Purdue Institute for Cancer Research

09/14/2025

Don’t miss the next issue of Pathways to Innovation. Get Purdue cancer research discoveries—and stories of the scientists behind them—straight to your inbox. 📨

Stay in the loop as the Purdue Institute for Cancer Research (PICR) shares news and updates on the discoveries, people, and progress shaping the future of cancer research. Subscribe to our newsletter to follow the latest breakthroughs and learn how PICR i

09/10/2025

🎉 We're proud to share that the Purdue Institute for Cancer Research has earned three 2025 Muse Creative Awards for excellence in integrated marketing:

🏆 Gold - Integrated Marketing Campaign
🏆 Gold - Integrated Marketing, Nonprofit
🥈 Silver - Brand Transformation / Repositioning

These honors recognize the creativity and strategy behind our "From Start to Finishing Cancer" campaign, which elevates the profile of the PICR as a basic laboratory cancer center and spotlights the vital impact of our investigators and their research in advancing cancer breakthroughs.

09/05/2025

CRISPR rewrote the rules. The transpososome could rewrite the future.

A team of Purdue scientists, led by cancer institute member Leifu Chang, captured this gene-inserting machine in atomic detail, paving the way for powerful new possibilities in genome editing.

“In general, breaking DNA to achieve genome editing is not ideal,” Chang said. “The transposon system is a more efficient approach because the proteins insert DNA seamlessly, so that avoids the harmful consequence of breaking DNA.”

Purdue Science

09/05/2025

💛 Today we gathered for a memorial seminar honoring the life and impact of Chang-Deng Hu, who passed away from a rare form of cancer in 2022. Hu was a cancer institute co-leader and professor in the Purdue Borch Dept of MCMP who dedicated his life to the pursuit of developing novel therapeutics for cancer treatment. A deeply respected professor whose impact and energy resonated with students and colleagues alike, his work continues to inspire new questions and new discoveries, reminding us of the enduring power of scientific inquiry.

Zhong-Yin Zhang, head of the Borch Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology and Distinguished Professor of Medicinal Chemistry College of Pharmacy, gave today's presentation, titled "Approaches to Tackle Difficult-to-Drug Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase Targets for Novel Anticancer Agents."

Thank you to the research community for joining us today and honoring Dr. Hu.

08/30/2025

The fight against cancer takes the field on Oct. 4.🎗🏈

Join us on when Purdue faces Illinois at Ross-Ade Stadium for the annual Hammer Down Cancer football game. https://purdue.link/hammer_down

08/28/2025

To leverage a system that nature designed, we must first understand it.

With research recently published in the journal Science, a team of researchers led by Purdue Institute for Cancer Research member Danzhou Yang is exploring a molecular mechanism that curbs the breakneck cell division associated with . The team's work opens the door to developing drugs that capitalize on the mechanism’s effects.

Purdue College of Pharmacy | Purdue Innovates

08/25/2025

Lafayette native and Purdue University graduate Shelby Sliger earned a prestigious National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship in 2025. Sliger was one of 57 undergraduates, graduate students and alumni who received the prestigious national recognition, underscoring Purdue’s leadership in research and innovation.

Best wishes to Shelby Sliger as she takes the next step in her journey: a PhD in with a focus on cancer research at the University of Michigan.

Purdue Agriculture | Purdue Biochemistry |

08/25/2025

The year ahead starts now.
🚂 Welcome back, Boilermakers!

08/21/2025

We're counting down. ⏱️

Hammer Down Cancer brings the Purdue community together to support lifesaving cancer research. Through exciting athletic events and fan-driven fundraisers, this initiative rallies Boilermakers to take…

08/20/2025

🎉 Congrats to Lauren Ann Metskas, a Purdue Institute for Cancer Research member and assistant professor of biology and chemistry in Purdue Science!

Metskas is among four faculty singled out to receive a National Science Foundation (NSF) Early Career Development (CAREER) award — a prestigious award in support of early-career faculty who have the potential to serve as academic role models in research and education.

08/19/2025

“This is the first time it’s ever been done.”

Purdue researchers adapted cesium-131 radiotherapy to treat a dog’s brain tumor. This brachytherapy method could be a new alternative to extending the life of man’s best friend.

The team included Purdue Institute for Cancer Research member and assistant professor in Purdue University College of Health and Human Sciences Matt Scarpelli. This pioneering research is part of Purdue University's One Health initiative, which advances research at the intersection of human, animal and plant health. Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine & Veterinary Hospital

08/18/2025

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the deadliest breast cancer subtype and among the most difficult cancers to treat.

A team led by Kyle Cottrell, a Purdue Institute for Cancer Research member and assistant professor of biochemistry in Purdue Agriculture, has identified a promising therapeutic target: the protein PACT. By disrupting PACT, the team was able to trigger stress pathways that killed TNBC cells. The findings, which are available online in advance of publication in RNA, offer hope for developing more effective treatments against this aggressive cancer.

Congrats to Kyle Cottrell, PhD, first author and grad student in Cottrell's lab Addison Young, and all co-authors. For several of the co-authors, this is their first publication!

Purdue Biochemistry