Scott Rothbart

Eminent physician-scientist Dr. Jonathan D. Licht to serve as next president and chief scientific officer of Van Andel Institute – Van Andel Institute Dr. Jonathan D. Licht has been selected as the next president and chief scientific officer of Van Andel Institute, effective January 2026.

I am excited to announce that after a decade of service to the U of Florida during which the @ufhealthcancer.bsky.social received NCI designation, in January 2026 I will be assuming the role of President and Chief Scientific Officer of the @vai.org.

www.vai.org/article/emin...

Congratulations, Wesley!!!

Pinpointing weaknesses in cancer’s armor – Van Andel Institute Read about Pinpointing weaknesses in cancer’s armor on Van Andel Institute – Stay updated on the latest research and groundbreaking discoveries in science and health.

A study led by VAI’s @rothbartlab.bsky.social and his team sheds light on how interwoven epigenetic layers work together to sustain cancer cell survival. Their findings reveal a potential weak spot that could be leveraged to improve treatment.

Are you a postdoc or PhD student interested in Histone and DNA modifications? Join us for the GRS on Histone and DNA Modifications!

🗓 When: July 19-20, 2025
📍 Where: Lucca, Italy

A great opportunity to present your work, engage in discussions, and network with peers.

🔗 Register now!
Register here

@vainstitute.bsky.social
Thanks for the add!

Happy holidays from our lab family to you and yours!

Short’s was Michigan’s best microbrewery even before this genius holiday marketing campaign! #bringmebacksomethingfrench

DNA hypomethylation promotes UHRF1-and SUV39H1/H2-dependent crosstalk between H3K18ub and H3K9me3 to reinforce heterochromatin states Liu et al. report that DNMT1 inhibition causes transient accumulation of hemi-methylated DNA at CpG islands, which stimulates UHRF1-mediated H3K18ub. This enhances SUV39H1/H2 activity, nucleates new H...

Thrilled to share a new study from the lab revealing an H3K18ub-H3K9me3 crosstalk mechanism, roles for UHRF1 and its E3 ligase activity in regulating a hierarchy of repressive histone methylation signaling, and a strategy for targeting SUV39H1/H2 to improve DNMT1 inhibitor efficacy! #epigenetics

Unique structural configuration of EV-DNA primes Kupffer cell-mediated antitumor immunity to prevent metastatic progression - Nature Cancer Lyden and colleagues find that immune developmental genes, such as apoptotic peptidase activating factor 1 (APAF1), support DNA packaging on the surface of tumor-derived extracellular vesicles that ar...

So excited to share our new paper working w/ David Lyden, Han Kim & Jackie Bromberg (WCM), led by the amazing Inbal Wortzel & Ifé Akano where we revealed a new & unexpected function for chromatin on the surface of exosomes in #cancer #metastasis @ Nature Cancer!

www.nature.com/articles/s43...

UHRF1 ubiquitin ligase activity supports the maintenance of low-density CpG methylation Abstract. The RING E3 ubiquitin ligase UHRF1 is an established cofactor for DNA methylation inheritance. The model posits that nucleosomal engagement throu

Excited to share the first of 2 new papers diving into functions of UHRF1 ubiquitin ligase activity. Here, a connection to the support of 5mC maintenance in regions of low CpG density. These same regions are prone to 5mC loss in cancer. A potential mechanistic link to PMD formation. #epigenetics

YouTube video by Van Andel Institute Van Andel Institute Graduate School

The VAI @vainstitute.bsky.social Graduate School is recruiting Ph.D. students in molecular & cell biology! Get top-tier scientific training, mentorship, and prep for leadership in biomedical research. 🎓 Watch our recruiting video: youtu.be/cOTdF06MekE #PhDSky #BioMedSky

Faculty Position in Metabolism and Nutritional Programming Van Andel Institute (VAI), a world-class biomedical research institute, located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, is dedicated to improving human health. We are pioneers in the fight against cancer, Parkinso...

Our institute is hiring for a new faculty to join my department at any level! Incredible research support, a great community, a chance to build something while still being at a place already producing top tier research. We start reviewing apps in 2 weeks! vai.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/VAICar...

Study finds persistent proteins may influence metabolomics results The findings in the Mass Spec Core at Van Andel Institute, published in Nature Communications, give scientists new insights and tools for improving future metabolomics experiments, including a novel p...

VAI scientists have identified more than 1,000 previously undetected proteins in common metabolite samples. In a new Nature Communications paper, they offer a novel protocol for removing them to improve metabolomics results:
www.vai.org/article/stud...

Part of the herd migration - hopefully a trend towards the days of old. Seems promising …

We had a fun lab lunch today celebrating recent acceptances of 2 papers and a new grant! Details to follow. Proud of this team and their accomplishments. #epigenetics

please add, thanks Duncan!