Attach to Form 990 or Form 990-EZ.
Information about Schedule A (Form 990 or 990-EZ) and its instructions is at www.irs.gov/form990.
| (i)Name of supported organization | (ii) EIN | (iii) Type of organization (described on lines 1- 9 above (see instructions)) | (iv) Is the organization listed in your governing document? | (v) Amount of monetary support (see instructions) | (vi) Amount of other support (see instructions) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | No | |||||
| Total | ||||||
Calendar year (or fiscal year beginning in) ![]() |
(a) 2011 | (b) 2012 | (c) 2013 | (d) 2014 | (e) 2015 | (f) Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gifts, grants, contributions, and membership fees received. (Do not include any unusual grants.) .... | ||||||
| 2 | Tax revenues levied for the organization's benefit and either paid to or expended on its behalf....... | ||||||
| 3 | The value of services or facilities furnished by a governmental unit to the organization without charge.. | ||||||
| 4 | Total. Add lines 1 through 3 | ||||||
| 5 | The portion of total contributions by each person (other than a governmental unit or publicly supported organization) included on line 1 that exceeds 2% of the amount shown on line 11, column (f).. | ||||||
| 6 | Public support. Subtract line 5 from line 4. | ||||||
Calendar year
(or fiscal year beginning in) ![]() |
(a) 2011 | (b) 2012 | (c) 2013 | (d) 2014 | (e) 2015 | (f) Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | Amounts from line 4.. | ||||||
| 8 | Gross income from interest, dividends, payments received on securities loans, rents, royalties and income from similar sources... | ||||||
| 9 | Net income from unrelated business activities, whether or not the business is regularly carried on.. | ||||||
| 10 | Other income. Do not include gain or loss from the sale of capital assets (Explain in Part VI.).. | ||||||
| 11 | Total support. Add lines 7 through 10. | ||||||
Calendar year (or fiscal year beginning in) ![]() |
(a) 2011 | (b) 2012 | (c) 2013 | (d) 2014 | (e) 2015 | (f) Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gifts, grants, contributions, and membership fees received. (Do not include any "unusual grants.") . | ||||||
| 2 | Gross receipts from admissions, merchandise sold or services performed, or facilities furnished in any activity that is related to the organization's tax-exempt purpose...... | ||||||
| 3 | Gross receipts from activities that are not an unrelated trade or business under section 513... | ||||||
| 4 | Tax revenues levied for the organization's benefit and either paid to or expended on its behalf... | ||||||
| 5 | The value of services or facilities furnished by a governmental unit to the organization without charge.. | ||||||
| 6 | Total. Add lines 1 through 5. | ||||||
| 7a | Amounts included on lines 1, 2, and 3 received from disqualified persons... | ||||||
| b | Amounts included on lines 2 and 3 received from other than disqualified persons that exceed the greater of $5,000 or 1% of the amount on line 13 for the year. | ||||||
| c | Add lines 7a and 7b.. | ||||||
| 8 | Public support. (Subtract line 7c from line 6.) | ||||||
Calendar year (or fiscal year beginning in) ![]() |
(a) 2011 | (b) 2012 | (c) 2013 | (d) 2014 | (e) 2015 | (f) Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Amounts from line 6... | ||||||
| 10a | Gross income from interest, dividends, payments received on securities loans, rents, royalties and income from similar sources.. | ||||||
| b | Unrelated business taxable income (less section 511 taxes) from businesses acquired after June 30, 1975. | ||||||
| c | Add lines 10a and 10b. | ||||||
| 11 | Net income from unrelated business activities not included in line 10b, whether or not the business is regularly carried on. | ||||||
| 12 | Other income. Do not include gain or loss from the sale of capital assets (Explain in Part VI.) .. | ||||||
| 13 | Total support. (Add lines 9, 10c, 11, and 12.).. | ||||||
| Section A - Adjusted Net Income | (A) Prior Year |
(B) Current Year (optional) |
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| 1 | Net short-term capital gain | 1 | ||||
| 2 | Recoveries of prior-year distributions | 2 | ||||
| 3 | Other gross income (see instructions) | 3 | ||||
| 4 | Add lines 1 through 3 | 4 | ||||
| 5 | Depreciation and depletion | 5 | ||||
| 6 | Portion of operating expenses paid or incurred for production or collection of gross income or for management, conservation, or maintenance of property held for production of income (see instructions) | 6 | ||||
