2014 Fall Highlights of Hope

FALL 2014 VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE’S
HIGHLIGHTS of
HOPE
Thanks to Great Lakes Scrip Center employees’ creative fundraising ideas, more than $51,000 was raised for VAI!
Corporate Partner
Employees Make Big
Contributions to Research
WHEN BUSINESSES PARTNER WITH PURPLE COMMUNITY, THEY’RE MOTIVATED
BY A PERSONAL CONNECTION TO CANCER AND NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASE
AND A DESIRE TO CHANGE THE COURSE OF HUMAN HEALTH. TOGETHER WITH
THEIR EMPLOYEES, THEY SET BIG GOALS TO CONTRIBUTE TO VAN ANDEL
INSTITUTE’S RESEARCH INITIATIVES.
Thank you Regal Investment Advisors for your support of Van Andel Institute!
Above left to right, David Van Andel, John and Deb Kailunas, Carol Van Andel,
Valeda and Love Collins.
These partnerships take on many different
forms, and Regal Investment Advisors
and Great Lakes Scrip Center have both
created unique Purple Community events
that yielded big results.
Thank You Regal
Investment Advisors
Regal Investment Advisors (Regal) kicked
off a long-term partnership to support
Van Andel Institute (VAI) by turning an
annual event for their advisors into an
educational fundraiser. Regal hosted
more than 225 employees, clients and
VAI supporters at a rooftop venue to
enjoy a Chicago Cubs baseball game in
July 2014. The event raised $24,000 for
disease research!
“It is a simple fact that everyone, at one
time in their life, is touched by a genetic
health issue,” said John Kailunas, II,
Regal Investment Advisors founder and
CEO. “We all have admiration for the
researchers who help carry the burdens
of that fight.”
Regal is developing new ways to
engage its investment advisors
with the mission of VAI and
educating office visitors about Purple
Community. They’re currently creating
a plan to encourage all advisors to
get involved in the partnership.
“We believe that everyone should
do their part to fight for a cause,”
said Kailunas. “It’s our goal that this
partnership will help those dealing
with a genetic disorder or disease.”
Great Lakes Scrip Center Team
Members Rise to the Challenge
Employees at Great Lakes Scrip Center
(GLSC) recently completed a year-long
fundraising competition to benefit VAI.
Employees kicked off their challenge
with a tour and presentation at VAI
by a scientist. Over the course of the
year, teams raised funds by holding a
company-wide garage sale, returning
pop cans, collecting spare change,
selling snack boxes, serving at Culver’s
and Buffalo Wild Wings fundraising
nights and selling carwash coupons.
Their efforts totaled more than $51,000
at the end of the year!
“We were inspired by the work being done
at VAI, and we’ve spent the last year
raising funds to support their research
and education programs,” said Carol
Smith, owner of GLSC. “Nearly everyone
is affected by cancer or disease in some
way, and we want to do our part.”
Endless Opportunities
Engage your employees and
customers around a worthy cause
by partnering with VAI through
Purple Community. Contact
the Purple Community team at
purplecommunity@vai.org or
616.234.5388 to learn more.

