July 23, 2026

Cushman honored for lifetime of drug discovery in advanced cancer, HIV therapeutics

Mark Cushman, Distinguished Professor Emeritus in Purdue University’s College of Pharmacy, has been inducted into the American Chemical Society (ACS) Division of Medicinal Chemistry (MEDI) Hall of Fame, one of the field’s highest honors recognizing sustained excellence and lasting contributions to medicinal chemistry.

Established in 2006, the ACS MEDI Hall of Fame recognizes scientists whose research, teaching and service have made extraordinary and enduring contributions to medicinal chemistry. Hall of Fame inductees are selected through a competitive nomination process or based on receipt of one of the division’s premier awards.

“I’ve been fortunate to spend my career working alongside outstanding students, colleagues and collaborators who share a passion for solving difficult biomedical problems,” Cushman said. “This honor recognizes not only the discoveries we’ve made, but also the generations of scientists who helped make them possible. Whether developing new treatments for cancer, HIV or other diseases, I’ve always believed that medical science is most rewarding when it makes a difference for people.

“What I particularly love about medicinal chemistry is that it involves the creation of entirely new pharmacologically active molecules that do not exist in the known universe unless we put them there. What could be more exciting than that?”

Cushman joined Purdue’s College of Pharmacy faculty in 1975 and has spent five decades in the Borch Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology advancing medicinal chemistry through innovative drug discovery research, mentorship and scientific leadership. His research has focused on the design and synthesis of small molecules targeting cancer, infectious diseases and other significant health challenges, resulting in 341 peer-reviewed publications and 44 patents that document the construction of mechanism probes for over 40 drug receptors.

Among his many scientific achievements, Cushman pioneered the Castagnoli-Cushman reaction, an important synthetic method in organic chemistry, published the first HIV integrase inhibitor and led the discovery and development of several promising anticancer compounds, including indotecan (LMP400), indimitecan (LMP776) and LMP744. These three anticancer agents, which were designed and synthesized in his laboratory, have completed Phase I clinical trials at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and LMP744 has recently been promoted to a Phase II clinical trial at the NIH for treatment of glioblastoma. His work provided the intellectual property basis for the founding of Gibson Oncology, LLC, a startup pharmaceutical company where Cushman owns a financial stake, serves on the board of directors, and contributes as chief scientific officer.

“Dr. Cushman’s career exemplifies Purdue’s commitment to advancing discoveries that improve human health,” said Eric Barker, Purdue’s Vice President for Health Affairs and the Jeannie and Jim Chaney Dean of Pharmacy. “His groundbreaking research, dedication to mentoring future scientists and lasting impact on medicinal chemistry have influenced generations of researchers and contributed to new therapeutic approaches for patients worldwide.”

Throughout his career, Cushman has mentored 39 doctoral students, 59 postdoctoral researchers and numerous visiting scholars while teaching medicinal chemistry, pharmacology and organic chemistry to undergraduate, graduate, pharmacy and medical students.

Beyond his research accomplishments, Cushman has been an influential leader within the medicinal chemistry community. He served on the editorial advisory boards of The Journal of Organic Chemistry and the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry before serving as associate editor of the latter from 2012 to 2020.

The ACS MEDI Hall of Fame adds to a distinguished list of honors recognizing Cushman’s career, including election as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, induction into the National Academy of Inventors, Purdue’s Innovators Hall of Fame, the Philip S. Portoghese Medicinal Chemistry Lectureship and numerous national and international awards for research excellence.

Cushman earned both his PharmD and PhD in medicinal chemistry from the University of California Medical Center, San Francisco, before completing postdoctoral research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He joined Purdue in 1975 and was named distinguished professor in 2010 before becoming distinguished professor emeritus.