Past News

New patent-pending method mass-produces antitumor cells to treat blood diseases and cancer

August 3, 2022

A Purdue University chemical engineer has improved upon traditional methods to produce off-the-shelf human immune cells that show strong antitumor activity, according to a new article.

New patent-pending method mass-produces antitumor cells to treat blood diseases and cancer

Purdue professor develops patent-pending method to treat blood diseases, cancer

August 3, 2022

Xiaoping Bao, an assistant professor of chemical engineering at Purdue University, has improved upon traditional methods of producing off-the-shelf human immune cells that show strong antitumor activity and can be used to treat blood diseases and cancer.

Purdue professor develops patent-pending method to treat blood diseases, cancer

Polytechnic research awards - June 2022

July 25, 2022

NSF I-Corps Hub: Midwest Region Investigator(s): Nathalie Duval-Couetil, Theresa Stellwag Mayer**, Matthew Lynall, Sponsor: University of Michigan; Polytechnic: $87,881.40; Total: $3,081,111

Polytechnic research awards - June 2022

Structural Insights into Viral Budding Unveil Potential Target for Deadly Diseases

July 21, 2022

Scientists headed by teams at La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI) and Purdue University have published the results of a study that they claim represents the first-ever look at a key stage in the life cycles of two paramyxoviruses, measles and Nipah virus. Results from the research offer new insights into viral replication that could help inform future drug discovery efforts. “This work solves a long-standing mystery: how viruses assemble themselves,” said LJI professor Erica Ollmann Saphire, PhD, who served as study co-senior author with professor Robert Stahelin, PhD, of Purdue University.

Structural Insights into Viral Budding Unveil Potential Target for Deadly Diseases

Putting the brakes on “budding” viruses

July 21, 2022

LA JOLLA, CA — Paramyxoviruses have the potential to trigger a devastating pandemic. This family of viruses includes measles, Nipah virus, mumps, Newcastle disease and canine distemper. “The infectiousness of measles is unmatched by any known virus. If one person with measles coughs in a room with 100 unvaccinated people, around 90 would become infected,” says Michael Norris, Ph.D., a former postdoctoral associate at La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI) and current assistant professor at the University of Toronto. “Nipah virus is not as contagious, but it is incredibly lethal, with between 40 percent and 90 percent of infections causing death.” “Just imagine if a paramyxovirus emerged that was as contagious as measles and as deadly as Nipah,” Norris adds. It’s not hard to picture that scenario. In fact, the 2011 film Contagion was based on this exact kind of imagined paramyxovirus. Now Norris and an international team of collaborators have published the first-ever look at a key stage in the life cycles of measles and Nipah viruses. Their new study, published as an upcoming cover story in Science Advances, reveals how future therapies might stop these viruses in their tracks. “This work solves a long-standing mystery: how viruses assemble themselves,” says LJI Professor Erica Ollmann Saphire, Ph.D., who served as study co-senior author with Professor Robert Stahelin, Ph.D., of Purdue University.

Putting the brakes on “budding” viruses

Scientists Created a QR Code That Can Detect Counterfeit Whiskey

July 20, 2022

What if we told you that the next time you take a sip of whiskey, you could be engaging in cutting-edge anti-counterfeit measures? Well, that might soon be the case, as a global research team has created an edible QR code to help distinguish real whiskey from the fake stuff. The tiny tag could be helpful not only with alcoholic beverages, but also with counterfeit pharmaceuticals. “Counterfeit items, such as medicines and alcohol, are big issues around the world,” Young Kim of Purdue University said in a statement. “There are numerous examples of large amounts of fake medications sold throughout the world, which, in some instances, kill people.”

Scientists Created a QR Code That Can Detect Counterfeit Whiskey

Purdue cancer research lab receives $8.5 million estate gift

July 14, 2022

A Purdue professor is sharing his gratitude for a recent financial contribution to his research lab. The one time gift will allow the lab's cancer research to increase significantly. Purdue Chemistry professor Phil Low has received an $8.5 million donation to help fund his lab's work. The donation is an estate gift from former Purdue psychology professor John Capaldi.

Purdue cancer research lab receives $8.5 million estate gift

Crews 'testing' Indiana 9 after fixing 14-inch concrete buckle

July 8, 2022

A section of Indiana 9 in Grant County that has been closed since a 14-inch buckle in the concrete emerged Tuesday could reopen as early as Friday night. “Crews are testing the strength of the roadway,” Indiana Department of Transportation spokesperson Megan DeLucenay said Friday afternoon. “They’re hoping that it could be open tonight.” According to INDOT officials, a combination of heat and humidity caused the pavement to buckle Tuesday as temperatures soared to near 100 degrees in some parts of central Indiana.“The extreme heat can take a toll on our bodies; it can also take a toll on the roads,” DeLucenay said Tuesday. In an interview with WISH-TV, Luna Lu, a professor of civil engineering at Purdue University, explained how the heat caused the concrete base of the highway to buckle.

Crews 'testing' Indiana 9 after fixing 14-inch concrete buckle

Appointments, honors and activities

July 2, 2022

Rahim Rahimi, assistant professor in the School of Materials Engineering, has been selected to take part in the National Academy of Engineering’s The Grainger Foundation Frontiers of Engineering 2022 U.S.-based symposium.

Appointments, honors and activities

UK Study: New Drug Shows Promise Against Toxoplasmosis

July 1, 2022

Findings from a new University of Kentucky College of Medicine study published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry May 28 may lead to a new treatment against Toxoplasma gondii, the parasite that causes toxoplasmosis.

UK Study: New Drug Shows Promise Against Toxoplasmosis