute, and Dr. Stephanie Coulter, medical director for THI Center for Women’s Heart & Vascular Health. Topics will include screening and treatment guidelines, the impact of CMS on children, and integrating social determinants of health into clinical practice. Health professionals among the attendees will include cardiologists, hepatologists and endocrinologists.

“We must transcend traditional healthcare solutions to effectively tackle the rising burden of cardiometabolic syndrome,” says Rogers. “By bringing together key stakeholders and encouraging collaboration among multidisciplinary healthcare professionals, we aim to ignite groundbreaking ideas and forge novel strategies to combat this pressing health crisis."

Speaking of novel technologies, THI and BiVACOR this month reported that they successfully implanted the company's first Total Artificial Heart in a human at Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center in the TMC.

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Houston universities launch summer 2025 accelerators for student ventures

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OwlSpark, a startup and small business accelerator for Rice University-affiliated ventures, has named the latest 11 companies to its program that focus on challenges across technology, health care, consumer products and other sectors. The program is hosted in tandem with the University of Houston’s RED Labs and will take place at the Ion.

The early-stage accelerator runs for 12 weeks and culminates at The Bayou Startup Showcase on July 31.

According to a news release from Rice, “the accelerator cultivates a vibrant environment where founders are empowered to build, test, and scale their ideas in a setting built for entrepreneurship.”

The program is divided into two tracks: one for high-growth tech startups and another for small businesses.

The latest OwlSpark class includes:

  • Web and mobile platform EasilyBEE, which boosts family and community engagement in K-12 schools
  • Diagnos, a wearable-integrated wellness platform that monitors health and prevents injuries in college athletes
  • Johnnie, an AI-powered records management software for rural and midsize first responder agencies
  • JustKindHumility, which offers faith-based travel journals
  • Klix, whichautomates early-stage clinical trial management from document screening to AI-driven patient outreach and eligibility checks
  • Lizzy’s Gourmet Gains, which offers high-protein, flavor-forward dips and dressings
  • NextStep, an AI-powered multilingual assistant helping underserved communities navigate resources for health care
  • A catheter-integrated sensor device PeriShield, which detects early infection in peritoneal dialysis patients
  • Right Design, which connects creatives with vetted employers, mentors and projects via job matching and commissions
  • UCoreAlly, which provides business support for biotech startups in marketing, business development, customer support, human resources and accounting
  • Ultrasound-based ablation system VentriTech that treats ventricular arrhythmias

The Owl Spark accelerator has supported 229 founders and launched 104 ventures with participants raising more than $116 million in funding since 2013, according to Rice.

Tesla's robotaxi service 'tentatively' to launch in Austin in June, Musk says

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Elon Musk says Tesla is “tentatively” set to begin providing robotaxi service in Austin on June 22.

In a post on his X social media platform, Musk said the date could change because Tesla is “being super paranoid about safety.”

Investors, Wall Street analysts and Tesla enthusiasts have been anticipating the rollout of the driverless cabs since Musk said earlier this year that the service would launch in Austin sometime in June.

Last month, Musk told CNBC that the taxis will be remotely monitored at first and “geofenced” to certain areas of the city deemed the safest to navigate. He said he expected to initially run 10 or so taxis, increase that number rapidly and start offering the service in Los Angeles, San Antonio, San Francisco and other cities.

Musk has been promising fully autonomous, self-driving vehicles “next year” for a decade, but the pressure is on now as Tesla actually begins to operate a self-driving taxi service.

Sales of Tesla’s electric vehicles have sagged due to increased competition, the retooling of its most popular car, the Model Y, and the fallout from Musk’s turn to politics.

The Austin rollout also comes after Musk had a public blowup with President Donald Trump over the administration’s tax bill. Some analysts have expressed concern that Trump could retaliate by encouraging federal safety regulators to to step in at any sign of trouble for the robotaxis.

Houston falls in new ranking of world's best startup ecosystems

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Houston fell out of the top 50 in this year’s ranking of the cities with the world’s best startup ecosystems.

In the 2025 Global Startup Ecosystem Index, published by economic research platform StartupBlink, Houston lands at No. 52 among the world’s top cities for startup ecosystems. That’s down four places from its No. 48 showing in 2024.

In the U.S., Houston’s startup ecosystem ranks 18th, up one spot from 2024.

According to the StartupBlink index, Houston’s startup ecosystem notched an annual growth rate of 13.4 percent. StartupBlink’s sample database contains 899 Houston startups.

Regardless of Houston’s ecosystem ranking, the Greater Houston Partnership touts the city’s startup scene.

“Houston’s innovation ecosystem is a dynamic hub that nurtures startups across diverse industries,” says the partnership. “With a strategic location, robust infrastructure, and a supportive community, Houston offers unparalleled opportunities for entrepreneurial success.”

Elsewhere in Texas, Austin ranks 16th in the world (up from No. 17 last year) and Dallas ranks 27th (down from No. 25 last year). Nationally, Austin appears at No. 6 (up from No. 7 last year) and Dallas appears at No. 10 (unchanged from last year).

StartupBlink says that between 2021 and 2025, Austin, Paris, Singapore, Tokyo, Shenzhen and Seoul emerged as long-run winners in the global top 20. Austin recorded an annual ecosystem growth rate of 24.1 percent.

San Francisco topped this year’s global list, followed by New York City, London, Los Angeles, and Beijing.

“Successful startups and unicorns often emerge from the top startup ecosystems as these cities offer dozens of advantages, including access to investors, high-quality clients, potential co-founders and team members, reliable suppliers, and a vast knowledge base,” says StartupBlink.

Overall, StartupBlink analyzed 1,473 cities. The index judges cities based on data in three categories:

  • Quantity, measuring an ecosystem’s level of activity.
  • Quality, gauging an ecosystem’s impact and success.
  • Business environment, evaluating overall support of startup growth.

“The ecosystem in which your startup operates matters,” StartupBlink says. “If you find yourself in an underperforming ecosystem that lacks the necessary resources and support, you are faced with a choice: either relocate to an overperforming location or lead it.”

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