Van Andel Research Institute

“Vari, vai, vaei, and vaigs share common management. David van andel, dr. Jana hall and timothy myers are also officers of vai, and david van andel and timothy myers are officers of vaei and vaigs. Thomas curran jr. Is also an officer of vaigs. Gerald callahan and thomas curran jr. Are key employees of vai and vaei.”

“Business relationship: david van andel, gerald callahan”

“The trustees of van andel institute have the authority to elect one or more members of vari's governing body.”

“Following completion of the financial statement audit, the form 990 is prepared and reviewed by management. It is then circulated to the full board prior to filing with the irs.”

“Vari has written conflict of interest ("coi") policies and procedures which administer and enforce a process to identify, evaluate, and manage potential conflicts of interest. These policies have been approved by the board of trustees. Vai administers coi policies and procedures through two standing committees: the conflicts committee ("cc") and the institutional coi committee ("icoic"). Coi policies and procedures apply to and serve as a guide for everyone in the organization. In particular, they provide a useful resource for developing activities or relationships with outside entities or persons, and establish a process for committees to review and manage potential conflicts of interest as they may arise. The cc and icoic are chaired by the general counsel. The cc requires annual and updated disclosures by covered persons and reviews and approves management plans. Icoic policies and procedures serve as a guide for boards of trustees and senior executives. In the event a potential coi arises at the board or senior executive level, the icoic meets to review and determine how to manage such a potential conflict of interest in accordance with the coi policies and procedures.”

“Comparability data from an expert third party is obtained and reviewed by the independent, joint compensation committee of van andel research institute and related organizations to determine appropriate compensation for the ceo, executive management officials, officers, and key employees, on behalf of van andel research institute.”

“All documents required to be made available to the public are available for public inspection upon written request.”

“Van andel research institute (vari) is dedicated to determining the epigenetic, genetic, molecular, metabolic, and cellular origins of cancer, parkinson's disease, and other disorders and to translating those findings into effective therapies. The institute's scientists work in onsite laboratories and participate in collaborations that span the globe. With epigenetics as its common thread, the institute is organized into five departments: epigenetics, neurodegenerative science, cell biology, metabolism and nutritional programming, and structural biology. The institute's labs are supported by an outstanding core technologies and services group, which provides a vivarium, a biorepository, and valuable onsite capabilities in imaging, pathology, bioinformatics and biostatistics, genomics, flow cytometry, mass spectrometry, transgenics, and cryo-electron microscopy. In addition to basic research, the institute participates in collaborative efforts to support clinical trials in cancer and parkinson's disease. In 2024, vari scientists published 122 articles in peer-reviewed journals such as cell, cell metabolism, molecular psychiatry, nature, proceedings of the national academy of sciences usa, science, science advances, genes & development, journal of clinical investigation, journal of experimental medicine, and nucleic acids research, among others.”

“Line 4a - program service activity #1 department of epigenetics as of november 2024, the department of epigenetics, led by chair dr. J. Andrew pospisilik, comprised 12 laboratories and one director's scholar that seek to understand how epigenetic changes either protect us from or predispose us to diseases such as cancer, parkinson's, and metabolic disorders. By investigating the epigenetic processes that fine-tune dna, the department's scientists aim to pinpoint the origins of these diseases and determine how they are impacted by our past and present, and how they influence future generations. In this fiscal year, researchers and trainees within the department earned new awards from the national institutes of health.”

“Line 4b - program service activity #2 department of neurodegenerative science as of november 2024, the department of neurodegenerative science, chaired by dr. Darren moore, comprised seven laboratories that investigate the complex factors that give rise to neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders, including genetics, epigenetics, aging, inflammation, the structure of the brain, and the roles of the gut and immune system. By leveraging discoveries made in the institute's labs and collaborating with researchers around the world, scientists in the department are working to translate breakthroughs into life-changing new treatments for parkinson's, alzheimer's and related dementias, and depression. In this fiscal year, a trainee within the department earned a new award from the national institutes of health. A subaward with a prime sponsor of the michael j. Fox foundation for parkinson's research was received from northwestern university.”

“Line 4c - program service activity #3 department of metabolism and nutritional programming as of november 2024, the department of metabolism and nutritional programming, chaired by dr. Russell jones, comprised six laboratories that explore the intricate mechanics of cellular metabolism and its implications for health and disease. Using cutting-edge techniques, they investigate metabolism's interaction with other critical systems, such as the immune system, and are revealing how environmental exposures and metabolic dysfunction contribute to complex diseases such as diabetes, autoimmunity, cancer, and neurodegeneration. They also parse the ripple effect that nutrition may have through the generations by exploring how diet could lay the epigenetic foundations for health. In this fiscal year, researchers and trainees within the department earned new awards from the national institutes of health and the national science foundation.”

“Line 4d - other program services department of cell biology as of november 2024, the department of cell biology, led by interim chair dr. Yvonne fondufe-mittendorf, comprised six labs that pursue fundamental research to understand how cells grow, communicate, survive, assemble into tissues and organs, respond to the environment, and change with age. This transformative work aims to yield new diagnostic and treatment strategies to improve the quality of life for people with cancer, bone diseases, and rare disorders. One faculty member holds an appointment as director of the institute's core technologies and services. Dr. Fondufe-mittendorf holds a primary appointment in the department of epigenetics. In this fiscal year, researchers within the department earned new awards from the national institutes of health and the american cancer society. A subaward with a prime sponsor of the national institutes of health was received from the university of pittsburgh. Department of structural biology as of november 2024, the department of structural biology, chaired by dr. Huilin li, comprised six laboratories that harness the power of cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-em) and other techniques to visualize molecules, complexes, and structures that serve as the foundation for health and disease. These molecules may serve as drug targets for cancer, neurological disorders, metabolic diseases, infectious diseases, and more. Department scientists have interests in dna replication, cellular signaling, rna biology, neurodegeneration, immunology, and epigenetics. In this fiscal year, researchers and trainees within the department earned new awards from the national institutes of health and american heart association. Subawards with a prime sponsor of the national institutes of health were received from cornell university and coriell institute for medical research. Clinical collaborations the van andel institute-stand up to cancer epigenetics dream team, led by dr. Peter a. Jones and dr. Stephen baylin, continues to foster collaboration toward development of new combination therapies for cancer by moving these promising therapies into clinical trials. The team focuses on epigenetic mechanisms in cells, which help control whether genes are switched "on or "off" without changing the dna sequence itself. International linked clinical trials is a program that identifies potential new therapies that may slow or stop parkinson's progression from medications developed or approved to treat other conditions. The program is spearheaded by cure parkinson's in collaboration with the institute. It aims to reduce the time it takes for a potential treatment to move from the lab into clinical trials and, ultimately, to implementation in the clinic. Dr. Darren moore represents vai on the ilct committee.”

“Fundraising expenses at vari were incurred to support the mission of the research institute through donor solicitation, grant solicitation and extramural proposal preparation.”