FALL 2014 VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE’S
HIGHLIGHTSof HOPE
Ron Rutkowski
Rallying to the Challenge:
You + Us = A new way of
viewing Parkinson’s disease
clinical trials
RON RUTKOWSKI IS A WEST MICHIGAN CONTRACTOR, COMMUNITY
LEADER AND VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE SUPPORTER WHO WAS DIAGNOSED
WITH PARKINSON’S DISEASE 10 YEARS AGO.
Unsatisfied with the current system of
clinical trials for Parkinson’s disease
treatments, Rutkowski raised more than
$15,000 in support of Rallying to the
Challenge, an event focused on the
contributions of people with Parkinson’s
to clinical trials. The event was held in
conjunction with the Institute’s Grand
Challenges in Parkinson’s disease
symposium on September 24–25, 2014.
Patient Advocates
U.K.-based Parkinson’s activist and
founder of The Cure Parkinson’s Trust,
Tom Isaacs, was diagnosed with
Parkinson’s disease when he was 27
years old. Isaacs has become a leading
advocate for improvements in the
Parkinson’s disease clinical trial system.
“To people with Parkinson’s, clinical
trials represent the only means of
improving the treatment of their
disease and improving the quality of
their lives,” Isaacs said.
A Discussion about Hope
Isaacs and The Cure Parkinson’s Trust
partnered with Van Andel Research
Institute (VARI) to create Rallying to
the Challenge, a meeting that brought
together people with Parkinson’s,
advocates and caregivers to discuss
ways to improve clinical trials.
Dr. Patrik Brundin, VARI’s associate
director of research and director of
the Center for Neurodegenerative
Science, believes that changes in the
clinical trial system can evolve from
an open dialogue between those with
Parkinson’s and those involved with
disease research.
“We have a commitment to people
with Parkinson’s to find ways around
the obstacles that stand in our path to
successful clinical trials,” Brundin said.
Rutkowski and Isaacs were part of the
Rallying to the Challenge panel made up
of more than 20 advocates.
Take Action Today
Do you know someone living with
Parkinson’s disease? Are you curious
about the Institute’s groundbreaking
Parkinson’s disease research? Learn
more or make a donation at vai.org.
THANK YOU BOARD OF GOVERNORS CO-CHAIRS
FOR SHARING YOUR TIME AND TALENT!
We’d like to thank longtime supporters
Timothy Long and Vicky Ludema for
accepting the position of co-chairs of
Van Andel Institute’s Hope on the Hill
Board of Governors.
Long and Ludema will lead this
important group of ambassadors,
and we look forward to sharing their
stories of involvement and support of
the Institute in the future.
Thank you for leading the Board of
Governors. We are grateful for your
time, dedication and commitment to
the Institute’s mission!
Timothy Long and Vicky Ludema
2 | Van Andel Institute Highlights of Hope

Pathway of Hope Brings Light
to Rare “Linchpin” Disease
THE PATHWAY OF HOPE TUBEROUS SCLEROSIS COMPLEX RESEARCH INITIATIVE
BEGAN IN 2013. ORGANIZED BY VAN ANDEL RESEARCH INSTITUTE’S (VARI)
DR. JEFF MACKEIGAN, THE INITIATIVE AIMS TO DEVELOP NEW, EFFECTIVE
TREATMENTS FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH TUBEROUS SCLEROSIS COMPLEX (TSC).
Brain
Eyes
Lungs
Heart
Kidneys
Nails
Skin
above: (TSC) tuberous sclerosis
complex causes non-cancerous
tumors in major organs.
middle: MacKeigan’s team
right: TSC tumors
“CURRENT TSC
TREATMENTS SHRINK
TUMORS, BUT IT
WOULD BE AMAZING
IF WE COULD
ACTUALLY PREVENT
OR ELIMINATE THEM
ALL TOGETHER.”
–Dr. Jeff MacKeigan
A Complicated Disease
TSC causes non-cancerous tumors in
major organs, and patients afflicted
with the disease often suffer from
epilepsy, learning disabilities
and other complications. VARI’s
Pathway of Hope project involves
TSC experts and investigators
from across the United States. The
project is funded in part by the
Michigan Economic Development
Corporation along with generous
support from private donors.
Making Progress
“I am extremely proud of the
progress that our team has made
over the past year. We have
assembled truly phenomenal
scientists and clinicians to deliver
on an ambitious research agenda
targeting new treatment options for
TSC patients,” said MacKeigan.
He views this rare childhood disease
as a linchpin disease, meaning that
understanding more about TSC and
how to treat it on the molecular
level could inform treatments for
neurological disorders and cancer.
Collaboration is Key
Through clinical collaborations with
Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital
in Grand Rapids, Mich. and the
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical
Center, MacKeigan’s group opened a
personalized medicine feasibility study.
This study identified patients currently
living with TSC who would be ideal
candidates for possible TSC treatment
clinical trials in the future. Through
these trials, MacKeigan believes
that his team can uncover more
personalized, targeted therapies.
“We are aggressively searching for
those novel mutations that can provide
significant therapeutic opportunities
with real benefits for patients,” said
MacKeigan. “Current TSC treatments
shrink tumors, but it would be amazing
if we could actually prevent or
eliminate them all together.”
Thank You for Your Support
The Pathway of Hope TSC research
initiative is the product of multiple public
and private donors and a working example
of how donors can have a direct impact
on improvements in human health. Your
donations push research further!
Van Andel Institute Highlights of Hope | 3

