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Fostering discovery on the cutting-edge of cancer research

Most people will face cancer sometime in their lives, either through the diagnosis of a loved one or through their own experience. Thanks to research and the dedicated advocacy of people around the world, the past few decades have witnessed a revolution in our ability to prevent and combat cancer. But these efforts are far from over.

VAI scientists are hard at work studying specific cancers, including leukemia, pancreatic cancer and breast cancer, to understand how and why these cancers begin and progress with the goal of developing new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat these devastating diseases. They also use high-tech methods to understand the similarities and differences between and within cancer types, gaining knowledge that may be used to develop more precise and more effective therapies.

Our quest against cancer goes beyond the lab through the Van Andel Institute–Stand Up To Cancer© (SU2C) Epigenetics Dream Team, a collaborative team of scientists, physicians and organizations who work together to move promising new treatments into clinical trials. This innovative approach leverages the resources and expertise of leading experts and institutions toward a common goal — new, life-changing treatment strategies that give people more healthier years.

Donate to cancer research at VAI

By the numbers

Cancer

  • 1.7M The number of new cancer cases in the U.S. in 2019*
  • 19.2M The number of new cancers cases globally in 2020**
  • 14 Cancer clinical trials launched by the Van Andel Institute–Stand Up To Cancer Epigenetics Dream Team

VAI scientists who study cancer

Stephen Baylin, M.D.

Co-leader, Van Andel Institute–Stand Up To Cancer® (SU2C) Epigenetics Dream Team

Director’s Scholar and Professor, Department of Epigenetics

Clifford Cho, M.D.

Professor, Department of Cell Biology

Translational Cancer Immunology

Gerhard (Gerry) Coetzee, Ph.D.

Professor, Department of Neurodegenerative Science; Director, MiND NeuroGenomes Project

Post-GWAS Functionality

Stephanie Grainger, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, Department of Cell Biology

Wnt Signaling in Hematopoietic Stem Cell Development and Cancer

Brian Haab, Ph.D.

Professor, Department of Cell Biology

Pancreatic Cancer Identification Using Glycans

Derek Janssens, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, Department of Epigenetics

Epigenetic Regulation of Hematopoiesis and Leukemia

Dr. Peter Jones, Van Andel Institute

Peter A. Jones, Ph.D., D.Sc. (hon)

President and Chief Scientific Officer

Epigenetic Therapies

Image of Russell Jones, Ph.D.

Russell Jones, Ph.D.

Chair and Professor, Department of Metabolism and Nutritional Programming

Cancer and Immunometabolism

Peter W. Laird, Ph.D.

Professor, Department of Epigenetics; Peter and Emajean Cook Endowed Chair in Epigenetics

Cancer Epigenetics

Hong Li, Ph.D.

Professor, Department of Structural Biology

Structural Mechanisms and Therapeutics of RNA Biology

Evan Lien, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, Department of Metabolism and Nutritional Programming

Diet, Metabolism and Cancer

Scott Rothbart

Scott Rothbart, Ph.D.

Professor, Department of Epigenetics

Chromatin and Epigenetic Regulation

Hui Shen, Ph.D.

Professor, Department of Epigenetics

Epigenomics Analysis in Human Disease

Xiaobing Shi, Ph.D.

Professor, Department of Epigenetics

Histone Modifications and Chromatin Regulation

Matt Steensma, M.D.

Associate Professor, Department of Cell Biology

Musculoskeletal Oncology

Tim Triche, Jr., Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Department of Epigenetics

Translational Biological Informatics

Hong Wen, Ph.D.

Professor, Department of Epigenetics

Epigenetics and Transcription

Bart Williams, Ph.D.

Director, Core Technologies and Services; Professor, Department of Cell Biology

Cell Signaling and Carcinogenesis

Liman Zhang, Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Department of Structural Biology

Structural Biology, Immunology and Pathogen-Host Interactions

Recent Publications

Sources

*U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2022. Cancer data and statistics. https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/data/?CDC_AAref_Val=https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/dcpc/data/index.htm
** International Agency for Research on Cancer. 2022. Cancer surveillance branch (CSU).
https://www.iarc.who.int/branches-csu/