| 7 | Other expenses (see instructions) | 7 | ||||
| 8 | Adjusted Net Income (subtract lines 5, 6 and 7 from line 4) | 8 | ||||
| Section B - Minimum Asset Amount | (A) Prior Year |
(B) Current Year (optional) |
||||
| 1 | Aggregate fair market value of all non-exempt-use assets (see instructions for short tax year or assets held for part of year): | 1 | ||||
| a | Average monthly value of securities | 1a | ||||
| b | Average monthly cash balances | 1b | ||||
| c | Fair market value of other non-exempt-use assets | 1c | ||||
| d | Total (add lines 1a, 1b, and 1c) | 1d | ||||
| e |
Discount claimed for blockage or other factors (explain in detail in Part VI): |
|||||
| 2 | Acquisition indebtedness applicable to non-exempt use assets | 2 | ||||
| 3 | Subtract line 2 from line 1d | 3 | ||||
| 4 | Cash deemed held for exempt use. Enter 1-1/2% of line 3 (for greater amount, see instructions). | 4 | ||||
| 5 | Net value of non-exempt-use assets (subtract line 4 from line 3) | 5 | ||||
| 6 | Multiply line 5 by .035 | 6 | ||||
| 7 | Recoveries of prior-year distributions | 7 | ||||
| 8 | Minimum Asset Amount (add line 7 to line 6) | 8 | ||||
| Section C - Distributable Amount | Current Year | |||||
| 1 | Adjusted net income for prior year (from Section A, line 8, Column A) | 1 | ||||
| 2 | Enter 85% of line 1 | 2 | ||||
| 3 | Minimum asset amount for prior year (from Section B, line 8, Column A) | 3 | ||||
| 4 | Enter greater of line 2 or line 3 | 4 | ||||
| 5 | Income tax imposed in prior year | 5 | ||||
| 6 | Distributable Amount. Subtract line 5 from line 4, unless subject to emergency temporary reduction (see instructions) | 6 | ||||
| Section D - Distributions | Current Year | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Amounts paid to supported organizations to accomplish exempt purposes | ||
|
2
Amounts paid to perform activity that directly furthers exempt purposes of supported organizations, in excess of income from activity |
||
| 3 Administrative expenses paid to accomplish exempt purposes of supported organizations | ||
| 4 Amounts paid to acquire exempt-use assets | ||
| 5 Qualified set-aside amounts (prior IRS approval required) | ||
| 6 Other distributions (describe in Part VI). See instructions | ||
| 7Total annual distributions. Add lines 1 through 6. | ||
|
8
Distributions to attentive supported organizations to which the organization is responsive (provide details in Part VI). See instructions |
||
| 9 Distributable amount for 2015 from Section C, line 6 | ||
| 10 Line 8 amount divided by Line 9 amount | ||
| Section E - Distribution Allocations (see instructions) |
(i) Excess Distributions |
(ii) Underdistributions Pre-2015 |
(iii) Distributable Amount for 2015 |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1
Distributable amount for 2015 from Section C, line 6 |
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|
2
Underdistributions, if any, for years prior to 2015 (reasonable cause required--see instructions) |
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| 3 Excess distributions carryover, if any, to 2015: | ||||
| a | ||||
| b | ||||
| c | ||||
| d From 2013....... | ||||
| e From 2014....... | ||||
| fTotal of lines 3a through e | ||||
| g Applied to underdistributions of prior years | ||||
| h Applied to 2015 distributable amount | ||||
|
i
Carryover from 2010 not applied (see instructions) |
||||
| j Remainder. Subtract lines 3g, 3h, and 3i from 3f. | ||||
| 4Distributions for 2015 from Section D, line 7: | ||||
| $ | ||||
| a Applied to underdistributions of prior years | ||||
| b Applied to 2015 distributable amount | ||||
| c Remainder. Subtract lines 4a and 4b from 4. | ||||
|
5
Remaining underdistributions for years prior to 2015, if any. Subtract lines 3g and 4a from line 2 (if amount greater than zero, see instructions) |
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|
6
Remaining underdistributions for 2015. Subtract lines 3h and 4b from line 1 (if amount greater than zero, see instructions) |
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|
7 Excess distributions carryover to 2016. Add lines 3j and 4c. |
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| 8 Breakdown of line 7: | ||||
| a | ||||
| b | ||||
| c Excess from 2013....... | ||||
| d From 2014....... | ||||
| e From 2015....... | ||||
| Facts And Circumstances Test |
|---|
