Highlights of Hope Spring/Summer 23

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RESEARCH Van Andel Institute Graduate School student awarded PhRMA Foundation Predoctoral Fellowship to pursue new osteoarthritis therapies The PhRMA Foundation has selected Van Andel Institute Graduate School student Vladimir Molchanov to receive a prestigious predoctoral fellowship to pursue improved treatments for osteoarthritis, the most common type of arthritis. More than 32 million adults in the U.S. — and more than 527 million worldwide — have osteoarthritis. This painful, progressive disorder occurs when the cartilage within joints wears down, resulting in swelling, stiffness, pain and loss of mobility. Although treatments exist, they offer only temporary relief from symptoms rather than fixing the disorder’s root cause. “Osteoarthritis is highly prevalent, especially among older adults, yet we still lack a way to repair the damage it causes,” Molchanov said. “I am thrilled to receive the PhRMA Foundation Predoctoral Fellowship in Drug Delivery, which will support my work in developing targeted cell therapies for degenerative diseases and will set the stage for future research.” The $50,000 fellowship will support Molchanov as he seeks to solve a pair of major problems in osteoarthritis treatment: how to deliver therapies to the site of joint damage and how to stimulate new cartilage growth. To do this, he has proposed an approach called SEEK and HEAL that would use specially designed stem cells generated from adult cells to “seek” out damaged cartilage and help “heal” it by regrowing lost tissue. “This work has the potential to revolutionize our approach to joint degeneration and inspire new treatments for other degenerative disorders,” said Dr. Tao Yang, interim chair of VAI’s Department of Cell Biology and Molchanov’s thesis adviser. “The PhRMA Foundation Predoctoral Fellowship awarded to Vladimir will help us tackle a persistent public health problem while also supporting and fostering the career of an exceptional young scientist.” Molchanov’s fellowship is one of four Predoctoral Fellowships in Drug Delivery awarded by the PhRMA Foundation for 2023 and is the first such award granted to a VAI graduate student. Van Andel Institute and The Scientist launch podcast mini-series How do our environment and diet set the stage for future health? That’s one of the big questions Van Andel Institute and The Scientist tackle in a podcast mini-series titled Exposed: Environmental Echoes in Health, part of The Scientist’s Lab Talk podcast series. All episodes are now available on all major podcast platforms. The podcast accompanies a Q&A with VAI Professor Dr. J. Andrew Pospisilik, who explores how our environment impacts our health as well as the health of future generations. Read it at vai.org/mini-podcast-series. Epigeneticist Turned Microbe Hunter Microbes surround us, and they can have surprising effects beyond infection. In this episode, VAI Assistant Professor Dr. Nick Burton discusses his work discovering new environmental bacteria in backyards and how exposure to bad or good bugs can affect an organism’s offspring. Are We What Our Parents Eat? Substances that enter the body, such as food or chemicals, can make epigenetic changes in the germline that become inherited, affecting the health of future generations. In this episode, VAI Assistant Professor Dr. Heidi Lempradl discusses her work studying the effects of parental diet on their offspring. How Toxins Leave Their Cancerous Marks Through epigenetic mechanisms, some environmental toxicants, such as heavy metals, alter gene expression patterns that then drive cancer progression. In this episode, VAI Professor Dr. Yvonne Fondufe-Mittendorf discusses her work studying environmental toxicants and their effects on DNA methylation and chromatin structure. 14 | VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE HIGHLIGHTS OF HOPE
Dr. Steven J. Triezenberg: A storied career training scientific leaders Sometimes, serendipity and careful planning combine to chart a meaningful course for the future. Both led Dr. Steve Triezenberg to Van Andel Institute Graduate School in 2006, where he is set to retire in summer 2023 after 17 impactful years as inaugural dean. Back in the mid-2000s, Triezenberg was a faculty member in Michigan State University’s Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. One day, a familiar face came to call: Dr. Gordon Van Harn, who had been on the faculty at Calvin University while Triezenberg was an undergrad. At the time of the visit, Van Harn was director of Van Andel Institute for Education. He visited Triezenberg as part of a multiuniversity tour to get feedback from scientists in established Ph.D. programs about what it would take to build a graduate school from the ground up. Triezenberg recalls that initial meeting with a smile, the kind you can’t help but make when you know you’re getting to the good part of the story. “We talked about MSU’s program, what worked and what didn’t, and I said it’ll be fun to watch what they come up with,” Triezenberg said. “A little while later came the opportunity to throw my hat into the ring of potential candidates to lead the Graduate School.” The rest, as the saying goes, is history. Taking the plunge After many years in the traditional university structure, Triezenberg was drawn to the fledgling VAI Graduate School because of the chance to build something new. He started as dean in 2006, and though the financial support and operational infrastructure were in place, he had his work cut out for him: “We started pulling all the pieces together,” he recalled. He worked with VAI leadership and faculty to build out a rigorous, research-focused curriculum. High on the list of priorities — and challenges — was recruiting students to a brand-new program with no name recognition. “We had open houses to invite students from regional colleges to see what we were doing and explain our program,” Triezenberg said. “And, well, nobody came.” A concerted word-of-mouth campaign commenced, and the Graduate School welcomed its first cohort of three students in August 2007. The 2008 and 2009 cohorts also numbered three students each, and the program started gaining steam in the 2010s. Cohort sizes steadily increased year over year. In 2021, the Graduate School welcomed its largest and most diverse cohort yet — 14 students from eight countries. “Early on, a strong cadre of faculty members were very much committed to the Graduate School and doing it in innovative and creative ways,” he said. “They helped develop and improve our problem-based curriculum, so I give them a lot of credit for the work they put in to make this succeed from the start.” A full-time passion Triezenberg’s imprint at VAI isn’t limited to the Graduate School — it can be found all over the Institute. In 2009, Triezenberg succeeded Van Harn as director of Van Andel Institute for Education’s K–12 programs. He continued in this role until 2015, when he decided to focus more on the ongoing growth at the Graduate School. For much of his time at VAI, Triezenberg also led a research laboratory. The Triezenberg Lab’s research into herpes simplex virus opened up new possibilities for antiviral drug development and revealed new insights into how human cells control gene expression. As the Graduate School continued to grow, Triezenberg saw that he had less time to devote to research. After nearly four decades of active research at Michigan State and VAI, he made the difficult decision to close his lab in 2018. It was a bittersweet decision, tempered by the excitement of turning all his attention and energy to the graduate program. Looking ahead A national search is underway to find Triezenberg’s successor. He is eager to support the next grad school leader and feels a sense of pride knowing that the new dean will be walking into a strong program that is set up for future success and renown. “I’m feeling very fulfilled in purpose,” he said. “My successor will come into an environment here where they are surrounded by good people who know their work and are well-integrated into the Institute, and they can carry things forward with the vision and dreams they bring.” VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE HIGHLIGHTS OF HOPE | 15
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Highlights of Hope Spring/Summer 23

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