In the news

October 23, 2025

Researchers identify novel connection between fat accumulation and breast cancer metastasis

When breast cancer metastasizes, or spreads, to other organs in the body, five-year survival rates dip to 32%, compared to more than 99% when the cancer is diagnosed before it has spread, according to the American Cancer Society. This grave statistic drives researchers like Purdue University Department of Nutrition Science postdoctoral scholar Chaylen Andolino and PICR member Dorothy Teegarden to look for treatments to improve breast cancer outcomes.

September 18, 2025 | Purdue News

Subtle cues between cells and immune system contribute to spread of cancer

In the march of metastasis, a molecular trail of crumbs guides some cancer cells from the primary tumor to establish new colonies within the body. Blocking the cells’ ability to follow the trail might halt metastasis but could also meddle with an intricate cellular signaling system critical to immune response. Purdue University scientists are deciphering this signaling system to better understand how it could be used to address multiple diseases, including cancer.

September 5, 2025

Blueprints for a molecular machine more powerful than CRISPR 

The technology known as CRISPR-Cas9 works by cutting DNA, not moving it. At Purdue University, researchers are investigating a similar molecular machine that moves so-called “jumping genes” into new locations in bacterial DNA, laying the groundwork for a more powerful gene-editing tool.

August 29, 2025

Putting the brakes on cancer

Researchers led by a team at Purdue University are exploring a molecular mechanism that curbs the breakneck cell division associated with cancer. Their work opens the door to developing drugs that capitalize on the mechanism’s effects.

August 20, 2025

Metskas one of four Purdue faculty to receive Early Career Development Award from NSF

Four Purdue faculty members, including PICR member and assistant professor of biology and chemistry in the College of Science Lauren Ann Metskas, have been singled out for Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) awards from the National Science Foundation. NSF’s CAREER program provides the foundation’s most prestigious awards in support of early-career faculty who have the potential to serve as academic role models in research and education.

August 18, 2025

New method probes cancer cell messengers that weaken immune system

Certain types of biochemical processes can impair the immune system’s ability to recognize and kill cancer cells. Purdue University’s W. Andy Tao and his associates have developed a new way to study these processes. They demonstrated the validity of their method in experiments involving leukemia and rare liver cancer cell lines.

August 14, 2025

Researchers help bridge brain tumor cesium-131 radiotherapy from humans to canines

The use of cesium-131 “seeds” to combat the reemergence of cancerous tumors has been used in humans for more than 20 years, but a team consisting of current and former Purdue University researchers has modified the form of radiotherapy to also be successful in dogs, according to a recently published study in Radiation.

July 15, 2025 | Purdue Research

Kasinski awarded V Foundation Translational Grant to advance first-in-class targeted RNA therapies

PICR Deputy Director Andrea Kasinski has received a Translational Grant from the V Foundation for Cancer Research to advance novel microRNA (miRNA)-based cancer therapeutics. Her work uses engineered molecules to restore tumor-suppressing miRNAs and deliver them directly to cancer cells, overcoming key barriers in RNA medicine.

Mesecar receives Trask Innovation Fund award

PICR Director Andrew Mesecar has received support from the Trask Innovation Fund, which helps researchers develop Purdue-owned intellectual property for commercial use. Mesecar's work is developing patented enzyme inhibitors into treatments for hepatocellular carcinoma, the most common type of liver cancer.

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

PICR researchers have identified Supinoxin, a small-molecule drug, as a potential new therapy for small-cell lung cancer (SCLC), one of the most aggressive and difficult-to-treat cancers.