Van Andel Institute Appoints International Expert to Head Major Parkinson's Research Initiative

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., Oct. 27, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Van Andel Institute officials today announced the appointment of Patrik Brundin, M.D., Ph.D. as the inaugural holder of the Jay Van Andel Endowed Chair in Parkinson Research.

Dr. Brundin is an internationally renowned expert in the field of Parkinson's and neurodegenerative disease research, and currently Professor of Neuroscience at the Faculty of Medicine of Lund University in Sweden, where he will maintain his lab entitled the Neuronal Survival Unit. In Europe, he has coordinated numerous prestigious, multidisciplinary research networks devoted to Parkinson's research - and has been honored as one of the most cited researchers in the field of neuroscience in the past 20 years.

The Jay Van Andel Parkinson Research Lab is named after Van Andel Institute and Amway co-founder Jay Van Andel who died from the effects of Parkinson's in 2004. Endowed by generous gifts from Richard and Helen DeVos, each of their four children, and the Frey Foundation, the laboratory is located in Van Andel Institute's Phase II, a 240,000 square foot, $178 million expansion that opened in late 2009.

"The appointment of Dr. Patrik Brundin and the maximization of the Jay Van Andel Parkinson Research Lab to its full potential are crucial pieces in our fight against this terrible disease," said Van Andel Institute Chairman and CEO David Van Andel.  "West Michigan is poised to become a national leader in Parkinson's research, and the appointment of Dr. Brundin will take us to the next level."

Plans call for the development of five research groups with about 80 researchers to be phased in over the next five years. The lab will study neurodegenerative disease in general with a particular emphasis on biomarker discovery, disease modification, and the development of regenerative therapies for Parkinson's disease.

To read the press release in its entirety, please visit Van Andel Institute on the Web at: www.vai.org

View Photos of Dr. Brundin Here

About Van Andel Institute

Established by Jay and Betty Van Andel in 1996, Van Andel Institute (VAI) is an independent research and educational organization based in Grand Rapids, Mich., dedicated to preserving, enhancing and expanding the frontiers of medical science, and to achieving excellence in education by probing fundamental issues of education and the learning process.  VARI, the research arm of VAI, is dedicated to probing the genetic, cellular and molecular origins of cancer, Parkinson and other diseases and working to translate those findings into effective therapies. This is accomplished through the work of over 200 researchers in 18 on-site laboratories and in collaborative partnerships that span the globe. VARI is affiliated with the Translational Genomics Research Institute, (TGen), of Phoenix, Arizona.

SOURCE Van Andel Institute