Anthrax may be the next tool in the fight against bladder cancer

November 13, 2019

Anthrax may soon help more people win the fight against bladder cancer, which the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says strikes about 72,000 Americans each year and kills about 16,000, and is one of the most expensive cancers to treat.

The image features three scientific visuals, including an endoscopic view, an ultrasound image, and a microscopy image of a cellular structure. — Pet dogs suffering bladder cancer, for which all other approaches failed, were treated with a Purdue University experimental approach. A: Bladder cystoscopic biopsy being performed in patient dog to investigate tumor characteristics. B: Ultrasound image obtained to record tumor mass dimensions. Sagittal view of the bladder. Arrows point to mass in the neck of the bladder. C: Presence of Epidermal Growth Factor (EGF) Receptor on bladder cancer cells was revealed by binding and uptake of fluorescently labeled EGF (red). Nucleus (blue) and actin cytoskeleton (green) are also shown. (Image Provided)

The current treatments for bladder cancer are invasive for patients – who often must sit for hours at a time with a bladder full of an agent designed to kill cancer cells and tumors. Bladder cancer also is one of the most recurring for people diagnosed with the disease.

Now, researchers at Purdue University have come up with a way to combine the anthrax toxin with a growth factor to kill bladder cancer cells and tumors. The research is published in the Oct. 4 edition of the International Journal of Cancer.

R. Claudio Aguilar and his group worked with the Purdue teams led by Timothy Ratliff, a distinguished professor of comparative pathobiology and the Robert Wallace Miller Director of Purdue University Center for Cancer Research; and Deborah Knapp, the Dolores L. McCall Professor of Comparative Oncology and director of the Purdue Comparative Oncology Program, to test their solution in dogs with bladder cancer who had run out of other treatment options. They found this new agent decreased the tumor size without causing any other side effects in the animals.

Read the full story at Anthrax may be the next tool in the fight against bladder cancer

Recent Stories

Indiana FFA Names PVM’s Julia Wickard as One of Five New Board Members

Executive Director of the Purdue Veterinary Alumni Association and Constituent Liaison Julia Wickard is one of five newly named members of the Indiana FFA Foundation board of directors. The appointments took effect July 1.

Alumnus and Oncology Specialist Dr. Christopher Fulkerson Appointed as Associate Dean for Purdue Veterinary Hospitals

Purdue Veterinary Medicine Dean Bret D. Marsh, DVM, has named Dr. Christopher Fulkerson as Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs and Chief Veterinary Officer for the Purdue Veterinary Hospitals. The appointment was announced July 1, the same day that Dr. Fulkerson’s promotion to full Clinical Professor of Veterinary Medical Oncology took effect.

“Paws Up” for the ADDL Accessioning and Molecular Teams – brought to you by the PVM Wellness Committee

This week, we express our sincere gratitude to our ADDL Accessioning and Molecular Teams (and cross trained individuals).

PVM Dean Bret Marsh Shares College Update with Swine Producers and Industry Partners at Major Swine Event in Indianapolis

Swine Health was the focus of a significant event recently at the Indiana State Fairgrounds in Indianapolis as swine industry partners and swine producers gathered for the National Junior Summer Spectacular (NJSS) and Summer Type Conference (STC). The event was held at the end of June in the Fall Creek Pavillion and included a Swine Health Briefing that featured swine industry and veterinary medicine leaders including Purdue Veterinary Medicine Dean Bret Marsh, who also had an opportunity to provide an update on the College of Veterinary Medicine.

2026 Annual Recognition Ceremony Honors VCS Residents, Graduate Students, and PVH Interns

On Monday, June 29, 2026, more than 100 faculty and staff from the Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences and the Purdue University Veterinary Hospital gathered at Thomas Duncan Hall for the 2026 Resident and Intern Recognition Ceremony. This annual event provides a great opportunity to honor and celebrate the contributions of the residents, interns, and graduate students who are completing their programs this summer.

New Administrative Assistant Joins PVM Office of Student Success

The Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine welcomes Charity Holden as the new administrative assistant in the Office of Student Success.

“Paws Up” for Scott Fix – brought to you by the PVM Wellness Committee

This week we are highlighting Scott Fix who is the Lead Facilities Manager in the Department of Veterinary Administration.

Remembering Zeus: A Legacy of Loyalty and Love

We continue our series of articles about animals and their owners who’ve found help and healing at the Purdue University Veterinary Hospital by sharing the story of a beloved dog named Zeus. For Amy Fitzsimmons-Blaising, Zeus wasn’t just a dog, he was her spirit animal and best friend. A proud Giant Schnauzer bred in Bedford, Indiana, Zeus had been the heart of Amy’s home for 11 unforgettable years. Then, in October 2024, Zeus’s health challenges began, when he started coughing and showing signs that looked like seizures. After rushing him to a local veterinary urgent care facility, Amy learned he was in congestive heart failure, and she turned to the Purdue University Veterinary Hospital for help.

PVM Scholar Receives Purdue WGHI Pilot Grant Aimed at Advancing Women’s Health

Purdue University’s Women’s Global Health Institute (WGHI) has announced six pilot research grant awards aimed at solving critical problems in women’s health and quality of life, and one of recipients is Purdue Veterinary Medicine faculty member Viju Vijayan Pillai. Dr. Pillai is assistant professor of anatomic pathology in the College of Veterinary Medicine’s Department of Comparative Pathobiology.

The universal socket set of vaccines: Innovative technology heralds more effective, more efficient vaccines

You fight fire with fire. And Purdue Veterinary Medicine vaccine expert Suresh Mittal fights viruses with viruses. Using innovative techniques, Dr. Mittal, Distinguished Professor of Virology in the College of Veterinary Medicine’s Department of Comparative Pathobiology, develops novel vaccines for viral infections including avian influenza.