The JAX Cancer Center (JAXCC) strives to discover precise genomic solutions for cancer by pursuing research discoveries that will lead to innovations in cancer prevention and treatment. It is one of only seven NCI-designated basic research Cancer Centers in the country, comprising approximately 50 members united in research aimed at understanding and targeting the genomic complexity of cancer – particularly around the relationship between cancer and aging. The JAXCC aims to benefit patients through deep partnerships with national, academic, and community clinical entities.

The JAX Center for Alzheimer’s and Dementia Research aims to understand the origins, progression and potential treatments of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias using the mouse as a model organism. While much of the research worldwide has focused on blocking or eliminating the accumulation of beta-amyloid plaques in the brain (a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease), research at JAX has a far broader scope, leveraging our wealth of genetics expertise to explore the molecular pathways associated with disease susceptibility and the pathology of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. Your gift plays a key role in translating this research into new clinical interventions that will make a difference for future patients and families.

What if rare diseases could be more rapidly diagnosed, and new treatments made available to more patients? Only JAX has the tools and expertise to make that future a reality – and your gift will help. With over 50 rare diseases in the growing portfolio of the Rare Disease Translational Center (RDTC), JAX is focused on accelerating the path from the lab to the clinic for patients and families suffering from rare diseases. The Center has special urgency and focus on generating preclinical data to support new therapies.

JAX research centers combine deep expertise and a collaborative mindset to accelerate discovery in complex disease and areas impacting human health. Your support brings together multiple perspectives across JAX to support long-term, innovative research into cancer, aging, neurodegeneration, addiction, and more. Please select a center below to learn more and make a gift:

An endowed gift is a permanent, self-sustaining source of funding. Endowment assets are invested, and each year, a portion of the value of the fund is paid out to support the fund's purpose.

The Jackson Laboratory provides exceptional opportunities for research and training in a unique scientific environment through its postbacc, Ph.D. and postdoctoral programs.

The President’s Fund provides immediate, flexible resources where they are needed most to advance JAX’s commitment to transformative discoveries in human health. Your gift to the President’s Fund is an opportunity to impact cutting-edge research into the most pressing health challenges, hands-on learning through our signature educational programs, and our ongoing mission to seek and welcome world-class scientific talent into our community.

The Director’s Innovation Fund provides crucial seed money for novel and creative research ideas for JAX scientists willing to take risks and explore new directions. It affords JAX researchers the time and resources to rigorously explore and test their concepts. This approach empowers them to advance their most ambitious and innovative research projects to the point that they show sufficient proof-of-concept, progress to generate data for publication or external funding applications. These activities have directly led to the launch of large-scale projects at JAX which can then be supported by the NIH and other external sources for funding.

At JAX, we believe diversity is the catalyst for progress—the key to unlocking unparalleled potential. Every aspiring scientist, budding researcher, and dedicated staff member at JAX deserves an environment where their uniqueness is celebrated, their voices resonate, and their aspirations are supported. The JAX Endowment for Diversity Initiatives is a promise for inclusivity and empowerment and a commitment to build a scientific community that mirrors the richness of the world around us. Your gift amplifies the voices of trainees from underrepresented groups and helps ensure that they are mentored and guided with personalized care. 

Using specialized mouse models and the latest technology, JAX scientists are working to curb one of the most common chronic diseases affecting people worldwide: diabetes. The term “diabetes” actually covers two very different diseases, categorized as type 1 and type 2. Both types involve insufficient levels of the hormone insulin, which the body uses to transport glucose into cells, where it serves as the primary energy source. Lack of insulin results in too much glucose in the blood, which has a long list of negative consequences, including stroke, heart disease and damage to organs. JAX scientists are working to extend healthy life spans by manipulating genes that may block diabetes from developing.

JAX education programs range from high school summer programs, like the flagship Summer Student Program, to postbacc and postdoc programs. JAX education programs are focused on continuing education for scientists, students and teachers and programs for the general public about the unfolding promise of genetics and genomics.

The services and collections of the Joan Staats Library support The Jackson Laboratory's mission to discover precise genomic solutions for disease and empower the global biomedical community in the shared quest to improve human health. Nearly 5,600 electronic journal titles, 80 print journal titles and a book collection of more than 4,000 volumes comprise the collection, while the Reprint Collection numbers over 46,000 journal articles.

The Maine Cancer Genomics Initiative (MCGI) is an alliance of Maine oncology providers, led by JAX, aimed at making precision medicine, innovative clinical trials, access to targeted therapies and novel technology available for cancer patients throughout Maine.

We depend on a vast army of microbes to stay alive: a microbiome that protects us against germs, breaks down food to release energy, and produces vitamins. Disruptions of the microbial ecosystem are linked with human diseases including autoimmune diseases, inflammatory disorders, and obesity.JAX research is revealing the powers of our own microbes, from those located in our stomachs to those on our skin,to fundamentally change our understanding of diseases of all kinds.

At JAX, our mission is to discover precise genomic solutions for disease and empower the global biomedical community in our shared quest to improve human health. Our faculty collaborate to integrate mouse genetics and human genomics to understand the underlying causes of human health and disease. The result is a multi-disciplinary, impactful research program that provides a broad scope for inquiry and catalyzes discovery across the spectrum of basic, translational and preclinical research.

Vision research at JAX focuses on the mechanisms of eye diseases such as glaucoma and macular degeneration, as well as Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases – treating the eye as a window to the brain.