Metabolism and Nutritional Programming
Overview
Every aspect of life is fueled by metabolism, a constant cascade of chemical reactions that ensure we have the energy to survive and thrive. When this system breaks down, the results can be serious — diseases such as cancer, Parkinson’s and diabetes are all known to have varying degrees of metabolic involvement.
Scientists in VAI’s Department of Metabolism and Nutritional Programming study how metabolism works and its effects on health and disease. They examine how metabolism fuels the immune system, how diet can influence health across generations and how environmental exposures and metabolic dysfunction contribute to diabetes, autoimmunity, cancer and neurodegeneration.
By developing a detailed understanding of metabolism and how it is impacted by nutrition, genetics and epigenetics, VAI scientists aim to develop metabolism-based therapies and interventions with the goal of improving human health.
Metabolism and Nutrition(MeNu) Program
Van Andel Institute’s Metabolism and Nutrition (MeNu) Program is a collaborative effort to understand the impact of diet and nutrition on human health at the molecular level, with a focus on the relationship between nutrition and inflammation in chronic diseases. Explore MeNu ➔
Our Faculty
Russell Jones, Ph.D.
Chair and Professor, Department of Metabolism and Nutritional Programming
Cancer and Immunometabolism
Nick Burton, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Metabolism and Nutritional Programming
Metabolism, the Microbiome and Disease Risk
Connie Krawczyk, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Metabolism and Nutritional Programming
Immunology, Epigenetics and Metabolism
Adelheid (Heidi) Lempradl, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Metabolism and Nutritional Programming
Intergenerational Inheritance of Nutritional States
Evan Lien, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Metabolism and Nutritional Programming
Diet, Metabolism and Cancer
Sara Nowinski, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Metabolism and Nutritional Programming
Mitochondria and Metabolism
Maulik Patel, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Metabolism and Nutritional Programming
Mitochondrial genetics, cell biology and metabolism
