VAI Folio 2023

BUT IT’S NOT JUST OUR MISSION
THAT SETS US APART. IT’S HOW WE
MAKE IT REAL.
“This place is a miracle. As a
survivor and a person whose
family has been affected by
cancer, I am well aware that we
need better treatments and
cures. I also know that if we can
continue to support research
with discipline and tenacity, we
will one day find them.”
Dr. Juan Olivarez
Donor & Trustee
VAI FAST FACTS
Van Andel Institute
for Research
Ranked in 2022 by
Nature Index as
no. 30 in the Life
Sciences category
out of the top 100
nongovernmental/
nonprofits.
Areas of Strength
• Epigenetics
• Neurodegeneration
• Cell Biology
• Metabolism and
Nutrition
• Structural Biology
Van Andel Institute–Stand Up To Cancer (VAI–SU2C)
Epigenetics Dream Team Evaluating promising new treatments for
cancers, including:
• Metastatic colorectal cancer
• Acute myeloid leukemia (AML)
• Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS)
• Chronic myelomonocytic leukemia
(CMML)
Cure Parkinson’s–Van Andel Institute International Linked
Clinical Trials (iLCT) Repurposing existing medications to slow or stop
Parkinson’s progression, in collaboration with Cure Parkinson’s
The iLCT initiative aims to identify new therapies for Parkinson’s disease
by repurposing medications for other conditions, including diabetes, high
cholesterol and respiratory ailments. It is one of the world’s largest drug
repurposing programs for Parkinson’s.
• Non-small cell lung cancer
• Bladder (urothelial) cancer
• Liver, pancreatic, bile duct and
gallbladder cancers
• Breast cancer
Van Andel Institute Graduate School Transforming students into
independent scientists through an intense, problem-focused Ph.D. degree in
molecular and cellular biology
40+ current students 40+ alumni
95% placement rate Students hail from 14 countries
Van Andel Institute for Education Creating K–12 classrooms where
curiosity, creativity and critical thinking thrive
6,000+ students directly served 5,000+ teachers served
13,000+ educators subscribed to instructional resources
Numbers current as of
July 2023
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