| Return Reference | Explanation |
|---|
| Software ID: | |
| Software Version: |
Attach to Form 990 or 990-EZ.
Information about Schedule O (Form 990 or 990-EZ) and its instructions is at| Return Reference | Explanation |
|---|---|
| FORM 990, PART VI, SECTION A, LINE 2 | VARI, VAI, VAEI, AND VAIGS SHARE COMMON MANAGEMENT. DAVID VAN ANDEL, DR. JANA HALL, TIMOTHY MYERS AND DAVID WHITESCARVER ARE ALSO OFFICERS OF VAI, AND DAVID VAN ANDEL, TIMOTHY MYERS AND DAVID WHITESCARVER (THROUGH 8/31/16) ARE OFFICERS OF VAEI AND VAIGS. |
| FORM 990, PART VI, SECTION A, LINE 7A | THE TRUSTEES OF VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO ELECT ONE OR MORE MEMBERS OF VARI'S GOVERNING BODY. |
| FORM 990, PART VI, SECTION B, LINE 11 | FOLLOWING COMPLETION OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENT AUDIT, THE FORM 990 IS PREPARED AND REVIEWED BY MANAGEMENT. IT IS THEN CIRCULATED TO THE FULL BOARD FOR REVIEW AND COMMENTS PRIOR TO FILING WITH THE IRS. |
| FORM 990, PART VI, SECTION B, LINE 12C | 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. |
| FORM 990, PART VI, SECTION B, LINE 15 | COMPARABILITY DATA FROM 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. |
| FORM 990, PART VI, SECTION C, LINE 19 | ALL DOCUMENTS REQUIRED TO BE MADE AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC ARE AVAILABLE FOR PUBLIC INSPECTION UPON WRITTEN REQUEST. |
| FORM 990, PART XI, LINE 9: | GAIN ON INTEREST RATE SWAP 3,856,298. |
| FORM 990, PART III, LINE 2 | VAN ANDEL RESEARCH INSTITUTE (VARI) IS DEDICATED TO DETERMINING THE EPIGENETIC, GENETIC, MOLECULAR, AND CELLULAR ORIGINS OF CANCER, PARKINSON'S DISEASE, AND OTHER ILLNESSES AND TO TRANSLATING THOSE FINDINGS INTO EFFECTIVE THERAPIES. THE INSTITUTE'S SCIENTISTS WORK IN ON-SITE LABORATORIES AND PARTICIPATE IN COLLABORATIONS THAT SPAN THE GLOBE. WITH EPIGENETICS AS ITS COMMON THREAD, VARI IS ORGANIZED INTO THREE CENTERS-THE CENTER FOR CANCER AND CELL BIOLOGY, THE CENTER FOR EPIGENETICS, AND THE CENTER FOR NEURODEGENERATIVE SCIENCE-AS WELL AS A CORE TECHNOLOGIES AND SERVICES GROUP, WHICH PROVIDES A VIVARIUM, A BIOREPOSITORY, AND VALUABLE ON-SITE CAPABILITIES IN CRYO-ELECTRON MICROSCOPY (CRYO-EM), IMAGING, PATHOLOGY, BIOINFORMATICS, GENOMICS, AND FLOW CYTOMETRY. RESEARCH BY VARI SCIENTISTS IS PUBLISHED IN MAJOR PEER-REVIEWED JOURNALS, INCLUDING, IN 2016, CELL, CELL DISCOVERY, MOLECULAR CELL, NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDICINE, SCIENCE TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE, NATURE REVIEWS GENETICS, SCIENTIFIC REPORTS, CANCER, CANCER CELL, GENOME BIOLOGY, BONE RESEARCH, CANCER RESEARCH, PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES USA, CLINICAL CANCER RESEARCH, JOURNAL OF BONE AND MINERAL RESEARCH, JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY, MOLECULAR BIOLOGY OF THE CELL, JOURNAL OF AFFECTIVE DISORDERS, ONCOGENE, JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL PHYSICS, NEUROPATHOLOGY AND APPLIED NEUROBIOLOGY, SARCOMA, MOLECULAR CANCER RESEARCH, JOURNAL OF MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY, PLOS ONE, BMJ OPEN, JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE, EPIGENETICS AND CHROMATIN, CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR GASTROENTEROLOGY AND HEPATOLOGY, FEBS JOURNAL, JOURNAL OF PARKINSON'S DISEASE, VIROLOGY JOURNAL, PEDIATRIC CARDIOLOGY, AND PSYCHONEUROENDOCRINOLOGY. |
| FORM 990, PART III, LINE 4A | LINE 4A - PROGRAM SERVICE ACTIVITY #1 CENTER FOR CANCER AND CELL BIOLOGY THE CENTER FOR CANCER AND CELL BIOLOGY, DIRECTED BY BART WILLIAMS, PH.D., COMPRISES 12 LABORATORIES ENGAGED IN BASIC RESEARCH IN MOLECULAR AND STRUCTURAL BIOLOGY AND IN TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH ON CANCERS, THE TUMOR MICROENVIRONMENT, AND SKELETAL DISEASES. DR. H. ERIC XU, A STRUCTURAL BIOLOGIST IN THE CENTER, RECEIVED THE PRESTIGIOUS HANS NEURATH AWARD FROM THE PROTEIN SOCIETY IN AUGUST OF 2016 FOR CONTRIBUTIONS OF EXCEPTIONAL MERIT TO PROTEIN RESEARCH. CENTER INVESTIGATORS RECEIVED THREE NIH AWARDS IN 2016. ADDITONAL AWARDS AND LICENSE REVENUE WERE RECEIVED FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE, THE TUBEROUS SCLEROSIS ALLIANCE, THE AMERICAN ASTHMA FOUNDATION, THE BREAST CANCER RESEARCH FOUNDATION, THE MICHAEL J. FOX FOUNDATION, AND BOLAATU MEDICINE. TWO NEW RESEARCH CONTRACTS WERE SIGNED IN 2016. STUDIES OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL MOLECULAR STRUCTURES AND THEIR PHYSICAL INTERACTIONS