Latest news from Van Andel Institute on Newswise en-us Copyright 2024 Newswise 115 31 / /images/newswise-logo-rss.gif /articles/new-anti-cancer-degrader-targets-protein-essential-to-infant-leukemia/?sc=rsin /articles/new-anti-cancer-degrader-targets-protein-essential-to-infant-leukemia/?sc=rsin Thu, 29 Aug 2024 15:05:23 EST Scientists have developed a potent anti-cancer compound that inhibits cancer cell growth in a tough-to-treat type of infant leukemia. Van Andel Institute /articles/immune-cells-have-a-metabolic-backup-plan-for-accessing-their-anti-cancer-playbook/?sc=rsin /articles/immune-cells-have-a-metabolic-backup-plan-for-accessing-their-anti-cancer-playbook/?sc=rsin Fri, 23 Aug 2024 10:05:45 EST Immune cells use two different routes to produce acetyl-CoA, an essential metabolite required to fight infection and cancer, reports a study led by Van Andel Institute scientists. Van Andel Institute /articles/when-it-comes-to-dna-replication-humans-and-baker-s-yeast-are-more-alike-than-different/?sc=rsin /articles/when-it-comes-to-dna-replication-humans-and-baker-s-yeast-are-more-alike-than-different/?sc=rsin Thu, 01 Aug 2024 14:00:00 EST Humans and baker's yeast have more in common than meets the eye, including an important mechanism that helps ensure DNA is copied correctly, reports a pair of studies published in the journals Science and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Van Andel Institute /articles/study-finds-persistent-proteins-may-influence-metabolomics-results/?sc=rsin /articles/study-finds-persistent-proteins-may-influence-metabolomics-results/?sc=rsin Thu, 18 Jul 2024 11:40:13 EST Van Andel Institute scientists have identified more than 1,000 previously undetected proteins in common metabolite samples, which persist despite extraction methods designed to weed them out. Van Andel Institute /articles/heating-proteins-to-body-temperature-reveals-new-drug-targets/?sc=rsin /articles/heating-proteins-to-body-temperature-reveals-new-drug-targets/?sc=rsin Wed, 15 May 2024 12:05:10 EST Some proteins shift their shape when exposed to different temperatures, revealing previously unknown binding sites for medications. Van Andel Institute /articles/scientists-identify-cell-vulnerability-fingerprint-related-to-parkinson-s-lewy-body-dementia/?sc=rsin /articles/scientists-identify-cell-vulnerability-fingerprint-related-to-parkinson-s-lewy-body-dementia/?sc=rsin Tue, 16 Apr 2024 14:05:39 EST A new study offers a first look into the complex molecular changes that occur in brain cells with Lewy bodies, which are key pathological hallmarks of Parkinson's disease and some dementias. Van Andel Institute /articles/combining-epigenetic-cancer-medications-may-have-benefit-for-colorectal-cancers-and-other-tumor-types/?sc=rsin /articles/combining-epigenetic-cancer-medications-may-have-benefit-for-colorectal-cancers-and-other-tumor-types/?sc=rsin Wed, 27 Mar 2024 14:00:00 EST A pair of medications that make malignant cells act as if they have a virus could hold new promise for treating colorectal cancers and other solid tumors, reports a study published today in Science Advances. Van Andel Institute /articles/inflammation-and-loss-of-protective-mechanisms-in-the-brain-linked-to-suicide-risk/?sc=rsin /articles/inflammation-and-loss-of-protective-mechanisms-in-the-brain-linked-to-suicide-risk/?sc=rsin Tue, 14 Nov 2023 11:05:25 EST A first-of-its-kind study has identified overactive inflammation and loss of critical protection mechanisms in the brain as potential contributors to suicide risk. Van Andel Institute /articles/van-andel-institute-scientist-awarded-2-9-million-to-tackle-insulin-resistance-a-driver-of-type-2-diabetes/?sc=rsin /articles/van-andel-institute-scientist-awarded-2-9-million-to-tackle-insulin-resistance-a-driver-of-type-2-diabetes/?sc=rsin Tue, 03 Oct 2023 10:05:59 EST Nick Burton, Ph.D., has earned a five-year, nearly $2.9 million New Innovator Award from the National Institutes of Health Common Fund to find new ways to fix or prevent insulin resistance, a key driver of Type 2 diabetes. Van Andel Institute /articles/van-andel-institute-chief-scientist-earns-7-9-million-outstanding-investigator-award-to-support-cancer-research/?sc=rsin /articles/van-andel-institute-chief-scientist-earns-7-9-million-outstanding-investigator-award-to-support-cancer-research/?sc=rsin Thu, 28 Sep 2023 13:05:43 EST Van Andel Institute Chief Scientific Officer Peter A. Jones, Ph.D., D.Sc. (hon), has received a seven-year, nearly $7.9 million grant from the National Cancer Institute's Outstanding Investigator Award program. Van