Structural biologist and cellular ‘architecture’ expert Dr. Travis Walton joins Van Andel Institute

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (July 23, 2024) — Van Andel Institute’s newest assistant professor, Travis Walton, Ph.D., is exploring how the architecture of our cells affects brain health and, when things go wrong, contributes to neurodegenerative disease.

To do so, he will employ the Institute’s state-of-the-art suite of cryo-electron microscopes (cryo-EM), which enable scientists to visualize molecules at the near-atomic level. His lab is part of VAI’s growing Department of Structural Biology, which is home to experts who investigate life’s most fundamental processes.

“Van Andel Institute is the best place I have found to pursue groundbreaking research that goes beyond the status quo,” said Walton. “I am fully committed to contributing my utmost efforts and expertise.”

Related: Learn more about Dr. Walton’s research➔

Similar to how the skeleton provides structure and support to the human body, every cell has its own cytoskeleton that provides shape and stability. Problems with this critical architecture can contribute to a wide range of human diseases. Walton and his lab will use cryo-EM and other strategies to identify vulnerabilities in the cytoskeleton that can lead to new targets for diagnosis and treatment.  

He earned his Ph.D. in biological and biomedical sciences from Harvard Medical School. In 2020, Walton was awarded the prestigious Helen Hay Whitney Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship in recognition of his research accomplishments. During his fellowship, also at Harvard, Walton used cryo-EM to develop the first full atomic model of the cytoskeletal “backbone” of cilia and flagella. This work illuminated important new insights into the mechanics that underlie cellular movement.