HAVE BEEN PROCEEDING ON SEVERAL FRONTS IN 2016. THE XU AND MELCHER LABORATORIES DESIGNED AND DEVELOPED A HIGHLY POTENT GLUCOCORTICOID, VSGC12, THAT DEMONSTRATED A HIGHER EFFICACY AND POTENCY THAN FLUTICASONE FUROATE, A COMMON ASTHMA TREATMENT, IN REPRESSING MOST ASTHMA SYMPTOMS. VSGC12 ALSO SHOWED A BETTER SIDE-EFFECT PROFILE AT THE EFFECTIVE DOSES, GIVING THIS NEW MOLECULE PROMISE AS A NEW ASTHMA TREATMENT (HE ET AL., CELL DISCOVERY 1: 15035). ANOTHER STUDY INVOLVED THE AMYLOID PRECURSOR PROTEIN AND ITS ASSOCIATION WITH ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE. MUTATIONS IN THIS PROTEIN CAN CHANGE ITS SUSCEPTIBILITY TO CLEAVAGE INTO AN AGGREGATION-PRONE FORM, WHICH IS FOUND IN ALZHEIMER'S PATIENTS. THIS WORK IDENTIFIED WHICH MUTATIONS INCREASE THE TENDENCY TOWARD AGGREGATION, AND THIS RESULT CAN BE EXTENDED TO THE CLEAVAGE OF THE PROTEINS CALLED NOTCH" RECEPTORS, WHICH ARE CELL-SURFACE SIGNALING PROTEINS (XU ET AL., CELL DISCOVERY 2: 16026). IN STRUCTURAL WORK ADDRESSING MORE BASIC QUESTIONS, THE XU AND MELCHER LABS STUDIED NANOBODIES, WHICH ARE FRAGMENTS OF HUMAN ANTIBODIES, SPECIFICALLY THE VARIABLE ANTIBODY DOMAIN. THEY ISOLATED A NANOBODY CALLED NTV1 AGAINST VEGFR2, A CELLULAR RECEPTOR IMPORTANT IN BLOOD VESSEL GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT, AND ALSO IN THE GROWTH OF TUMORS. THE NTV1 NANOBODY HAS POTENTIAL AS A BLOCKER OF VEGRF2 AND THUS AS A CANCER THERAPEUTIC (MA ET AL., ACTA PHARMACOLOGICA SINICA 37(6): 857-864). THE TWO LABS ALSO STUDIED CLASS B G-PROTEIN-COUPLED RECEPTORS (GPCRS), WHICH PLAY AN INTERGRAL ROLE IN CELLULAR COMMUNICATION AND ARE MAJOR DRUG TARGETS; AN ESTIMATED ONE-THIRD TO ONE-HALF OF DRUGS CURRENTLY ON THE MARKET WORK BY INTERACTING WITH GPCRS. XU AND MELCHER SHOWED THAT SUCH RECEPTORS VARY WIDELY IN THEIR NEED FOR THE RECEPTOR'S EXTRACELLULAR DOMAIN IN ORDER TO ACTIVATE THE RECEPTOR. THIS WORK SUGGESTS A NEW MODEL OF HOW THESE RECEPTORS FUNCTION AND HOW THEY CAN BE FURTHER TARGETED TO TREAT DISEASE (ZHAO ET AL., JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY 291(29): 15119-15130). THE XU AND MELCHER LABS HAVE SHOWN A DOMINANT ROLE FOR THE EXTRACELLULAR DOMAIN OF THE GLUCAGON-LIKE PEPTIDE-1 RECEPTOR, WHICH IS A MAJOR TARGET FOR DIABETES THERAPY. THE DATA SUPPORT A MODEL IN WHICH BINDING OF A PEPTIDE TO THE RECEPTOR SWITCHES IT FROM AUTOINHIBITED TO AUTOACTIVATED, BY RELEASING THE INTRINSIC AGONIST ACTIVITY OF THE EXTRACELLULAR DOMAIN (YIN ET AL., CELL DISCOVERY 2: 10642). PROGRESS CONTINUES IN STUDIES OF PANCREATIC CANCER. THE HAAB LABORATORY HAS IDENTIFIED SUGAR MOLECULES THAT ATTACH TO MUC5AC, A PROTEIN FOUND IN PRECANCEROUS (MUCINUOUS CYSTS), IN A CHARACTERISTIC WAY, PROVIDING A MEANS TO DETERMINE WHETHER PANCREATIC CYSTS CARRY A FUTURE RISK OF CANCER (SINHA ET AL., PLOS ONE 11(12): E0167070). THE LAB ALSO DEVELOPED A NEW METHOD OF OBTAINING DATA ON SUGAR-MODIFIED PROTEINS USING AS LITTLE AS 11 NANOGRAMS OF PROTEIN. THIS METHOD WAS EFFECTIVE IN ANALYZING THE SUGARS ATTACHED TO THE MUC5AC PROTEIN FROM A SAMPLE OF ONLY 20 MICROLITERS OF PLASMA (REATINI ET AL., ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY 88(23): 11584-11592). A THIRD STUDY LOOKED AT THE CA19-9 CANCER MARKER IN SAMPLES FROM OVER 200 PATIENTS WITH EITHER PANCREATIC CANCER OR BENIGN PANCREATIC DISEASE. THIS STUDY SHOWED THAT TWO SUGAR ANTIGENS IMPROVED THE IDENTIFICATION OF SUBTYPES OF PANCREATIC CANCER RELATIVE TO THE USE OF THE CA19-9 ANTIGEN ALONE (TANG ET AL, CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR GASTROENTEROLOGY AND HEPATOLOGY 2(2): 210-221). IN CLINICALLY RELATED RESEARCH, A STUDY FROM THE STEENSMA LABORATORY SHOWED THAT A COMBINATION OF TRADITIONAL CHEMOTHERAPY DRUGS PLUS MET AND EGFR INHIBITORS WERE EFFECTIVE AGAINST TRIPLE-NEGATIVE BREAST CANCER IN TERMS OF DECREASING TUMOR GROWTH AND IMPROVING CONSISTENT RESPONSE TO TREATMENT. THIS RESULT SUGGESTS A PROMISING NEW THERAPEUTIC STRATEGY AGAINST THIS AGGRESSIVE AND DIFFICULT TO TREAT CANCER (LINKLATER ET AL., ONCOTARGET 7(43): 69903). THE GROHAR LABORATORY PUBLISHED THREE PAPERS FROM ITS RESEARCH ON EWING SARCOMA, A RARE CANCER THAT MAINLY STRIKES TEENAGERS AND YOUNG ADULTS. IN ONE STUDY, THE LAB LOOKED FOR BETTER VARIANTS OF MITHRAMYCIN AS A THERAPEUTIC DRUG. A COMPOUND CALLED EC-8105 WAS THE MOST POTENT, SUPPRESSING ACTIVITY OF THE EWS-FLI TRANSCRIPTION FACTOR AT CONCENTRATIONS THAT WERE NOT TOXIC TO OTHER CELL TYPES, WHILE ANOTHER, EC-8042, WAS SUBSTANTIALLY LESS TOXIC THAN MITHRAMYCIN AND EQUALLY EFFECTIVE. BOTH MARKEDLY SUPPRESSED EWING SARCOMA XENOGRAFT GROWTH (OSGOOD ET AL., CLINICAL CANCER RESEARCH 22(16): 4105-4118). A SECOND STUDY BY THE LAB INVESTIGATED THE USE OF POSITRON EMISSION TOMOGRAPHY USING FLUORINE-18 (18-F-PET) TO SHOW THE ACTIVITY OF EWS-FLI1, WHICH IS ESSENTIAL FOR SURVIVAL OF EWING SARCOMA CELLS. 