Van Andel Institute

POP! We had a great time at the VAI Open Corporate Charity Pickleball Event. Picklers of all skill levels showed out for some friendly competition in support of our research and education programs. Thanks to all who made the day a smashing success!   Special congrats to our bracket winners:   Beginner/Intermediate 1st — David Van Andel and Sydney Sonday 2nd — Tim Noll and Jennifer Whyte 3rd — Kurt and Jena Lacks   Advanced 1st — Christian Huisman and CJ Huisman 2nd — Sreejay Ramakrishnan and Chris Shang 3rd — Caleb Dang and Ahna Horn

We are delighted to welcome Dr. Derek Janssens as an assistant professor in our Department of Epigenetics, where he will investigate the nuanced factors that give rise to leukemias. https://lnkd.in/exdu8_6t

Dr. Josh Jang and colleagues on the Van Andel Institute – Stand Up To Cancer Epigenetics Dream Team are studying why, in very rare cases, some cancers progress more quickly after treatment with immunotherapy. They may have pinpointed a possible culprit: a molecular pathway called AHR. Thanks in part to a prestigious K99 award from the National Cancer Institute (NCI), Dr. Jang and his colleagues will investigate how AHR may drive this accelerated progression.

What an inspired evening at Design & Discovery ✨ Thank you to our cherished guests, and partners Leigh's, Max Mara and Haworth, for joining us for a night of fashion and design in support of breakthrough research and innovative science education programs.

Congratulations to Alix Booms, Ph.D; Shelby Compton, Ph.D; and Rae House, Ph.D, who recently received their Ph.D. in molecular and cellular biology from Van Andel Institute Graduate School. We are so proud of their achievements and look forward to watching them go far in their scientific careers!

We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Yang Yang as an assistant professor in our Department of Structural Biology, where she will investigate the factors that give rise to disorders such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's:

“In many ways, our immune cells are like kids at the lunch table. They trade snacks, they share information, they get sluggish if they don’t get the right nutrients. We want to know how they do this, if certain cells prefer particular nutrients and if providing those nutrients help the cells work better,” says VAI’s Dr. Russell Jones. Jones and VAI’s Dr. Connie Krawczyk have teamed up to explore whether immune cells prefer certain nutrients in hopes of optimizing the immune system to better combat disease. Read more: https://lnkd.in/eEKnHbKT

An upcoming phase 1b clinical trial will investigate whether lithium, currently used to treat mood disorders, could be repurposed to slow the progression of Parkinson’s disease. VAI and Cure Parkinson's are supporting the trial through our International Linked Clinical Trials (iLCT) program, which investigates treatments developed for other disorders as potential new therapies for Parkinson’s. https://lnkd.in/ecf7g2YE

Historically, cancers have been categorized based on the specific organ or tissue in which they first appear. Now, thanks to advances in technology and research techniques, scientists know that cancers widely vary at the molecular level, even those that originate in the same tissues or cells. A recent study led by VAI’s Dr. Hui Shen and scientists from The University of British Columbia investigates two types of endometriosis-related ovarian cancer that arise from the same cells but likely at different stages of the menstrual cycle — a nuance that significantly influences treatment response.

Proteins usually are studied at low temps. But what happens when you heat certain proteins to body temperature, then flash freeze them to study under high-powered microscopes? They change shape and reveal previously hidden drug targets, according to new research by the labs of Dr. Juan Du and Dr Wei Lü: https://lnkd.in/eqKh5B3i