Purdue’s expansive cancer-fighting efforts reflected in new name

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – After almost 45 years of groundbreaking multidisciplinary cancer research, the Purdue Center for Cancer Research is changing its name to the Purdue Institute for Cancer Research.

“The elevation of the Purdue Center for Cancer Research to a university-level institute signals its high priority within our research ecosystem,” said Theresa Mayer, executive vice president for research and partnerships.

As one of only seven National Cancer Institute-designated Basic Laboratory Cancer Centers in the U.S., the institute, currently led by interim director Andrew Mesecar, generated more than 150 patents during the past decade and its members have over 40 drugs in various stages of development. Purdue Institute for Cancer Research members currently have 11 drugs in clinical trials and has had three drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration in the past two months alone.

The name change reflects decades of continual growth and diversification of the center’s efforts to improve cancer diagnosis, treatment and care through basic, cellular-level research. Multiple cancer technologies have been pioneered at Purdue to improve the clarity of magnetic resonance imaging, detect sensitivities to chemotherapy and illuminate cancer cells during surgery to ensure complete cancer removal.

The new institute designation also aligns with Purdue’s health and life sciences institutes that include the Institute for Drug Discovery; Institute for Inflammation, Immunology and Infectious Diseases; Institute for Integrative Neuroscience; and the Institute for Plant Sciences. As an institute, it can house centers that focus more intensively on particular types of cancer or technology areas.

Writer/Media contact: Amy Raley, araley@purdue.edu

Source: Theresa Mayer, tsmayer@purdue.edu