Van Andel Institute’s Dr. Derek Janssens receives a New Innovator Award from the National Institutes of Health Common Fund
Dr. Derek Janssens of the Van Andel Institute has been awarded a $4.6 million NIH New Innovator Award to study epigenetic mechanisms in immune cells. His research aims to understand how gene regulation influences immune responses in diseases like cancer and lupus.
Why it matters
Advancements in epigenetics could lead to breakthroughs in treating autoimmune disorders and blood cancers by fine-tuning the body's immune response.
Derek Janssens, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, VAI Department of Epigenetics
Newswise — GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (Oct. 6, 2026) - The National Institutes of Health Common Fund has selected Van Andel Institute 's Derek Janssens, Ph.D. , to receive a New Innovator Award , which supports exceptional research led by early-career scientists.
The five-year, nearly $4.6 million award will enable Janssens and his lab to develop and apply new techniques for studying epigenetics , the mechanisms that control how genes are turned on or off without changing the DNA sequence itself. Epigenetic mechanisms are essential for normal development and health, while disruptions contribute to diseases such as cancer.
Janssens and his team will use these tools to investigate how epigenetics regulates immunity-related genes, a relationship with vast implications for health.
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