18-F-PET CAN BE A COMPANION BIOMARKER FOR EWS-FLI1 AND PROVIDES A NOVEL IMAGING APPROACH FOR EWING SARCOMA (OSGOOD ET AL. SCIENTIFIC REPORTS 6: 33926C). IN THE THIRD STUDY, THE SMALL MOLECULE LURBINECTEDIN INACTIVATED THE EWS-FLI1 PROTEIN. USED IN COMBINATION WITH IRINOTECAN, AN APPROVED CANCER DRUG. THE NET RESULT WAS A COMPLETE REVERSAL OF EWS-FLI1 ACTIVITY AND ELIMINATION OF ESTABLISHED TUMORS IN 30-70% OF MICE AFTER ONLY 11 DAYS OF THERAPY. THIS WORK SHOWS THE PRECLINICAL SAFETY AND EFFICACY OF A NOVEL, DISEASE-SPECIFIC THERAPY TARGETING THE MAIN MOLECULAR DRIVER OF EWING SARCOMA (HARLOW ET AL., CANCER RESEARCH 76(22): 6657-6668). RESEARCH ON THE METABOLISM OF BOTH NORMAL AND PATHOLOGICAL BONE TISSUES CONTINUED IN 2016. THE FAILURE OF A BONE FRACTURE TO HEAL, WHICH OCCURS IN 10%-20% OF FRACTURES, IS A COSTLY AND DEBILITATING CLINICAL PROBLEM. THE WNT/BETA-CATENIN PATHWAY IS CRUCIAL IN BONE DEVELOPMENT AND FRACTURE HEALING, AND VARIANTS OF THE LRP6 PROTEIN, A WNT-BINDING RECEPTOR, HAVE BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH LOWER BONE MINERAL DENSITY AND FRAGILITY FRACTURES. THE RESULTS OF ONE STUDY SUGGEST THAT LRP6 HAS A ROLE IN FRACTURE HEALING (BURGERS ET AL., BONE RESEARCH 4: 16025). IN OTHER WORK, MICE HAVING CONDITIONAL LOSS OF BOTH THE LRP5 AND LRP6 GENES SHOWED SEVERE DEFECTS IN SKELETAL DEVELOPMENT DURING EMBRYOGENESIS. ADULT MICE CARRYING DELETIONS OF LRP5 AND/OR LRP6 HAD LOW BONE MASS, SUGGESTING THAT IN BOTH EMBRYONIC SKELETAL DEVELOPMENT AND ESTABLISHMENT OF ADULT BONE MASS, LRP5 AND LRP6 CARRY OUT REDUNDANT FUNCTIONS (SCHUMACHER ET AL., BONE RESEARCH 4: 15042). THE MIRANTI LABORATORY FOUND THAT LOSS OF MET PROTEIN EXPRESSION, BUT NOT INHIBITION OF MET KINASE ACTIVITY, INDUCED CELL DEATH VIA APOPTOSIS BY REDUCING INTEGRIN ALPHA3-BETA1 LEVELS, AMONG OTHER FACTORS. THE REEXPRESSION OF WILD-TYPE MET, KINASE-DEAD MET, OR INTEGRIN ALPHA3 WAS SUFFICIENT TO PREVENT CELLS THAT HAD NO MET EXPRESSION FROM DYING (TESFAY ET AL., MOLECULAR BIOLOGY OF THE CELL 27(15): 2493-2504). |
| FORM 990, PART III, LINE 4B | LINE 4B - PROGRAM SERVICE ACTIVITY #2 CENTER FOR EPIGENETICS THE CENTER, ESTABLISHED IN 2014 AND DIRECTED BY THE INSTITUTE'S CHIEF SCIENTIFIC OFFICER PETER JONES, PH.D., D.SC., COMPRISES NINE LABORATORIES STUDYING EPIGENETICS AND EPIGENOMICS AND THE ROLE OF EPIGENETIC DYSFUNCTION IN CANCER AND NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASE, CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE, AND VIRAL TRANSCRIPTION. STEPHEN BAYLIN, M.D., A PROFESSOR AT JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY, HOLDS A 25% APPOINTMENT IN THE CENTER. HUILIN LI, PH.D., WAS RECRUITED TO THE CENTER IN 2016 AS A PROFESSOR. IN 2016, CENTER RESEARCHERS RECEIVED THREE NIH AWARDS AS WELL AS AWARDS FROM THE MICHAEL J. FOX FOUNDATION AND THE OVARIAN CANCER RESEARCH FUND. THE VARI-SU2C EPIGENETICS DREAM TEAM, LED BY PETER JONES AND STEPHEN BAYLIN, CONTINUED ITS WORK IN 2016, WITH THE AIMS OF DEVELOPING NEW COMBINATION THERAPIES TO COMBAT CANCER AND MOVING PROMISING THERAPIES INTO CLINICAL TRIALS. THE TEAM FOCUSES ON EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS IN CELLS, WHICH HELP CONTROL WHETHER GENES ARE TURNED ON OR OFF WITHOUT CHANGING THE DNA SEQUENCE ITSELF. ONE STUDY, LED BY PETER JONES AND UNIVERSITY OF COPENHAGEN'S KIRSTEN GRONBAEK, M.D., D.MSC., SHOWED THAT MANY PATIENTS WITH BLOOD CANCERS (MYELOID DYSPLASTIC SYNDROME AND ACUTE MYELOID LEUKEMIA) ARE MARKEDLY DEFICIENT IN VITAMIN C. THE DATA SUGGESTS THAT CORRECTION OF VITAMIN C DEFICIENCY IN PATIENTS WITH HEMATOLOGICAL AND OTHER CANCERS MAY IMPROVE THEIR RESPONSE TO EPIGENETIC THERAPY COMBINED WITH THE USE OF INHIBITORS OF DNA METHYLTRANSFERASES (LIU ET AL., PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES USA 113(37): 10238-10244). ANOTHER STUDY BY TEAM MEMBERS AT JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERISTY AND UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND DESCRIBES A MECHANISM TO ENHANCE THE ANTICANCER EFFICACY OF INHIBITORS OF POLY(ADP-RIBOSE) POLYMERASE (PARP), WHICH ARE EFFECTIVE AGENTS AGAINST SOME BREAST CANCERS. LOW DOSES OF DNA