Purdue, SpectronRx partnering on radiopharmaceutical manufacturing degree
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Purdue University is launching what it says is the country’s first graduate degree program focused directly on radiopharmaceutical manufacturing, the university said Tuesday.
As part of the launch, Purdue is partnering with Indianapolis-based SpectronRx to build a dedicated radiopharmaceutical manufacturing training facility at the company’s headquarters.
The university said the launch of the degree program is in response to a growing demand in Indiana and across the United States for skilled workers in the field of theranostics, which involves the use of diagnostic and therapeutic radiopharmaceutical drug products for cancer treatments.
The new Master of Science in Radiopharmaceutical Manufacturing will be offered starting in the spring 2026 semester, Purdue said. It will feature a hybrid format with most courses being completed online and students being required to complete an in-person capstone course.
“Purdue has a long history in the nuclear pharmacy space, having programs in existence through the College of Pharmacy since 1959,” Eric Barker, Purdue’s vice president for health affairs, said in a news release. “With this projected growth in the radiopharmaceutical industry, Purdue is well positioned — both academically and geographically — to strengthen the workforce pipeline by training future professionals and advancing the education of those already working in the field.”
Radiopharmaceuticals are used to precisely detect cancer cells and provide targeted therapy that can kill the cells while keeping adjacent health tissue intact, Purdue said.
Kara Weatherman, clinical professor of pharmacy practice and director of radiopharmaceutical programs at Purdue, says because radioactive materials decay quickly, radiopharmaceuticals must be produced and delivered to the patient within an extremely short time frame.
It is because of that need that companies like SpectronRx have seen big growth in Indiana. Since opening its headquarters in 2019, the company has grown from a staff of six to 175 in Indianapolis as of December 2024.
The company also has a facility near the Grissom Air Reserve Base in Bunker Hill used to produce medical isotopes used in radiopharmaceuticals.
The new training facility at its Indianapolis headquarters will be used to train Purdue students across various disciplines and provide hands-on instruction.
“We’re on the critical frontier of precision, patient-centric health care. Purdue gave me the educational foundation and entrepreneurial spirit to set my successful path in the radiopharmaceutical industry,” John Zehner, CEO of SpectronRx and a Purdue alum, said in the release. “This collaborative partnership with Purdue helps support the increasing workforce needs of the industry by providing innovative training on cutting-edge technology. All of which, ultimately, lead to an overall quality of life for the patients.”
Purdue said the nuclear medicine market is a $6 billion industry in the U.S.–a figure that’s expected to more than triple over the next seven years. Indiana is home to 15 nuclear medicine companies in various stages, most of which are based in the Indianapolis area.