2022 Annual Report

Van Andel Institute Principal Investigators
DEPARTMENT OF NEURODEGENERATIVE
SCIENCE (CONTINUED)
Michael Henderson, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Dr. Michael Henderson
investigates the causes of
neurodegenerative diseases like
Parkinson’s and dementia with
Lewy bodies, and the factors
that control disease progression. He hopes to translate
his findings into new therapies that slow or stop this
progression.
Qiang Zhu, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Dr. Qiang Zhu investigates
the genetic, epigenetic and
cellular factors that lead to
neurodegenerative diseases
such as ALS and frontotemporal
dementia. To date, his work has revealed the complex
mechanisms underlying the most common genetic cause
for both of these diseases — an insight that has provided
novel targets for the development of new therapies.
Department of
Cell Biology
Our health, and consequently our lives, depend on the
coordinated activities of our individual cells. Scientists
in VAI’s Department of Cell Biology investigate how these
cells grow, communicate, survive, assemble into tissues,
respond to the environment and change with age. Their
transformative work aims to yield new diagnostic and
treatment strategies to improve the quality of life for
people with cancer, bone diseases and rare disorders.
Tao Yang, Ph.D.
Interim Chair and Associate Professor
Dr. Tao Yang studies the signaling
systems that govern skeletal stem
cells and the role they play in
diseases such as osteoarthritis
and osteoporosis. Bones are
the body’s largest producer of adult stem cells, which
mature into cartilage, fat or bone tissue — a process that
falters with age. Dr. Yang seeks a better understanding
of these systems in search of new treatments for
degenerative bone disorders and other skeletal aging.
Stephanie Grainger, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Stem cells give rise to every cell
type in the human body and play
important roles in health and
disease. Dr. Stephanie Grainger
seeks to understand how these
special cells develop, how they are maintained and how
they can become cancerous, with the goal of developing
new strategies for combating cancer.
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Scott Jewell, Ph.D.
Director, Pathology and Biorepository
Core; Professor, Department of Cell
Biology
Dr. Scott Jewell is a nationally
recognized expert in biobanking,
which encompasses the
management and storage of the crucial biological
samples that facilitate research into health and disease.
As director of VAI’s Pathology and Biorepository Core,
Dr. Jewell oversees the Institute’s contributions to many