Highlights
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.
“The immune system operates within a remarkably narrow window — it needs to respond strongly enough to eliminate cancer or infection without becoming so active that it attacks healthy tissue,” Janssens said. “What is exciting about this project is that we now have clinical data that suggests epigenetic changes may shift that balance. This award will enable us to build the tools to see these important regulatory mechanisms directly in human immune cells and understand what separates a productive immune response from a harmful one.”
One such tool is CoCUT&Tag, a powerful method developed by Janssen’s lab that allows scientists to study how two proteins interact on DNA, a common type of epigenetic regulation. The new award will help Janssens to further build on this first-of-its-kind platform.
Janssens also will analyze blood samples from people with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), a form of early-stage blood cancer, and lupus, an autoimmune disorder in which the immune system mistakenly attacks the body’s own tissues. Samples from people with MDS will be provided through the Van Andel Institute–Stand Up To Cancer ® Epigenetics Dream Team , a multi-institutional effort that supports clinical trials of potential epigenetic cancer medications. Access to human samples give scientists valuable insights into how epigenetic changes drive disease-related changes in the body.
Janssens is an assistant professor in VAI’s Department of Epigenetics . He joined the Institute in 2024 , following a postdoctoral fellowship at Fred Hutch Cancer Center. He previously was awarded a K22 grant from the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health, which supports scientists as they transition from postdoctoral training into running their own laboratory.
Established in 2007, the New Innovator Award supports unusually innovative research from scientists who are within 10 years of earning their final degree or completing clinical residency. It is part of NIH’s High-Risk, High-Reward Program. Janssens is one of 42 scientists in this year’s class of New Innovator Award recipients.
Research reported in this publication will be supported by the National Institutes of Health Common Fund under award no. DP2CA325383 (Janssens). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.
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Van Andel Institute (VAI) is committed to improving the health and enhancing the lives of current and future generations through cutting-edge biomedical research and innovative educational offerings. Established in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in 1996 by the Van Andel family, VAI is now home to more than 650 scientists, educators and support staff, who work with a growing number of national and international collaborators to foster discovery. The Institute’s scientists study the origins of cancer, Parkinson’s and other diseases and translate their findings into breakthrough prevention and treatment strategies. Our educators develop inquiry-based approaches for K–12 education to help students and teachers prepare the next generation of problem-solvers, while our Graduate School offers a rigorous, research-intensive Ph.D. program in molecular and cellular biology. Learn more at vai.org .