Key index ranks Van Andel Institute among top nonprofit research organizations for biological sciences

Van Andel Institute is among the top nonprofit research organizations in biological sciences, according to the Nature Index.

In the U.S., VAI ranks fifth out of 339 nonprofit (NPO)/non-governmental organizations (NGO) in the biological sciences category. Globally, the Institute ranks seventeenth out of 1,351 NPO/NGOs in biological sciences.

The Nature Index is a comprehensive, open database that measures institutional scientific output based on research published in 145 natural-science and health-science journals. VAI’s rankings are part of the Index’s 2025 Research Leaders table, which bases its results on data gathered from Jan. 1, 2024, to Dec. 31, 2024.

“A top five ranking by the Nature Index is a remarkable achievement for an institution of our size and age,” said VAI Chief Scientific Officer Peter A. Jones, Ph.D., D.Sc. (hon). “I am immensely proud of the life-changing work underway in our labs and deeply grateful to our community for its deep, enduring support.”

Since its founding in 1996, VAI has grown into a premier research and education organization that supports the work of more than 500 scientists, educators and staff. The Institute’s researchers are at the forefront of fields including cancer, epigenetics, neurodegenerative diseases, cell biology, metabolism and structural biology.

Learn more about our research ➔

Discoveries made by VAI scientists have:

• Led to a new blood test for pancreatic cancer that may improve earlier detection of the disease. The test currently is undergoing additional testing in a clinical lab, a crucial step toward use in the doctor’s office.
• Identified several new epigenetic targets for cancer treatment.
• Revealed how different nutrients impact immune cells, laying the groundwork for new ways to improve cancer immunotherapies.
• Linked inflammation to pregnancy-related depression, which may help doctors objectively evaluate risk for depression and suicide among pregnant women.
• Developed a potent anti-cancer compound that inhibits cancer cell growth in a type of infant leukemia.
• Shed new light on the intricacies of DNA replication.
• Identified a molecular “fingerprint” that marks brain cells that are vulnerable to Parkinson’s and Lewy body dementia.
• Visualized parts of a repair system that tuberculosis-causing bacteria use to resist treatment, which may offer a target for new treatments.

Read more about our labs’ latest discoveries here.