Andel Institute /articles/van-andel-institute-appoints-new-graduate-school-dean-and-chief-academic-officer/?sc=rsin /articles/van-andel-institute-appoints-new-graduate-school-dean-and-chief-academic-officer/?sc=rsin Tue, 26 Sep 2023 16:05:32 EST Van Andel Institute has appointed Eric Swindell, Ph.D., as dean and chief academic officer of Van Andel Institute Graduate School, effective Dec. 4, 2023. Van Andel Institute /articles/study-illuminates-mechanism-that-annotates-genetic-information-passed-from-fathers-to-offspring/?sc=rsin /articles/study-illuminates-mechanism-that-annotates-genetic-information-passed-from-fathers-to-offspring/?sc=rsin Wed, 06 Sep 2023 14:30:00 EST Van Andel Institute scientists and collaborators have identified a key part of a mechanism that annotates genetic information before it is passed from fathers to their offspring. Van Andel Institute /articles/van-andel-institute-scientist-nets-2-4-million-award-to-study-cellular-powerhouses2/?sc=rsin /articles/van-andel-institute-scientist-nets-2-4-million-award-to-study-cellular-powerhouses2/?sc=rsin Wed, 30 Aug 2023 14:05:56 EST Our cells are powered by tiny "powerplants" called mitochondria, which transform nutrients into fuel that sustains life. But there's more to the story of mitochondria, says Van Andel Institute Assistant Professor Sara Nowinski, Ph.D. Van Andel Institute /articles/repairing-broken-brain-circuits-may-offer-path-to-new-parkinson-s-treatments/?sc=rsin /articles/repairing-broken-brain-circuits-may-offer-path-to-new-parkinson-s-treatments/?sc=rsin Thu, 24 Aug 2023 11:05:05 EST Scientists have identified a series of processes that help the brain adapt to damage caused by breakdowns in circuits that govern movement, cognition and sensory perception. Van Andel Institute /articles/alternative-cellular-fuels-boost-immunity/?sc=rsin /articles/alternative-cellular-fuels-boost-immunity/?sc=rsin Fri, 28 Jul 2023 11:05:11 EST A metabolic by-product that is more prevalent during fasting may supercharge immune cells as they fight infection and disease, reports an early stage study by Van Andel Institute scientists and collaborators. Van Andel Institute /articles/breakdown-of-protective-mechanisms-can-drive-lung-cancer-development/?sc=rsin /articles/breakdown-of-protective-mechanisms-can-drive-lung-cancer-development/?sc=rsin Thu, 22 Jun 2023 10:45:05 EST Loss of two key "protector" proteins initiates epigenetic changes that transform healthy lung cells into cancerous ones, according to new research from Van Andel Institute scientists. Van Andel Institute /articles/targeting-uncontrolled-inflammation-may-hold-the-key-to-treating-therapy-resistant-cancers/?sc=rsin /articles/targeting-uncontrolled-inflammation-may-hold-the-key-to-treating-therapy-resistant-cancers/?sc=rsin Thu, 11 May 2023 13:15:51 EST Van Andel Institute scientists have pinpointed how a specific gene mutation triggers an inflammatory cascade that may drive development of treatment-resistant cancers. Van Andel Institute /articles/van-andel-institute-washington-university-school-of-medicine-in-st-louis-to-lead-genome-center-under-140m-nih-initiative/?sc=rsin /articles/van-andel-institute-washington-university-school-of-medicine-in-st-louis-to-lead-genome-center-under-140m-nih-initiative/?sc=rsin Thu, 11 May 2023 13:10:57 EST Van Andel Institute's Hui Shen, Ph.D., and Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis's Ting Wang, Ph.D., will co-lead a collaborative project supported by the Somatic Mosaicism across Human Tissues (SMaHT) Network, a new $140 million National Institutes of Health-led effort to better understand the genetic differences between individual cells and tissues in the body. Van Andel Institute /articles/osteoporosis-treatments-may-benefit-from-discovery-of-key-driver-of-low-bone-density/?sc=rsin /articles/osteoporosis-treatments-may-benefit-from-discovery-of-key-driver-of-low-bone-density/?sc=rsin Wed, 19 Apr 2023 11:05:45 EST Scientists have pinpointed a key driver of low bone density, a discovery that may lead to improved treatments with fewer side effects for women with osteoporosis. Van Andel Institute /articles/researchers-discover-two-subtypes-of-insulin-producing-cells/?sc=rsin /articles/researchers-discover-two-subtypes-of-insulin-producing-cells/?sc=rsin Tue, 28 Mar 2023 11:30:03 EST Researchers have identified two distinct subtypes of insulin-producing beta cells, or (beta) cells, each with crucial characteristics that may be leveraged to better understand and treat Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. Van Andel Institute