Purdue drug discovery pioneer and LIFT founder recognized posthumously for targeted-therapy research that yielded three FDA-approved medicines
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind., Aug. 31, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The Low Institute for Therapeutics (LIFT) today announced that its Founder, the late Dr. Philip S. Low, has been inducted into the American Chemical Society Division of Medicinal Chemistry (MEDI) Hall of Fame as a member of its 2026 class. Dr. Low is one of five scientists honored this year.
Dr. Low was honored Tuesday, Aug. 25, at the Hall of Fame reception during the ACS Fall 2026 National Meeting in Chicago. Established in 2006, the Hall of Fame recognizes senior investigators for outstanding contributions to medicinal chemistry through research, teaching, or division service. Dr. Low died on March 4, 2026, at the age of 78; his son, Dr. Stewart Low, Executive Director at the Low Institute, accepted the award on his behalf.
Dr. Low's induction follows his selection for the 2026 Alfred Burger Award in Medicinal Chemistry which the American Chemical Society awarded him "for pioneering the design, testing and translation of small-molecule ligand-targeted drugs for the imaging and therapy of many human diseases." Winners of the Burger Award are automatically inducted into the Hall of Fame, placing Dr. Low among past honorees whose discoveries include the ACE-inhibitor class of blood-pressure medicines and other landmark advances in modern medicine.
Dr. Low, Purdue University's Presidential Scholar for Drug Discovery and Ralph C. Corley Distinguished Professor of Chemistry, spent more than five decades pursuing a deceptively simple idea: that targeting treatment to diseased tissue would significantly increase potency and reduce overall systemic side effects. His work on targeted drug conjugates established ligand-targeted therapy as a discipline and produced three FDA-approved products — PLUVICTO®, LOCAMETZ® and CYTALUX® — along with additional investigational medicines now in human trials. He held more than 100 U.S.-issued patents and is listed on 600 U.S. and international patents and 145 invention disclosures and founded seven companies based on Purdue intellectual property. His earlier honors included the American Association for Cancer Research Award for Outstanding Achievement in Chemistry in Cancer Research, election as a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors in 2014, and Purdue's Morrill Award and Order of the Griffin.
About the Low Institute for Therapeutics (LIFT)
The Low Institute for Therapeutics is a nonprofit research organization established to reduce human suffering from disease based on the pioneering work of Dr. Philip Low, Presidential Scholar for Drug Discovery and the Ralph C. Corley Distinguished Professor of Chemistry at Purdue University. The Low Institute is focused on advancing clinical studies of innovative medicines designed to precisely treat a wide range of diseases by preferentially targeting diseased tissue, thereby improving efficacy, reducing side effects and improving patient outcomes. The Institute is focused on diseases which significantly impact human health, including malaria, many types of cancer, chronic kidney disease, pulmonary fibrosis, heart failure, rheumatoid arthritis, organ transplant rejection, fatty liver disease, Alzheimer's disease, sickle cell anemia and bone fractures. For more information, visit www.lowinstitute.org.
Media Contact
Benjamin Lundgren, Low Institute for Therapeutics, 1 7658063060, [email protected], LIFT
SOURCE Low Institute for Therapeutics
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