2022 Spring/Summer Highlights of Hope
This is the 2022 Spring/Summer edition of Van Andel Institute's Highlights of Hope donor publication.
This is the 2022 Spring/Summer edition of Van Andel Institute's Highlights of Hope donor publication.
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
RESEARCH<br />
New program launched to develop<br />
future leaders in cancer research<br />
The scientific leaders <strong>of</strong> tomorrow are the trainees <strong>of</strong> today —<br />
and Van Andel Institute is committed to helping them achieve<br />
success and improve human health, now and in the future.<br />
As part <strong>of</strong> our dedication to this goal, we launched VAI’s Cancer<br />
Epigenetics Training Program for exceptional postdoctoral fellows.<br />
These trainee scientists have completed their Ph.D.s but are<br />
pursuing additional training before starting their own independent<br />
laboratories.<br />
Cancer epigenetics is a growing field with untold potential to impact<br />
human health. Epigenetic abnormalities are universally found<br />
across cancers and serve as major drivers for transforming healthy<br />
cells into sick ones, making epigenetic alterations promising new<br />
targets for the development <strong>of</strong> life-changing cancer treatments.<br />
The Cancer Epigenetics Training Program combines extensive<br />
pr<strong>of</strong>essional development with comprehensive, interdisciplinary<br />
research training by VAI’s internationally recognized cadre <strong>of</strong><br />
experts. Postdoctoral trainees in the program also have access<br />
to the Institute’s state-<strong>of</strong>-the-art shared scientific resources and<br />
technologies as well as opportunities to participate in established<br />
translational research programs and partnerships led by VAI<br />
investigators.<br />
“In the past few years, VAI has become a global destination for<br />
groundbreaking, collaborative cancer epigenetics research,” said<br />
VAI Chief Scientific Officer Dr. Peter A. Jones. “Postdoctoral trainees<br />
will emerge from our Cancer Epigenetics Training Program with<br />
extensive, rigorous training and a solid foundation from which to<br />
launch their independent research careers.”<br />
The program is supported by a five-year, $1.7 million grant from<br />
the National Cancer Institute <strong>of</strong> the National Institutes <strong>of</strong> Health.<br />
Jones and VAI Associate Pr<strong>of</strong>essor Dr. Scott Rothbart will lead the<br />
program in collaboration with Dr. Erica Gobrogge, program director<br />
<strong>of</strong> VAI’s Office <strong>of</strong> Postdoctoral Affairs. The program also benefits<br />
from the guidance <strong>of</strong> its advisory committee, which includes<br />
renowned scientists from across the U.S.<br />
By supporting exceptional trainees today, VAI is helping to ensure a<br />
brighter, healthier future fueled by innovation and discovery.<br />
The Cancer Epigenetics Training program is supported by a National<br />
Cancer Institute T32 training grant (no. T32CA251066). The content is<br />
solely the responsibility <strong>of</strong> VAI and does not necessarily represent the<br />
<strong>of</strong>ficial views <strong>of</strong> the National Institutes <strong>of</strong> Health.<br />
“In the past few<br />
years, VAI has<br />
become a global<br />
destination for<br />
groundbreaking,<br />
collaborative<br />
cancer epigenetics<br />
research.”<br />
— Peter A. Jones,<br />
Ph.D., D.Sc. (hon)<br />
4 | VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE HIGHLIGHTS OF HOPE
Change language