FALL 2014 VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE’S
HIGHLIGHTSof HOPE
Science Academy Establishes
Lifelong Love of Science
MEET EUNICE EYAMBA. EUNICE IS A SENIOR AT INNOVATION CENTRAL HIGH
SCHOOL, AND WHEN SHE’S NOT RUNNING TRACK OR FILLING OUT COLLEGE
APPLICATIONS, SHE’S STUDYING SCIENCE. THIS SUMMER SHE PARTICIPATED
IN THE GRAND RAPIDS AREA PRE-COLLEGE ENGINEERING PROGRAM
(GRAPCEP) AT VAN ANDEL RESEARCH INSTITUTE IN THE LABORATORY OF
TRANSLATIONAL IMAGING UNDER THE DIRECTION OF DR. ANTHONY CHANG.
said Dr. Steven Triezenberg, director
of Van Andel Education Institute.
“Her experience really brings to life
the duality of Van Andel Institute’s
mission–that of biomedical science
and science education,” he said.
A Promising Future
Eunice’s short list of colleges she’d
like to attend includes Michigan State
University, Grand Valley State University
or Aquinas College, where she hopes
Eunice Eyamba reflects on her time at the Science Academy and in the
GRAPCEP program.
A Young Passion for Science
Eunice’s passion for science shone
early. Her third-grade counselors
encouraged her to apply to attend
Van Andel Education Institute’s
Science Academy where she became
one of the inaugural cohort students
in July 2006. Eunice speaks fondly
of her first experiments with fish and
pill bugs and building an ecosystem
environment. She compares her
studies at the Science Academy as
“more hands on…the expectations
were higher” than in her regular
elementary school.
Fast forward to her GRAPCEP internship,
and Eunice reports that Van Andel
Research Institute expectations were
high, too. “Dr. Chang encouraged me to
keep going, to do more. I had to practice
my final presentation three or four times,
but I had a really great time,” she said.
“Eunice is anecdotal evidence of
one successful outcome of the
Science Academy cohort program,”
“DR. CHANG
ENCOURAGED ME
TO KEEP GOING, TO
DO MORE. I HAD TO
PRACTICE MY FINAL
PRESENTATION THREE OR
FOUR TIMES, BUT I HAD A
REALLY GREAT TIME.”
–Eunice Eyamba
to study biomedical science with the
goal of becoming a pediatrician doing
translational medicine. Love of science
runs in the family, as Eunice’s mother is
a nurse and her father also works in a
health-related field.
GRAPCEP internships are only
possible through generous
donations…thank you for
your support!
4 | Van Andel Institute Highlights of Hope

