| Van Andel Institute | |
|---|---|
| Location | Grand Rapids, MI |
| Website | http://www.vai.org |
Van Andel Institute (VAI) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The Institute’s mission is to improve the health and enhance the lives of current and future generations through disease research and science education. VAI was founded by Jay and Betty Van Andel in 1996 and is composed of two complementary institutes: Van Andel Research Institute (VARI) and Van Andel Education Institute (VAEI).[1] VARI scientists study the genetic, cellular, and molecular origins of cancer and other diseases and work to translate those findings into effective therapies for patients.[2] VAEI provides a continuum of learning through a variety of educational programs that help to prepare tomorrow’s scientists.[3]
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VARI’s primary work has been in basic research – looking for what occurs to cause disease in individual cells, and using that information to identify biomarkers that can help predict and diagnose diseases, and lead to the development of safer, more effective drugs.[4] The research at VARI has primarily focused on cancer, but is expanding into other diseases such as osteoporosis,[5] Parkinson’s,[6] and diabetes. The Institute’s Phase II[7] building expansion included the addition of space for the new Jay Van Andel Parkinson Research Lab.[8] VAI co-founder Jay Van Andel suffered from Parkinson disease for over 10 years before his death in 2004.
From 1999 until 2009, former National Cancer Institute administrator George Vande Woude, Ph.D., served as VARI’s research director and helped to build the research programs that exist today. Before joining VARI, Dr. Vande Woude was Director of the Basic Research Program at the Frederick Cancer Research and Development Center as well as the Director for the Division of Basic Sciences at the National Cancer Institute. In the early 1980s, Dr. Vande Woude’s laboratory discovered the human MET oncogene, which is now an important target in the development of anti-cancer drugs.[9]
Van Andel Research Institute (VARI) has a strategic alliance and affiliation agreement with the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) in Phoenix, Arizona.[10] TGen is poised to translate the discoveries generated in laboratories from both organizations into real solutions for patients through its clinical research site at Scottsdale Healthcare.
As part of the alliance, Dr. Jeffrey Trent, TGen's President and Research Director, took on the same role at VARI in 2009. Prior to heading TGen, Dr. Trent served for 10 years as the founding Scientific Director of the Division of Intramural Research for the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. Under his guidance, NHGRI’s Division of Intramural Research became an internationally recognized research center in human genetics.[11]
Van Andel Education Institute (VAEI) is dedicated to strengthening science education and preparing and motivating individuals to pursue science or science-related professions.[12] Educational programs and initiatives at Van Andel Institute include:
The Science Academy offers science education programs for students, teachers, and the community and studies how students learn science to have an impact on science education nationally. The Science Academy offers hands-on programs that can not only change the way students think about science, but also how they think about the world around them and their future in it.
Through the Out-of-School-Time Cohort Program, groups of students learn to think and act like scientists over the course of three years, asking their own questions about different species, ecosystems, and genetics and answering them with the tools of science.
Through Science on Saturday, students and adults form two-person teams and explore some aspect of the natural world. This one-day program encourages students’ interest in science while building community support for science education.
Teachers learn alongside their students through Classroom Science Investigations, a unique professional development program tailored to each teacher’s needs. Teachers learn methods that will help them in the classroom while students are engaged in science.
Partners for Sustainable Innovation is a professional development initiative that brings teachers, workforce partners, and Science Academy staff together to determine how the requirements for life science careers can be integrated into the classroom in an engaging way.
High school students who plan to major in science or genetic engineering in college have the opportunity to work in a research laboratory and learn research methods and workplace success skills.
College and university students are mentored by professionals in their chosen field while working in VARI labs; programs include the Frederik and Lena Meijer Student Internship Program and the Grand Rapids Medical Education and Research Center Medical Student Summer Research Internship Program.
Minorities under-represented in medical research who attend Grand Rapids Community College are helped to graduate to the baccalaureate level through research experience while dual-enrolled at Grand Valley State University.
Van Andel Institute Graduate School is a unique Ph.D. program that prepares students for careers in biomedical disease research. The program includes an innovative problem-based curriculum that simulates how scientists approach new research questions, laboratory rotations, seminars and workshops, and optional teaching and hospital experiences.
Students in one of five Michigan State University graduate programs conduct one of their laboratory rotations at VARI and can complete their thesis project at the Institute if they choose.
Students from the College of Veterinary Medicine at Michigan State University train in hypothesis-based medical research while mentored by faculty; students may complete a research rotation at VARI.
Scientists beginning their research careers after graduate school advance their knowledge and research experience by working in the lab under the mentorship of a scientific investigator, attending seminars, and interacting with staff and students.
Located in downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan, Van Andel Institute's building was designed by famed architect Rafael Viñoly to be constructed in two phases; the first phase was completed in 2000 and Phase II opened in December 2009. The building is set into a steep hill at the beginning of "Grand Rapids Medical Mile".
The facility has many unique design elements and benefits, including:
Van Andel Institute serves as the cornerstone of the West Michigan biomedical research and life sciences corridor. The past decade has seen more than $1 billion in private and philanthropic investment in research and clinical infrastructure along the Medical Mile in Grand Rapids, which includes Van Andel Institute, Spectrum Health System, the Michigan State University College of Human Medicine Secchia Center, the GVSU Cook-DeVos Center for Health Sciences, and other medical-related developments.[13]