Top 5 stories from Purdue University

‘Purdue News Now’

Ahead of Purdue’s Day of Giving April 30, Trevor Peters has the latest Boilermaker news in this week’s edition of “Purdue News Now” — including honors for President Mung Chiang and two faculty members and a preview of “The Greatest Spectacle in College Racing.”

Plus, check out five good stories below you may have missed.

Purdue trustee Dave Ricks named 2025 CEO of the Year

Chief Executive magazine announced April 7 that Dave Ricks, chair and CEO of Eli Lilly and Company, has been named 2025 Chief Executive of the Year. Ricks is the newest member of the Purdue University Board of Trustees and began his two-year term in January. Ricks became chair and CEO of Lilly in 2017. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Purdue in 1990 and an MBA from Indiana University in 1996. He has been awarded an honorary doctorate in pharmaceutical management from Purdue.

Media contact: Erin Murphy, ermurphy@purdue.edu

Breast cancer drug Supinoxin shows potential for small-cell lung cancer in new tests

Purdue University scientists have identified the Supinoxin small-molecule drug as a possible new therapy for small-cell lung cancer. Elizabeth Tran, professor of biochemistry in the College of Agriculture, and co-principal investigator Bennett Elzey, associate research professor of comparative pathobiology in the College of Veterinary Medicine, have published their results in the journal iScience. The team suggests that Supinoxin will more effectively treat tumors when combined with another therapeutic. The latest experiments probed the effects of Supinoxin on DDX5 protein activity in cancerous human cell lines and in an animal model.

Media contact: Erin Murphy, ermurphy@purdue.edu

Purdue’s mechanical engineering program in Indianapolis making swift strides

Since its founding 143 years ago, Purdue University’s School of Mechanical Engineering has taken a giant leap. What started with one student in 1882 is now the largest mechanical engineering school in the nation, enrolling over 4,000 undergraduate and graduate students. It has been ranked in the top 10 by U.S. News & World Report for more than 30 years, with both the graduate and undergraduate programs currently ranked seventh in the nation. In addition to the reputation of excellence earned by Purdue’s mechanical engineering curriculum, faculty and students, several factors are contributing to the growth of the program in Indianapolis.

Media contact: Derek Schultz, dcschultz@purdue.edu

AP video — Why is Alzheimer’s more common in women?

Peristera (Perry) Paschou is a professor and interim head of biological sciences at Purdue University. In this video, she explains what Alzheimer’s disease is, why it develops in women more than men, and how her research seeks to understand and treat the disease. Paschou says women are at a higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s than men. Since women tend to live longer, the disease has more time to develop. There are also biological differences in genes, brain structure and hormones that may play a role.

Media contact: Trevor Peters, peter237@purdue.edu

Identical twin alumnae help Blue Origin, New Glenn shoot for the stars

While monitoring the proceedings from computer consoles at Cape Canaveral, Dayle and Claire Alexander were understandably thrilled to watch Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket soar into orbit. Successfully reaching orbit was a critical step in Blue Origin’s advancement in the commercial space race, and on Jan. 16, the New Glenn team got there on their first launch attempt. As senior propulsion engineers responsible for New Glenn’s upper-stage BE-3U engines, the Alexanders had contributed to this massive accomplishment.

Media contact: Erin Murphy, ermurphy@purdue.edu

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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.