A Celebration of Learning:
Science Academy Students
Recall Favorite Memories
VAN ANDEL EDUCATION INSTITUTE’S (VAEI) SCIENCE ACADEMY
CELEBRATED ITS INAUGURAL OUT-OF-SCHOOL-TIME COHORT PROGRAM
CLASS IN MAY AS THE STUDENTS PREPARED FOR HIGH SCHOOL
GRADUATION. EIGHT YEARS AGO, THESE STUDENTS MADE A COMMITMENT
TO IMMERSE THEMSELVES IN SCIENCE FOR 60 HOURS PER YEAR FOR
THREE YEARS IN ADDITION TO THEIR REGULAR SCHOOL DAY.
“Fond memories I wouldn’t
trade for anything.”
At the celebratory reunion, students
shared their fondest memories from
the experience and the impact the
program has had on their education.
Students recalled working with the
animals – especially Toby the tortoise!
– field trips to swamps and working
with others who were passionate
about science.
“I liked it a lot because I like hearing
other people’s opinions and how they
went about their experiment,” shared
Alondra Vergara-Diaz, a 2014 Grand
Rapids City High School graduate
starting at University of Michigan.
Other students spoke to the impact
of the cohort program in high school.
Students felt like they had a head
start in science classes since they
had experience writing lab reports,
journaling and setting up experiments.
“It’s prepared me for high
school and beyond.”
The students are headed in all
different directions to continue
their education, and their interests
are diverse. They plan to major in
everything from pre-med and biology
to aerospace engineering, marketing
and journalism.
Regardless of their future path in
life, all students acknowledged the
valuable skills – teamwork, writing,
problem solving and critical thinking
– they acquired from the cohort
program. “It taught me how to be
creative and interact with my peers
to work towards something,” said
Liam Kirkbride, a 2014 Grand Rapids
City High School graduate attending
Michigan State University.
Since these graduating students
first entered the VAEI laboratories,
the cohort program’s reputation and
Participants in the inaugural Out-of-
School-Time Cohort Program recall
their fond memories working with the
animals, conducting experiments and
making friends.
popularity has exploded. Today, the
Science Academy receives far more
applications than it can accommodate,
and the staff is expanding their reach
of K-12 teachers and students through
professional development resources.
“Thank you”
The Science Academy Cohort
program is provided free of charge to
participating students thanks to the
generous support of donors like you.
Thank you for your continued support.
Your gifts are changing students’ lives!
below: Students from the inaugural
Out-of-School-Time Cohort Program
reconnect eight years after beginning
the program.
Van Andel Institute Highlights of Hope | 5

FALL 2014 VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE’S
HIGHLIGHTSof HOPE
Paying it Forward:
One Woman’s Victory Over
Breast Cancer and the Legacy
She Leaves for Others
and now being cancer-free by holding
a 5k run in Riverside Park in Grand
Rapids, Mich., and she invited friends
and family to participate for a $10
donation. Thanks to her efforts and the
contributions of friends and family,
Lorrie raised more than $700 for
breast cancer research at Van Andel
Institute.
Breast cancer survivor and advocate Lorrie Jaynes celebrates her triumphant
battle with breast cancer at her 5k run with her nieces and nephews.
A Startling Diagnosis
Breast cancer research has made
great strides thanks to women who
have battled the disease, won and
advocated for others. Lorrie Jaynes
continues that legacy today.
“Ten years ago, I was diagnosed with
breast cancer,” said Lorrie. “I was 37, and
I had no family history.”
Today, she’s a fundraiser, volunteer
and advocate who coaches others
receiving cancer treatments.
“I can do things now. I can spread the
word. I can volunteer. That’s what I enjoy
now. That’s my real passion,” she said.
10-Year Celebration
Lorrie celebrated the 10-year
anniversary of her cancer diagnosis
“I wanted 100% to stay in Grand
Rapids and for it all to go to research,”
she said. “Someday when we find a
cure, I want to be a part of it. I will be
a part of it.”
You Can Support
Breast Cancer Research
Join Lorrie in the fight for improved
treatments and diagnostics. Learn
how you can support breast cancer
research at Van Andel Institute
by contacting Development
at development@vai.org or
616.234.5030.
Runners line up to participate in
Lorrie Jaynes’ celebratory 5k run and
fundraiser for breast cancer research.
6 | Van Andel Institute Highlights of Hope