METHYLTRANSFERSASE INHIBITORS PLUS PARP INHIBITORS CAN INCREASE PARPI EFFICACY IN TERMS OF INCREASED DNA DAMAGE AND OTHER ANTICANCER EFFECTS. SUCH TREATMENT MAY BE USEFUL AGAINST SOME SUBTYPES OF ACUTE MYELOID LEUKEMIA AND OF BREAST CANCERS (MUVARAK ET AL., CANCER CELL 30(4): 637-650). AT THE END OF 2016, FOUR VARI -SU2C EPIEGNETICS DREAM TEAM-SUPPORTED CLINICAL TRIALS WERE UNDERWAY AT SITES ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND IN COPENHAGEN, DENMARK. PETER JONES AND COLLABORATOR GANGNING LIANG, M.D., PH.D., REPORTED THE DEVELOPMENT OF A COST-EFFECTIVE AND COMPUTATIONALLY SIMPLE ASSAY CALLED "ACCESSSIBLE" TO SIMULTANEOUSLY DETERMINE DNA METHYLATION AND CHROMATIN ACCESSIBILITY CHANGES IN PRIMARY HUMAN CLEAR CELL RENAL CELL CARCINOMA. THIS ASSAY FOUND SIGNIFICANT CHANGES TO THE EPIGENOME OF CLEAR CELL RENAL CELL CARCINOMA AS WELL AS GENE EXPRESSION CHANGES SPECIFICALLY ATTRIBUTED TO CHROMATIN ACCESSIBILITY (BECKET ET AL., CANCER RESEARCH 76(7) 1954-1964). THE LAIRD LABORATORY IS HEAVILY INVOLVED IN THE WORK OF THE CANCER GENOME ATLAS RESEARCH NETWORK, A NIH-FUNDED MULTI INSTITUTIONAL EFFORT TO MOLECULARLY MAP CANCER. AMONG THE SEVERAL PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED IN 2016 WAS A COMPREHENSIVE MOLECULAR CHARACTERIZATION OF 161 PRIMARY PAPILLARY RENAL-CELL CARCINOMAS. TYPE 1 AND TYPE 2 PAPILLARY RENAL-CELL CARCINOMAS ARE CLINICALLY AND BIOLOGICALLY DISTINCT, AND TYPE 2 CONSISTS OF AT LEAST THREE SUBTYPES. THIS KNOWLEDGE MAY AID IN SELECTING APPROPRIATE TREATMENTS FOR INDIVIDUAL PATIENTS BASED ON DISEASE SUBTYPE (CANCER GENOME ATLAS RESEARCH NETWORK, NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDICINE 374(2): 135-145). OTHER RESEARCH DEFINED THE COMPLETE SET OF GENES ASSOCIATED WITH DIFFUSE GRADE II-III-IV GLIOMAS (1122 SAMPLES) FROM THE CANCER GENOME ATLAS. THE MOLECULAR PROFILES DEFINED WILL BE USED TO IMPROVE DISEASE CLASSIFICATION, IDENTIFY MOLECULAR CORRELATIONS, AND PROVIDE INSIGHTS INTO THE PROGRESSION FROM LOW- TO HIGH-GRADE DISEASE (CECCARELLI ET AL., CELL 164(3): 550-563). THE ROTHBART LABORATORY REPORTED THE FIRST DEMONSTRATION OF A DNA-PROTEIN INTERACTION AND AN EPIGENETIC MODIFICATION DIRECTLY REGULATING THE ENZYME ACTIVITY OF E3 UBIQUITIN LIGASE. THE LIGASE, CALLED UHRF1, RECOGNIZES DNA THAT IS METHYLATED ON ONLY ONE STRAND, AND THE INTERACTION OF SUCH DNA AND THIS ENZYME IS REQUIRED FOR FURTHER METHYLATION OF THE DNA (HARRISON ET AL., ELIFE 5: 17101). THE LAB ALSO UNDERTOOK A SYSTEMATIC COMPARISON OF MONOCLONAL VS. POLYCLONAL ANTIBODIES FOR USE IN MAPPING HISTONE PROTEIN MODIFICATIONS. THE CONSISTENT PERFORMANCE OF ANTIBODIES IS CRUCIAL IN MAPPING EPIGENETIC MARKERS BY THE CHIP-SEQ METHOD. THE STUDY FOUND THAT MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES AS A CLASS PERFORM JUST AS WELL AS THE POLYCLONAL IN BOTH MOUSE AND HUMAN CELLS (BUSBY ET AL., EPIGENETICS AND CHROMATIN 9:49). THE PFEIFER AND SZABO LABS DEMONSTRATED THAT THE PROTEIN TET3FL MAY ACT AS A GUARDIAN AGAINST NEURODEGENERATION BY STOPPING DISRUPTIONS IN CELLULAR "HOUSEKEEPING" FUNCTIONS, THEREBY ENSURING THAT CELLS CAN REMOVE HARMFUL ABNORMAL PROTEINS AND OTHER CELLULAR WASTE. THESE FINDINGS OPEN A NEW AVENUE TO EXPLORE NOVEL WAYS TO PREVENT AND TREAT DISEASES SUCH AS PARKINSON'S (JIN ET AL., CELL REPORTS 14(3): 493-505). THE PFEIFER AND SHEN LABS REPORTED A STUDY IN 2016 OF A TUMOR SUPPRESSOR GENE CALLED RASSF1A, WHICH IS EPIGENETICALLY SILENCED IN MOST HUMAN CANCERS. IN ANALYZING THE LOSS OF THIS GENE, THEY FOUND THAT LIVER TUMORS RESULTED IN THE SUBJECT MICE, WITH VARYING EFFICIENCY DEPENDING ON THE GENETIC CIRCUMSTANCES. THIS STUDY SUGGESTS A MULTIPLE ROLES FOR RASSF1A IN SUPPRESSING LIVER CARCINOGENESIS (ZHANG ET AL., CANCER RESEARCH 76(9): 2824-2835). THE SHEN LABORATORY TOOK PART IN A GLOBAL ANALYSIS OF THE WHOLE-BLOOD DNA METHYLOMES OF 137 HIV+ INDIVIDUALS UNDER SUSTAINED THERAPY ALONG WITH 44 MATCHED HIV+ INDIVIDUALS. DECREASED METHYLATION OF THE HUMAN LEUCOCYTE ANTIGEN (HLA) LOCUS PREDICTED A LOWER CD4/CD8 T CELL RATIO, AND THIS RESULT LINKS MOLECULAR AGING, EPIGENETIC REGULATION, AND DISEASE PROGRESSION (GROSS ET AL., MOLECULAR CELL 62(2): 157-168). THE LAB ALSO HELPED TO DEVELOP A COMPUTATIONAL APPROACH TO STUDY TUMOR-INFILTRATING IMMUNE CELLS AND THEIR INTERACTIONS WITH CANCER CELLS. THIS WORK ESTABLISHED IMMUNE-INFILTRATE LEVELS, CLINICAL ASSOCIATIONS, AND PREDICTED THERAPEUTIC MARKERS, WHICH TOGETHER MAY AID IN THE PURSUIT OF EFFECTIVE CANCER VACCINES AND CHECKPOINT BLOCKADE THERAPIES (LI ET AL., GENOME BIOLOGY 17:174). |
