March 5, 2024
From studying animal science to elevating cancer research to helping health science investigators, Purdue University Department of Nutrition Science alumna Lynn Adams has always had one goal in mind: to make an impact. As a program director in the Outcomes Research Branch in the National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, Adams helps researchers as they secure National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding to unlock new cancer knowledge and treatments.
FROM EXPLORING CELLS TO HELPING RESEARCHERS, HHS DISTINGUISHED ALUMNA ADVANCES CANCER RESEARCH
March 5, 2024
Tao and his associates have begun developing a patent-pending EV method for detecting proteins involved in drug absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion (ADME). “If successful, this would be tremendously beneficial, especially for drug development companies,” Tao said. Tao and 10 co-authors from Purdue and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, published the details of their method in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Nexus. The lead authors were Purdue alumnus Xiaofeng Wu and Menchus Quan, a Purdue doctoral student in biological sciences. According to Tao and his co-authors, the method may also lend itself to monitoring a patient’s drug metabolic performance and how drugs interact with each other. Both are key aspects of personalized medicine.
Purdue researchers explore noninvasive method for sampling drug response
March 5, 2024
Researchers led by Purdue University's Professor W. Andy Tao have made a groundbreaking advancement in personalized medicine through the development of a new application for extracellular vesicles (EVs). These biochemical messengers could soon play a crucial role in routinely sampling the body's reaction to various prescription drugs, potentially revolutionizing the way drug efficacy and interactions are monitored.
Purdue Team Develops Novel Method Using Extracellular Vesicles for Drug Response Monitoring
March 3, 2024
Have you ever wondered why some cancer treatments work for some patients but not for others? This question lies at the heart of a new study conducted by researchers at Purdue University. They’ve embarked on a mission to unlock the mysteries of chemoresistance — the phenomenon where cancer patients’ bodies resist the effects of chemotherapy.
A New Frontier in Cancer Treatment: Understanding Chemoresistance
March 1, 2024
Purdue University researchers have developed a patented therapeutic strategy for Lowe syndrome, an incurable and rare genetic disorder, by repurposing two drugs previously approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for other conditions.
March 1, 2024
Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer diagnosis in the United States, excluding skin cancers, according to the American Cancer Society, with more than 150,000 new cases of colon or rectal cancer being estimated for 2024. While the increased number of people receiving screenings has reduced overall colorectal cancer incidence, early onset colorectal cancer cases have continued to climb. Patricia Wolf, assistant professor in Purdue University’s Department of Nutrition Science, is working to reduce this statistic, particularly for marginalized and underserved communities. With a recent $917,000 grant from the American Cancer Society, Wolf is exploring how the metabolism of cysteine, a protein in the diet, interacts with the gut microbiome, or the microorganisms that make up the human digestive tract, to influence colorectal cancer incidence.
NUTRITION SCIENCE RESEARCHER EXPLORES COLORECTAL CANCER DISPARITIES THROUGH DIET, GUT MICROBIOME RESEARCH
March 1, 2024
Severe heterogeneity within glioblastoma has spurred the notion that disrupting the interplay between multiple elements on immunosuppression is at the core of meaningful anti-tumor responses. T cell immunoreceptor with Ig and ITIM domains (TIGIT) and its glioblastoma-associated antigen, CD155, form a highly immunosuppressive axis in glioblastoma and other solid tumors, yet targeting of TIGIT, a functionally heterogeneous receptor on tumor-infiltrating immune cells, has largely been ineffective as monotherapy, suggesting that disruption of its inhibitory network might be necessary for measurable responses.
synNotch-programmed iPSC-derived NK cells usurp TIGIT and CD73 activities for glioblastoma therapy
February 29, 2024
Amplified Sciences, a clinical-stage life sciences diagnostic company that licenses Purdue University innovations, has received $108,000 in two investments from the Flywheel Fund to develop its tests for early, more accurate detection of challenging diseases, starting with pancreatic cancer.
Amplified Sciences receives $108K Flywheel Fund investment to develop pancreatic cancer diagnostics
February 29, 2024
West Lafayette-based life sciences startup Amplified Sciences has secured more funding to further develop its pancreatic cancer diagnostic platform. The company has received two investments totaling $108,000 from the Flywheel Fund, which provides capital for early-stage and high-potential startups in Indiana. Amplified Sciences’ platform uses patented dyes that can detect biomarkers in a small amount of pancreatic cyst fluid. It is based on the work of Dr. Jo Davisson, a professor of medicinal chemistry and molecular pharmacology at Purdue University.
February 29, 2024
Lowe syndrome is a rare, incurable multisystem disorder that causes anomalies in the eye, nervous system, and kidneys. Researchers at Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, are in the process of testing 2 drugs previously approved by the FDA to treat Lowe syndrome, and the early results are showing promise. R. Claudio Aguilar, PhD, a Purdue University researcher in the Department of Biological Sciences, developed this patented therapeutic strategy for the disease that involves repurposing of rapamycin and statins that may be able to reverse the symptoms of the syndrome and provide patients with a higher quality of life.
Potential treatments for Lowe Syndrome with previously FDA-approved therapies
