2022 Annual Report
This is the 2022 Annual Report for Van Andel Institute.
This is the 2022 Annual Report for Van Andel Institute.
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Department of<br />
Neurodegenerative<br />
Science<br />
Worldwide, between 7 million and 10 million people<br />
have Parkinson’s disease, a progressive neurological<br />
condition marked by tremor, rigidity and the gradual<br />
loss of voluntary movement, along with a host of other<br />
symptoms, such as loss of sense of smell, cognitive<br />
issues, constipation, trouble sleeping and pain.<br />
Additionally, more than 30 million people have Alzheimer’s<br />
disease and related dementias.<br />
Currently, there are no cures and no effective ways<br />
to slow or stop disease progression in Parkinson’s<br />
and Alzheimer’s. Our scientists aim to change that<br />
by investigating the complex factors that give rise to<br />
neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders, from<br />
genetics and epigenetics to aging, inflammation, and the<br />
structure of the brain itself — even the role of the gut and<br />
the immune system.<br />
With the exception of a small number of people whose<br />
Parkinson’s is directly linked to family genetic inheritance,<br />
most cases are sporadic, meaning they have no known<br />
cause. A growing body of evidence suggests that genetic<br />
and epigenetic predisposition coupled with environmental<br />
factors, such as exposure to certain inflammatory<br />
agents, may trigger the disease, which progresses for<br />
years or even decades before the onset of its signature<br />
movement-related symptoms.<br />
As the global population ages, the number of people<br />
with Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s is expected to<br />
significantly increase in the coming years, underscoring<br />
the importance and urgency of developing improved<br />
treatment strategies. By leveraging discoveries made<br />
in VAI’s labs and collaborating with researchers around<br />
the world, our scientists are working to translate<br />
breakthroughs into life-changing new treatments.<br />
Darren Moore, Ph.D.<br />
Chair and Professor<br />
Dr. Darren Moore seeks new<br />
diagnostic and treatment<br />
approaches for Parkinson’s<br />
by investigating the inherited<br />
form of the disease, which<br />
comprises 5% to 10% of cases. He aims to translate the<br />
understanding of these genetic mutations into better<br />
treatments and new diagnostic tools for Parkinson’s,<br />
both inherited and non-inherited. Discoveries from<br />
Dr. Moore’s lab routinely elucidate the faulty molecular<br />
interactions that transform healthy, functioning neurons<br />
into diseased ones.<br />
José Brás, Ph.D.<br />
Associate Professor<br />
Dr. José Brás investigates how<br />
variations in our genes impact<br />
the onset and progression of<br />
neurodegenerative diseases such<br />
as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and<br />
dementia with Lewy bodies. Using<br />
cutting-edge technologies and bioinformatic approaches,<br />
he has identified new genetic mutations that impact<br />
disease risk.<br />
Lena Brundin, M.D., Ph.D.<br />
Professor<br />
As a psychiatrist and a scientist,<br />
Dr. Lena Brundin seeks ways to<br />
diagnose and treat depression<br />
and suicidality by studying<br />
inflammation of the nervous<br />
system. Her findings may lead to earlier interventions<br />
for depressive patients and to the development of a new<br />
class of antidepressants that targets the immune system.<br />
She also investigates how inflammatory mechanisms can<br />
damage nerve cells in Parkinson’s disease.<br />
Hong-yuan Chu, Ph.D.<br />
Assistant Professor<br />
Dr. Hong-yuan Chu investigates<br />
how and why dopamineproducing<br />
cells die off in<br />
Parkinson’s, a process that<br />
underlies many of the disease’s<br />
hallmark symptoms. He plans to leverage this new<br />
knowledge to develop new, more precise ways to slow<br />
or stop disease progression.<br />
Gerhard Coetzee, Ph.D.<br />
Professor<br />
Dr. Gerhard Coetzee searches<br />
the human genome for<br />
minuscule changes that<br />
contribute to the onset,<br />
progression and drug resistance<br />
of many diseases, including cancer and Parkinson’s.<br />
His team deploys genome sequencing technologies<br />
and high-powered computational arrays to tease out<br />
patterns and interactions of markers and treatment<br />
targets from among the human genome’s more than<br />
three billion DNA base pairs.<br />
Rita Guerreiro, Ph.D.<br />
Associate Professor<br />
Dr. Rita Guerreiro parses<br />
the genetic variations that<br />
contribute to neurodegenerative<br />
diseases such as Parkinson’s,<br />
Alzheimer’s, dementia with<br />
Lewy bodies and frontotemporal dementia. Her<br />
research has led to new insights into the genetic<br />
contributors to these diseases, which currently have<br />
no cure and no treatments that slow progression.<br />
RESEARCH<br />
1923
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