A Gift to Honor
a Loved One
FRED BOGAERT DESCRIBES HIMSELF AS AN AVERAGE GUY WHO
“ISN’T DOING ANYTHING SPECIAL.” BUT THE ESTABLISHMENT OF TWO
GIFT ANNUITIES FOR VAN ANDEL RESEARCH INSTITUTE MAKES HIM
EXCEPTIONAL IN OUR EYES.
Fred and the late Julie Bogaert both
received cancer diagnoses within nine
months of one another.
WHY CONSIDER A
GIFT ANNUITY?
IT IS DIRECT AND
UNCOMPLICATED – You simply
transfer cash or securities to the
Institute in exchange for our written
agreement to pay you, or you and
another beneficiary, a specified
annuity payment for as long as
you live.
IT IS SAFE AND SECURE – Our
commitment to pay a lifetime
annuity to you or you and another
beneficiary is backed by a special
reserve fund as well as by all the
assets of the Institute.
IT IS TREMENDOUSLY
IMPORTANT – Your investment will
help improve the health and enhance
the lives of future generations.
CONTACT US AT
DEVELOPMENT@VAI.ORG OR
616.234.5030 TO LEARN MORE.
Fred and his wife Julie were
sweethearts for 47 years. The
couple met at Denison University
in Granville, Ohio, and both enjoyed
sniping, a type of two-person sailing.
Unfortunately, they were also both
diagnosed with cancer.
A Personal Connection
“I was diagnosed with prostate and
colon cancer in 2000,” said Fred.
“I had part of my colon removed,
and I went through 4-5 months of
chemotherapy followed by radiation.”
As Fred’s treatments were ending,
Julie was diagnosed with lung cancer.
Sadly, her cancer metastasized to
the brain, and she passed away one
year later.
“I don’t need to be convinced that
cancer is a dreaded disease,” said Fred.
Leaving a Legacy
Fred appreciates and Julie
appreciated the value of research.
Julie’s father, Dr. George F. Cartland,
was a researcher for the Upjohn
Become the Next
Generation of
Ambassadors for
Van Andel Institute
Ambassadors Innovate.
Become a Legacy. Inspire.
Fred and the late Julie Bogaert are
leaving a gift to Van Andel Research
Institute in honor of Julie’s father, a
researcher at the Upjohn Company.
Company in Kalamazoo, Mich. a
pharmaceutical manufacturing firm.
Dr. Cartland was an outstanding
scientist who authored and co-authored
more than 30 publications and held
a number of patents for medicinal
products and their production.
“We are gifting in honor of my fatherin-law,”
said Fred. “No gift is too small,
and it’s certainly a wonderful way to
honor a family member.”
Thank you, Fred, for making a gift to
combat the disease that has affected
your family!
Van Andel Institute’s J-Board
Ambassadors are young professionals
committed to the Institute’s mission
to impact human health. Join us for
exciting events, valuable learning
opportunities and networking.
Contact Sarah Murphy Lamb to
learn more at sarah.lamb@vai.org
or 616.234.5712.
Van Andel Institute Highlights of Hope | 7

FALL 2014 VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE’S
HIGHLIGHTSof HOPE
®
9TH ANNUAL
CELEBRATION
Winterfest 2014, co-chaired by Blair and George Sharpe,
raised more than $140,000 for Parkinson’s disease
research. The evening featured remarks by David Van Andel,
chairman and CEO of Van Andel Institute, and Dr. Patrik
Brundin, VARI associate director of research, professor
and director of the Center for Neurodegenerative Science.
Guests were treated to food stations from nine premier
Grand Rapids restaurants and an exciting live auction
emceed by Tony Gates and Michelle McKormick. Thank
you to our title sponsor Warner Norcross & Judd for their
support. Join us for the 10th annual Winterfest celebration
on February 19, 2015!
8 | Van Andel Institute Highlights of Hope

CAROL VAN ANDEL
®
DINNER & AWARD PRESENTATION
The second annual Carol Van Andel Angel of Excellence dinner and award
presentation, hosted by Carol Van Andel and the VAI Board of Governors,
honored the efforts of WOTV 4’s Maranda and Bella Fiorenzo, Mariah Otolski,
Sydney Vinton and Allie Wittenbach, four students from Forest Hills Central
High School who raised more than $100,000 to benefit the Institute’s research
initiatives. The award recognizes individuals who have made a significant
contribution to the Institute through volunteer service, philanthropy, special
event support, innovation or scientific support.
Van Andel Institute Highlights of Hope | 9

