Blazing a new trail for early-stage innovation: Purdue announces creation of Low Institute for Therapeutics (LIFT) through a generous gift by Phil and Joan Low

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Prostate cancer. Malaria. Influenza. All diseases one step closer to eradication thanks to the tireless, lifelong efforts of professor Philip Low. Now he’s planning to usher his world-changing innovations into a new era.

The creation of the Low Institute for Therapeutics (LIFT) was announced Tuesday (April 29) at an event on campus. The institute will work toward accelerating lifesaving therapeutics from the lab and into the world by funding necessary early-stage trials in partnership with Purdue University and Purdue Research Foundation.

Low is Purdue’s Presidential Scholar for Drug Discovery, the Ralph C. Corley Distinguished Professor of Chemistry in the College of Science, and a faculty member in the Purdue Institute for Drug Discovery and the Purdue Institute for Cancer Research. Low holds 101 U.S.-issued patents through the Purdue Innovates Office of Technology Commercialization (OTC). He has also founded seven companies based on Purdue-developed intellectual property, with one exit, Endocyte, which sold in a $2.1 billion deal with Novartis and led to the development of the cancer therapy Pluvicto.

With the institute, he seeks to replicate the success he’s had moving from research to commercialization in multiple startups — Endocyte, but also On Target Laboratories, Eradivir, Umoja and others. The institute will share Low’s research-to-commercialization expertise with the broader Purdue ecosystem.

“I believe that I have an obligation to develop lifesaving innovations that improve quality of life,” Low said. “My career has always been in pursuit of that goal, and now I’d like to ensure others can do the same. LIFT is a chance to ‘fill the gap,’ getting over the hurdle of funding necessary trials that can often stymie progress for early-stage therapeutics.”

The institute will license promising Purdue intellectual property from the OTC to help advance these technologies into clinical development. From there, they may serve as the foundation for new startup companies or be licensed directly to major pharmaceutical companies for further development. The ultimate goal aligns with Low’s life mission: to bring these drugs to market for the benefit of patients worldwide.

Low and his wife, Joan Low, will donate $20 million over the next five years to support the institute’s mission. The timing of Purdue Day of Giving is a perfect opportunity to motivate additional donors to support the institute. This year’s event will take place Wednesday (April 30). To contribute to the institute on Purdue Day of Giving, please click here.

“Purdue Day of Giving unites Boilermakers around the world,” Low said. “That’s why I saw this as the ideal moment to spotlight the critical importance of therapeutics research and the ongoing need for funding. As researchers, we carry a deep responsibility to pursue work that truly improves lives — a calling that reflects the essence of Purdue Day of Giving and the university’s broader mission.”

“The Low Institute for Therapeutics is a new model for research at universities through private capital in an innovative approach of philanthropy,” said Purdue President Mung Chiang. “Professor Low has been a hero in the world of medicine and chemistry, and we are immensely proud of his research contributions as well as this generous gift on 2025 Purdue Day of Giving as part of the ‘Victories & Heroes’ campaign. Furthermore, as a cornerstone of the One Health strategic initiative and an exemplary success of Purdue Innovates, LIFT will accelerate and amplify lifesaving opportunities.” For Low’s vital work at Purdue, President Chiang presented him with the Order of the Griffin, one of Purdue’s highest honors.

Low’s research advances Purdue’s One Health mission, which drives innovation at the intersection of human, animal and plant health.

“Purdue has one of the most expansive technology transfer programs in the U.S., and Dr. Low’s prolific innovation is a foundational piece of that program,” said Chad Pittman, president and CEO of Purdue Research Foundation. “Purdue Research Foundation looks forward to building on the success of our therapeutic commercialization efforts by supporting the institute and the innovators who will be a part of it.”

Low has spent many years working closely with the OTC to find the winning formula for bringing innovation to the market. In that capacity, he has worked with Brooke Beier, senior vice president of Purdue Innovates, who will be a founding board member of LIFT.

“It has been an honor to work with Dr. Low over the past decade on commercializing the groundbreaking intellectual property from his laboratory,” Beier said. “LIFT is a testament to his lasting legacy, driven by a commitment to improving patients’ lives. By creating and generously supporting LIFT, he has built a pathway to advance multiple Purdue discoveries simultaneously from the lab to patients. His unwavering drive to make a difference inspires all of us who have had the privilege to work alongside him.”

Low will be a board member, as will Dr. Karson Putt, the managing director of the Purdue Institute for Drug Discovery.

LIFT will also reflect Low’s commitment to Purdue’s legacy, with his son Dr. Stewart Low serving as the head of the institute.

The anticipated location of the institute will be in the Purdue Research Park.

About the Low Institute for Therapeutics

The Low Institute for Therapeutics is a nonprofit research organization established to reduce human suffering from disease based on the pioneering work of Dr. Philip Low, Presidential Scholar for Drug Discovery and the Ralph C. Corley Distinguished Professor of Chemistry at Purdue University. The Low Institute is focused on advancing clinical studies of innovative medicines designed to precisely treat a wide range of diseases by preferentially targeting diseased tissue, thereby improving efficacy, reducing side effects and improving patient outcomes. The institute is focused on diseases which significantly impact human health, including malaria, many types of cancer, chronic kidney disease, pulmonary fibrosis, heart failure, rheumatoid arthritis, organ transplant rejection, fatty liver disease, Alzheimer’s disease, sickle cell anemia and bone fractures. 

About Purdue Innovates Office of Technology Commercialization

The Purdue Innovates Office of Technology Commercialization operates one of the most comprehensive technology transfer programs among leading research universities in the U.S. Services provided by this office support the economic development initiatives of Purdue University and benefit the university’s academic activities through commercializing, licensing and protecting Purdue intellectual property. In fiscal year 2024, the office reported 145 deals finalized with 224 technologies signed, 466 invention disclosures received and 290 U.S. and international patents received. The office is managed by the Purdue Research Foundation, which received the 2019 Innovation and Economic Prosperity Universities Award for Place from the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities. In 2020, IPWatchdog Institute ranked Purdue third nationally in startup creation and in the top 20 for patents. The Purdue Research Foundation is a private, nonprofit foundation created to advance the mission of Purdue University. Contact otcip@prf.org for more information.

About Purdue University  

Purdue University is a public research university leading with excellence at scale. Ranked among top 10 public universities in the United States, Purdue discovers, disseminates and deploys knowledge with a quality and at a scale second to none. More than 107,000 students study at Purdue across multiple campuses, locations and modalities, including more than 58,000 at our main campus in West Lafayette and Indianapolis. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue’s main campus has frozen tuition 14 years in a row. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap — including its comprehensive urban expansion, the Mitch Daniels School of Business, Purdue Computes and the One Health initiative — at https://www.purdue.edu/president/strategic-initiatives.