NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) – The Van Andel Institute plans to become a hub of epigenetics research by developing a consortium of four US academic institutions and one from abroad that will collaborate to develop new personalized epigenetic treatments.
The initiative will be led by Peter Jones, director of research and chief scientific officer at the Van Andel Research Institute, which is based at VAI's headquarters in Grand Rapids, Mich. He already is working with international research partners on epigenetic therapies to treat cancer.
"Paired with our translational research that is speeding the delivery of new therapies from research bench to bedside, the establishment of an epigenetics hub with Dr. Jones at the helm will impact millions of lives, developing new epigenetic therapies for cancer and neurodegenerative diseases," VAI Chairman and CEO David Van Andel said in a statement.
Jones said he has "already begun to build a robust clinical program" and is recruiting scientists for the epigentics hub.