Cancer
Fostering discovery on the cutting-edge of cancer research
Most people will face cancer sometime in their lives, either through the diagnosis of a loved one or through their own experience. Thanks to research and the dedicated advocacy of people around the world, the past few decades have witnessed a revolution in our ability to prevent and combat cancer. But these efforts are far from over.
VAI scientists are hard at work studying specific cancers, including leukemia, pancreatic cancer and breast cancer, to understand how and why these cancers begin and progress with the goal of developing new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat these devastating diseases. They also use high-tech methods to understand the similarities and differences between and within cancer types, gaining knowledge that may be used to develop more precise and more effective therapies.
Our quest against cancer goes beyond the lab through the Van Andel Institute–Stand Up To Cancer© (SU2C) Epigenetics Dream Team, a collaborative team of scientists, physicians and organizations who work together to move promising new treatments into clinical trials. This innovative approach leverages the resources and expertise of leading experts and institutions toward a common goal — new, life-changing treatment strategies that give people more healthier years.
By the numbers
Cancer
- 1.7M The number of new cancer cases in the U.S. in 2019*
- 19.2M The number of new cancers cases globally in 2020**
- 14 Cancer clinical trials launched by the Van Andel Institute–Stand Up To Cancer Epigenetics Dream Team
VAI scientists who study cancer
Stephen Baylin, M.D.
Co-leader, Van Andel Institute–Stand Up To Cancer® (SU2C) Epigenetics Dream Team
Director’s Scholar and Professor, Department of Epigenetics
Yvonne Fondufe-Mittendorf, Ph.D.
Interim Chair, Department of Cell Biology; Professor, Department of Epigenetics
Epigenetic Regulation and Environmental Impacts
Stephanie Grainger, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Cell Biology
Wnt Signaling in Hematopoietic Stem Cell Development and Cancer
Brian Haab, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Cell Biology
Pancreatic Cancer Identification Using Glycans
Derek Janssens, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Epigenetics
Epigenetic Regulation of Hematopoiesis and Leukemia
Peter A. Jones, Ph.D., D.Sc. (hon)
President and Chief Scientific Officer
Epigenetic Therapies
Russell Jones, Ph.D.
Chair and Professor, Department of Metabolism and Nutritional Programming
Cancer and Immunometabolism
Peter W. Laird, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Epigenetics; Peter and Emajean Cook Endowed Chair in Epigenetics
Cancer Epigenetics
Hong Li, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Structural Biology
Structural Mechanisms and Therapeutics of RNA Biology
Evan Lien, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Metabolism and Nutritional Programming
Diet, Metabolism and Cancer
Scott Rothbart, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Epigenetics
Chromatin and Epigenetic Regulation
Xiaobing Shi, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Epigenetics
Histone Modifications and Chromatin Regulation
Matt Steensma, M.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Cell Biology
Musculoskeletal Oncology
Tim Triche, Jr., Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Epigenetics
Translational Biological Informatics
Bart Williams, Ph.D.
Director, Core Technologies and Services; Professor, Department of Cell Biology
Cell Signaling and Carcinogenesis
Liman Zhang, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Structural Biology
Structural Biology, Immunology and Pathogen-Host Interactions