| FORM 990, PART III, LINE 4C | LINE 4C - PROGRAM SERVICE ACTIVITY #3 CENTER FOR NEURODEGENERATIVE SCIENCE THE CENTER WAS ESTABLISHED IN 2011 UNDER PATRIK BRUNDIN, M.D., PH.D., WHO IS ALSO VARI'S ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR. THE CENTER HAS SEVEN LABORATORIES STUDYING PARKINSON'S DISEASE, AGING, PRIONS, ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE, AND THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DEPRESSION, SUICIDE, AND BRAIN INFLAMMATION. JEFFREY KORDOWER, PH.D., A PROFESSOR AT RUSH UNIVERSITY, HOLDS A 25% APPOINTMENT IN THE CENTER. VIVIANE LABRIE, PH.D., JOINED THE CENTER IN 2016 AS AN ASSISTANT PROFESSOR. CENTER RESEARCHERS IN 2016 RECEIVED R01 AND R21 AWARDS FROM NIH AS WELL AS AWARDS FROM THE BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR RESEARCH FOUNDATION, THE EAST TENNESSEE FOUNDATION, FIVE GRANTS FROM THE MICHAEL J. FOX FOUNDATION, ONE GRANT FROM PINE REST CHRISTIAN MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES, AND AN INDUSTRY CONTRACT AWARD FROM HOFFMAN-LA ROCHE. PRIONS, WHICH CAUSE NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASES, ARE THE MAIN FOCUS OF RESEARCH IN THE LABORATORY OF JIYAN MA, PH.D. ONE STUDY EXPLORED THE ROLE OF A STRING OF FOUR THREONINES IN THE CONVERSION OF NORMAL PRION PROTEIN INTO THE DISEASE-CAUSING FORM. THE RESULTS SUGGESTED A THEORY FOR THE CONTRADICTORY RESEARCH RESULTS THAT HAVE BEEN PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED. THEY ALSO GAVE NEW INSIGHTS INTO THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN PRION STABILITY, STRUCTURE, AND SEEDED CONFORMATIONAL CHANGES, WHICH WILL AID IN UNDERSTANDING PRION INFECTIVITY (ABSKHARON ET AL., SCIENTIFIC REPORTS 6:38877). ANOTHER STUDY FOUND THAT PRION PROTEIN EXPRESSION IN GASTRIC CANCER WAS SIGNIFICANTLY LESS FREQUENT THAN IN NONCANCEROUS GASTRIC TISSUE AND WAS ASSOCIATED WITH TNM STAGE, SURVIVAL STATUS, AND SURVIVAL TIME. PATIENTS AT HIGHER TNM STAGES HAD SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER EXPRESSION OF PRION PROTEIN IN THEIR TUMORS (TANG ET AL., JOURNAL OF CANCER 7(8): 984-990). IN A SEPARATE PROJECT ON PARKINSON'S DISEASE, THE LAB FOUND THAT HYDROXYTYROSOL (HT), A MAJOR COMPONENT OF OLIVE OIL, PROTECTED DOPAMINERGIC SH-SY5Y CELLS AGAINST DOPAMINE-INDUCED CELL DEATH. IT ALSO EFFICIENTLY INDUCED EXPRESSION OF DETOXIFYING ENZYMES SUCH AS NAD(P)H QUINONE OXIDOREDUCTASE 1, WHICH CONTRIBUTED TO THE PROTECTIVE EFFECT AGAINST CELL DEATH. THIS RESULT SUPPORTS THE BENEFICIAL EFFECT OF OLIVE OIL ON DOPAMINERGIC NEURONS (YU, ET AL., NEUROCHEMISTRY INTERNATIONAL 96: 113-120). THE QUESTION OF WHETHER PARKINSON'S DISEASE SPREADS IN A PRION LIKE MANNER WAS ADDRESSED IN 2016 IN TWO REVIEWS. ONE REVIEW FOCUSED ON THE POSSIBLE MECHANISMS BY WHICH ALPHA-SYNUCLEIN MISFOLDING MIGHT PROPAGATE THROUGHOUT THE BRAIN VIA A PRION-LIKE SPREADING (TYSON ET AL., JOURNAL OF NEUROCHEMISTRY 139(S1): 275-289). A SECOND REVIEW DESCRIBES EVIDENCE OF ALPHA-SYNUCLEIN'S DISEASE-PROPAGATING PROPERTIES. THE FINDING THAT ALPHA-SYNUCLEIN PATHOLOGY CAN SPREAD BETWEEN BRAIN REGIONS IN NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASE HAS EXPANDED OUR THINKING ABOUT NEW DIAGNOSTIC TOOLS AND THERAPIES THAT MAY BENEFIT PATIENTS SUFFERING FROM PARKINSON'S DISEASE (BRUNDIN ET AL., CURRENT OPINION IN NEUROLOGY 29(4): 459-466). THE COETZEE LABORATORY ASSESSED GENETIC RISK FOR PARKINSON'S DISEASE IN 77 CELL TYPES. THE FINDINGS SHOWED RISK LOCI UNEXPECTEDLY PRESENT IN NON-NEURONAL CELL TYPES INCLUDING LYMPHOCYTES, MESENDODERM, LIVER CELLS, AND FAT CELLS, INDICATING THAT CELL TYPES OUTSIDE THE BRAIN ARE INVOLVED IN THE GENETIC PREDISPOSITION TO PARKINSON'S DISEASE (COETZEE ET AL., SCIENTIFIC REPORTS 6: 30509). ANOTHER STUDY INVOLVING THE LABORATORY OF PATRIK BRUNDIN IDENTIFIED GENETIC LOCI THAT LINKED SUSCEPTIBILITY TO PARKINSON'S-LIKE NEURODEGENERATIVE CHANGES TO THE LOSS OF ONE ALLELE OF THE EN1 GENE. THESE LOCI SHOULD BE OF PRIME INTEREST FOR STUDIES OF PARKINSON'S-LIKE DAMAGE IN RODENT MODELS AND IN CLINICAL ASSOCIATION STUDIES OF PARKINSON'S DISEASE (KUROWSKA ET AL., SCIENTIFIC REPORTS 6: 31701). A STUDY FOUND THAT ALPHA-SYNUCLEIN FIBRILS INJECTED INTO THE OLFACTORY BULB OF MICE RECRUITED ENDOGENOUS ALPHA-SYNUCLEIN INTO AGGREGATES THAT SUBSEQUENTLY SPREAD THROUGH THE OLFACTORY NETWORK AND THEN TO DISTANT BRAIN REGIONS. THE SPREADING PATHOLOGY CAUSED PROGRESSIVE, SPECIFIC