2022 Spring/Summer Highlights of Hope

Research highlights
Looking for the latest from VAI’s scientists? Here’s a snapshot of
advances from the Institute’s labs.
Understanding gut inflammation may hold clues to mitigating Parkinson’s onset
Chronic inflammation in the gut may propel processes in the body that give rise
to Parkinson’s disease, according to a study by Dr. Patrik Brundin’s lab at VAI and
colleagues at Roche. The findings add to a growing list that links the gut and the
immune system to Parkinson’s, and track with several large-scale studies that
show an association between Parkinson’s and inflammatory bowel diseases, such
as ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. 1
Read more at bit.ly/vaicolitis
‘Roadmaps’ of the brain reveal regions vulnerable to Alzheimer’s disease
Much like a supply truck crossing the countryside, the misfolded proteins
that damage neurons in Alzheimer’s disease travel the “roads” of the brain,
sometimes stopping or even re-routing to avoid roadblocks, reports a study by
VAI’s Dr. Michael Henderson and collaborators at University of Pennsylvania.
Understanding how and why this happens could clear the way for the
development of new therapies to slow or stop disease progression. 2
Read more at bit.ly/vaitau
‘Tasty’ protein may lead to new ways to treat metabolic and immune diseases
The same taste-sensing molecule that helps you enjoy a meal from your favorite
restaurant may one day lead to improved ways to treat diabetes and other
metabolic and immune diseases. TRPM5 is a specialized protein concentrated in
the taste buds, where it helps relay messages to and from cells. It has long been
of interest to researchers due to its roles in taste perception and blood sugar
regulation. VAI scientists Dr. Wei Lü and Dr. Juan Du have published the firstever
high-resolution images of TRPM5, which reveal two areas that may serve as
targets for new medications for diseases like diabetes. These structures also may
aid in the development of low-calorie alternative sweeteners that mimic sugar. 3
Read more at bit.ly/vaitrpm5
Study sheds light on how DNA mutates in
melanoma, a deadly skin cancer
The mutations that give rise to melanoma result
from a chemical change in DNA fueled by sunlight
— not just a DNA copying error as previously
believed, reports a study by VAI’s Dr. Gerd Pfeifer.
The findings upend long-held beliefs about the
mechanisms underlying the disease, reinforce
the importance of prevention efforts and offer a
path forward for investigating the origins of other
cancer types. 4
Read more at bit.ly/vaimelanoma
An overactive sweet tooth may spell trouble for
our cellular powerplants
Although we’ve long known that eating too much
sugar can contribute to Type 2 diabetes and other
disorders, the exact way this overconsumption
sets the stage for metabolic diseases on a cellular
level has remained elusive. But now, a study led
by VAI’s Dr. Ning Wu has shown that surplus
sugar may cause our cellular powerplants —
called mitochondria — to become less efficient,
reducing their energy output. The findings
highlight the cellular implications of excessive
sugar consumption and provide an important
new model to study the initial metabolic events
that may contribute to diabetes development. 5
Read more at bit.ly/vailipids
Funding Acknowledgements
Research reported in this publication was funded by:
1
Van Andel Institute and Roche. Early work on this project was supported in part by the European Research Council.
2
Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research award no. 16879 (Henderson); the National Institute on Aging of the National Institutes of Health under awards T32AG000255 (Lee),
P30AG10124 (Trojanowski) and U19AG062418 (Trojanowski);the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke of the National Institutes of Health under award nos. P50NS053488
(Trojanowski) and R01NS099348 (Bassett); the National Institute of Mental Health of the National Institutes of Health under award no. F30 MH118871-01 (Cornblath); and the National
Science Foundation under award nos. PHY1554488 (Bassett) and BCS1631550 (to Bassett). Bassett also acknowledges support from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the ISI
Foundation, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, and the Paul G. Allen Foundation.
3
Van Andel Institute; the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health under award no. R56HL144929 (Lü) and R01HL153219 (Lü); a McKnight Scholar Award (Du);
a Klingenstein-Simons Scholar Award (Du); a Sloan Research Fellowship in neuroscience (Du); and a Pew Scholars in Biomedical Research Award from the Pew Charitable Trusts (Du).
4
Van Andel Institute and the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health under award no. R21CA228089 (Pfeifer).
5
Van Andel Institute; the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under award no. R01GM120129 (Wu); and the National Institute on Aging of the
National Institutes of Health under award no. RF1AH061872 (Han).
The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health or other granting organizations.
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