FALL 2014 VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE’S
HIGHLIGHTSof HOPE
Life Science
3rd Annual
& Legacy
Donors were honored at Van Andel Institute for their continued support of
biomedical research and science education at the third annual Life Science
and Legacy donor appreciation reception. Remarks were made by Love
Collins III, vice president of Development, Communications & Marketing,
Carol Van Andel, executive director of the David and Carol Van Andel
Foundation, Susan Brogger, Purple Community ambassador and Dr. Brian
Haab, professor in the Center for Translational Research. Congratulations
to 32 donors who were inducted into the Leadership Society, and to GR
Outdoor who was inducted into the Legacy Society!
10 | Van Andel Institute Highlights of Hope

Ambassadors Innovate.
Become a Legacy.
Inspire.
J-Board Annual Dinner
Van Andel Institute’s J-Board kicked off another great year
of ambassadorship with a strolling dinner at the Institute
featuring networking and remarks by David Van Andel,
chairman and CEO of Van Andel Institute, Dr. Brian Haab,
professor in the Center for Translational Research, and
Susan Brogger, Purple Community ambassador.
J-Board Mixer
J-Board ambassadors and friends mingled at the beautiful
lakefront home of Mike and Rachel Mraz to network and
learn more about Van Andel Institute with updates by
Dr. Lena Brundin, head of the Laboratory of Behavioral
Medicine, Dr. Patrik Brundin, associate research director of
Van Andel Research Institute and director of the Center for
Neurodegenerative Science, and Dr. Lorenzo Sempere, head
of the Laboratory of MicroRNA Diagnostics and Therapeutics.
Van Andel Institute Highlights of Hope | 11

PARKINSON’S
AND DEPRESSION:
MAKING THE CONNECTIONS
WHEN PEOPLE THINK OF PARKINSON’S DISEASE, THEY THINK OF THE
PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS, BUT ACCORDING TO VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE RESEARCH
SCIENTIST DR. LENA BRUNDIN, THE PSYCHIATRIC SYMPTOMS CAN BE THE
MOST DEBILITATING.
Dr. Lena Brundin, associate professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine in Michigan
State University College of Human Medicine and head of the Laboratory of Behavioral
Medicine at Van Andel Research Institute.
Psychiatric Symptoms
Common
“It’s been known that Parkinson’s
patients have psychiatric non-motor
symptoms such as depression, but
the movement issues are easier for
neurologists to assess and easier for
patients to talk about,“ Brundin said.
Brundin’s experience both as a clinician
and biomedical researcher gives her
unique insight into how inflammation
might play a role in depression in
Parkinson’s patients.
The Role of Inflammation
Inflammation is a physical response
in tissues that takes place when the
immune system is activated. In people
with Parkinson’s, psychiatric symptoms can
become chronic partially due to damage in
the brain related to the disease.
“It is not known completely if the
inflammation in Parkinson’s disease is
caused because of nerve cells in the
brain dying or if inflammation is killing
333 Bostwick Ave NE
Grand Rapids, MI 49503
the cells,” said Brundin. “But we do
know that there is a direct connection
to inflammation in Parkinson’s and
clinical depression.”
There is Still Much to Discover
Brundin believes lifting the stigma
of depression among Parkinson’s
patients and funding research into the
psychiatric effects of anti-inflammatory
medications might bring about a shift in
how depression and Parkinson’s disease
is approached.
“In the past 15 years, there has been an
increase in the number of researchers
looking at the connection between
Parkinson’s, inflammation in the brain
and depression; however there is still so
much left to discover.”
Because of your generous support
of our mission, scientists such as Dr.
Lena Brundin can continue to engage
in groundbreaking research that has a
direct impact on how we diagnose and
treat diseases such as Parkinson’s.
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