OLFACTORY DEFICITS, SHOWING THAT THE SPREAD IS DETRIMENTAL, AND INDICATING THIS THIS IS A USEFUL MOUSE MODEL OF PARKINSON'S DISEASE (REY ET AL., JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE 213(9): 1759-1778). RESEARCH ON THE MITOCHONDRIAL PYRUVATE CARRIER PROTEIN (MPC) FOUND THAT ITS LONG-TERM TARGETING PRESERVED MOTOR FUNCTION, RESCUED THE NIGROSTRIATAL PATHWAY, AND REDUCED NEUROINFLAMMATION IN THE EN1+/- MOUSE MODEL OF PARKINSON'S DISEASE. THE RESULTING CHANGES IN METABOLIC SIGNALING WERE NEUROPROTECTIVE AND ANTI-INFLAMMATORY IN SEVERAL MODELS, SUGGESTING THAT THE MPC MAY BE A USEFUL THERAPEUTIC TARGET (GHOSH ET AL., SCIENCE TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE 368: 368RA174). A STUDY BY THE MOORE LABORATORY ON THE DROSOPHILA BRAIN PROVIDED A SYSTEMATIC ANALYSES OF THE EFFECTS OF HUMAN LRRK2 PROTEIN EXPRESSED IN DROSOPHILA NEURONS, MODELING HUMAN PARKINSON'S DISEASE. THE RESEARCH SHOWED FOR THE FIRST TIME THAT THE R1441C MUTATION, LOCATED WITHIN THE LRRK2 GTPASE DOMAIN, PRODUCES INCREASED PHOSPHORYLATION OF SYNAPTIC VESICLE PROTEINS IN THE BRAIN (ISLAM ET AL., HUMAN MOLECULAR GENETICS 25(24): 5365-5382). IN A STUDY OF HUNTINGTON'S DISEASE, THE VAN RAAMSDONK LABORATORY EXAMINED THE EFFECT OF DELETING INDIVIDUAL SUPEROXIDE DISMUTASE GENES IN A WORM MODEL. THE RESULTS SUGGESTED THAT THE RESULTING INCREASE IN OXIDATIVE STRESS DID NOT CONTRIBUTE TO THE DISEASE SYMPTOMS IN THESE WORMS, AND THIS FACT MAY EXPLAIN THE FAILURE OF ANTIOXIDANTS IN HUNTINGTON'S DISEASE CLINICAL TRIALS (MICHIELA ET AL., NEUROBIOLOGY OF DISEASE 96: 11). IN 2016, THE LABORATORY OF LENA BRUNDIN, M.D., PH.D., PUBLISHED SEVERAL STUDIES ON THE MOLECULAR ASPECTS OF DEPRESSION AND SUICIDE, PARTICULARLY THE KYNURENINE PATHWAY AND ITS COMPONENTS. RESULTS FROM ONE STUDY SUGGEST THAT INCREASED QUINOLINIC ACID LEVELS MAY RESULT FROM REDUCED ACTIVITY OF ACMS DECARBOXYLASE IN SUICIDAL SUBJECTS. THE POSSIBILITIES THAT MEASURES OF KYNURENINE METABOLITES MAY BE BIOMARKERS OF SUICIDE RISK, AND THAT ACMS DECARBOXYLASE IS A POTENTIAL THERAPEUTIC TARGET, ARE BEING EXPLORED (BRUNDIN ET AL., TRANSLATIONAL PSYCHIATRY 6: E865). IN ANOTHER STUDY, THE DATA DID NOT SUPPORT THE HYPOTHESIS THAT HIGHER AMOUNTS OF KYNURENINE METABOLITES WOULD BE FOUND IN THE PLASMA OF PATIENTS HAVING INTERMITTENT EXPLOSIVE DISORDER AND WOULD BE ASSOCIATED WITH PLASMA INFLAMMATION. HOWEVER, THE RESULT POINTS TO A DYSREGULATION OF THE KYNURENINE PATHWAY METABOLITES, AND FURTHER WORK IS NEEDED TO EXPLORE THEIR ROLE IN INFLAMMATION AND AGGRESSION IN THESE PATIENTS (COCCARO ET AL., PSYCHONEUROENDOCRINOLOGY 71: 189-196). A THIRD STUDY FOUND THAT CHRONIC TOXOPLASMA GONDII INFECTION AND ELEVATED KYNURENINE ARE INDIVIDUALLY ASSOCIATED WITH NON-FATAL SUICIDAL SELF-DIRECTED VIOLENCE (NF-SSDV). T. GONDII AND KYNURENINE MAY HAVE A NONLINEAR, CUMULATIVE EFFECT ON THE RISK OF NF-SSDV AMONG THOSE WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA. CONFIRMATION OF THESE RESULTS WOULD HAVE IMPLICATIONS FOR PREVENTING AND TREATING SUICIDAL BEHAVIOR (OKUSAGA ET AL., JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRIC RESEARCH 72(1): 74-81). OTHER RESEARCH FROM THE THE L. BRUNDIN LABORATORY MEASURED THE CEREBROSPINAL FLUID LEVELS OF HYALURONIC ACID AND THE CD44 MOLECULE IN SUICIDE ATTEMPTERS AND IN HEALTHY CONTROLS. SUICIDE ATTEMPTERS HAD HIGHER LEVELS OF HYALURONIC ACID, AND CD44 LEVELS CORRELATED WITH THE MMP9 ENZYME. THE INCREASE IN HYALURONIC ACID MIGHT RESULT FROM NEUROINFLAMMATION AND PLAY A ROLE IN THE PATHOLOGY OF SUICIDAL BEHAVIOR, AND THE CD44 SIGNALING PATHWAY MIGHT BE A NOVEL TARGET FOR INTERVENTION IN MOOD DISORDERS (VENTORP ET AL., JOURNAL OF AFFECTIVE DISORDERS 193: 349-354). |
| FORM 990, PART IX, COLUMN D | FUNDRAISING EXPENSES AT VARI WERE INCURRED TO SUPPORT THE MISSION OF THE RESEARCH INSTITUTE THROUGH DONOR SOLICITATION, GRANT SOLICITATION AND EXTRAMURAL PROPOSAL PREPARATION. |
| FORM 990, PART X, LINE 33 | VARI NET ASSETS ARE CONSIDERED ON A CONSOLIDATED BASIS WITH VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE (VAI), VAN ANDEL EDUCATION INSTITUTE (VAEI), AND RELATED PARTIES. ON A CONSOLIDATED BASIS, NET ASSETS ARE $1,417,500,000 PER AUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS. THE NEGATIVE NET ASSET BALANCE AT VARI IS DUE TO VAI FUNDING EXPENSES ON A CASH BASIS AND THE UNREALIZED LOSS RECORDED IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE INTEREST RATE SWAP. |
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