January 2020

Episode 4 - With Your Health In Mind

Can FDA-approved drugs treat antibiotic-resistant infections? We talk with a Purdue professor whose work is aimed at answering that question and we learn about the important cancer-fighting work of the Purdue Center for Cancer Research from the center's director.

According to a 2019 Report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “more than 2.8 million antibiotic-resistant infections occur in the U.S. each year, and more than 35,000 people die as a result.” Because it takes more than 10 years for pharmaceutical drugs to be approved and come to market in the United States, Mohammed Seleem and his team screen existing FDA-approved drugs for potential use in treating antibiotic-resistant infections.

In Part 1, Seleem shares his rationale for selecting FDA-approved drugs and explains how they may be a more efficient start to finding solutions for the shortage crisis. While he explains his team’s successes and the challenges with studying antibiotics, he provides steps we can all take to guard ourselves against antibiotic-resistant infections. 

In Part 2, Tim Ratliff, the director of the Purdue Center for Cancer Research, narrates how the personal losses he faced early in his career motivated a significant career change — a change that would have a lasting impact on cancer research worldwide. He now leads the center, one of only seven basic-science cancer centers in the United States. Ratliff shares his passion to participate in and champion discoveries that fight cancer.

After you hear the stories in this episode, please connect with us on our social pages to share your reaction.

Facebook         Instagram         Twitter           LinkedIn 

Online Resources:


Where to listen

Where to Watch

Purdue University, 610 Purdue Mall, West Lafayette, IN 47907, (765) 494-4600

© 2015-21 Purdue University | An equal access/equal opportunity university | Copyright Complaints | Maintained by Office of Strategic Communications

Trouble with this page? Disability-related accessibility issue? Please contact News Service at purduenews@purdue.edu.