Facts

The Jackson Laboratory, founded in 1929, is an independent, 501(c)3 nonprofit biomedical research institution based in Bar Harbor, Maine, with a National Cancer Institute-designated Cancer Center, a genomic medicine institute in Farmington, Conn., and facilities in Augusta and Ellsworth, Maine, in Sacramento, Calif., and in Shanghai, China. It employs more than 2,300 staff, and its mission is to discover precise genomic solutions for disease and empower the global biomedical community in the shared quest to improve human health.

Annual Report

Areas of discovery

JAX researchers combine extensive experience in mammalian genetics and human genomics to shape a unique and integrated approach to personalized medicine. Scientists work collaboratively across disciplines to interrogate disease from all angles, leveraging diverse expertise in cancer, immunology and autoimmune diseases (including diabetes), neuroscience and neurodegenerative diseases (including Alzheimer’s disease), life-cycle biology (including development, stem cells, aging and regenerative medicine), the microbiome and computational biology.

More than 400 staff members hold Ph.D., M.D., D.V.M. or D.Sc. advanced degrees.
JAX currently supports 69 research teams (42 based in Bar Harbor, Maine and 27 in Farmington, Conn.).
Faculty members have 324 active sponsored research collaboration agreements with 146 academic research and clinical institutions.
Multiple JAX Centers coordinate expertise around critical research areas including cancer, aging, Alzheimer’s disease, addiction biology, precision genetics and 3D genomics. Since 1983, JAX has had a National Cancer Institute-designated Cancer Center, one of only seven institutes in the United States that has received this designation for its contributions to basic cancer research.

Major contributions to medical science

To date, 26 Nobel prizes are associated with Jackson Laboratory research, education programs and resources. JAX professor George Snell, Ph.D., won the 1980 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for providing an in-depth understanding of the immune system’s major histocompatibility complex, making organ transplants possible. Three graduates of the JAX Summer Student Program have gone on to win the Nobel Prize, and another two dozen Nobel Prizes have been awarded for research conducted using JAX® Mice. JAX research breakthroughs that have impacted today’s medical treatments include:

Studies by Douglas Coleman led to the discovery of leptin, central to obesity and diabetes research.
Elizabeth Russell’s work yielded new treatments for blood and immunological diseases, including performing the first bone marrow transplants in a mammal.
Investigations by Leroy Stevens into the mechanisms in cells that allow them to develop into different tissues led to modern stem cell research.
John Eppig and Larry Mobraaten conducted foundational research in in vitro fertilization and sperm cryopreservation, techniques now widely used in fertility treatments.
David Harrison demonstrated rapamycin as the first pharmaceutical intervention proven to extend the lifespan of a mammal.
Work by Cat Lutz resulted in the development of Spinraza®, the first medication used to treat Spinal Muscular Atrophy — a rare and fatal disease that causes spinal cord degeneration in infants. Similar methods are now being used to pursue therapeutics for more common diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

Education Programs

The Jackson Laboratory offers educational programs for scientists throughout their careers — from STEM education for high school students and training for science and math teachers to courses and conferences for experienced researchers defining the cutting edge of genomics research and specialized training for physicians interested in incorporating genetics and genomics into their practices.

STEM and Undergraduate Education offers student research internships, professional development programs for high school educators, and a 90-year-old, highly successful Summer Student Program. STEM is a primary sponsor of the Maine State Science Fair.
Courses, Conferences and Workshops provides in-person education for graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and established professionals, including the 60-year-old McKusick Short Course in Human and Mammalian Genetics and Genomics. More than 1,000 students, researchers, and physicians attend Laboratory courses, conferences and workshops each year.
JAX maintains cooperative Ph.D. programs with Tufts University, University of Maine and a both a Ph.D. and M.D.-Ph.D. program with UConn Health. JAX’s Postdoctoral Program prepares Ph.D., M.D., D.V.M., and M.D.-Ph.D. scientists for independent scientific careers.
The Clinical and Continuing Education Program offers point-of-care resources, case-based online programs and in-person workshops that help health-care professionals integrate genomics into their clinical practice.
Online and Digital Education’s webcast program and online course offerings enable learners to participate in JAX genetics and genomics education programs regardless of geography.

Tools & Resources

JAX empowers the global biomedical community through curation of data and provision of critical research models and services.

JAX is the world's source for more than 11,500 strains of genetically defined mice. In 2019 alone, JAX® Mice, Clinical and Research Services distributed about 3 million JAX® Mice to more than 1,400 organizations in 50 countries.
JAX hosts the Mouse Genome Informatics databases, the world’s source for information on mouse genetics and biology.
JAX’s Clinical Knowledge Database (CKB) is a dynamic, digital encyclopedia with sophisticated search capabilities that allow both researchers and clinicians to interpret complex cancer genomic profiles.
JAX provides in vivo drug efficacy testing, reproductive services and husbandry in a wide range of therapeutic areas for biomedical researchers.

A growing footprint, one JAX.

JAX employs more than 2,300 staff in multiple locations in the United States and abroad:

Researchers at the Laboratory’s headquarters and mammalian genetics campus in Bar Harbor, Maine study the fundamental genetics underlying cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer’s and many other diseases. Additionally, JAX’s extensive and unique mouse models, database resources, educational programs and clinical research services empower and enable the work of scientists all across the globe.

JAX staff in Augusta, Maine manage the activities of The Maine Cancer Genomics Initiative (MCGI), a special alliance of cancer experts, clinicians and researchers from The Jackson Laboratory who are focused on improving outcomes for cancer patients across Maine. This facility is located on the campus of the MaineGeneral Medical Center’s Harold Alfond Center for Cancer Care.

The Charles E. Hewett Center in Ellsworth, Maine, is a state-of-the-art mouse vivarium that enables wider access to vital JAX® Mice resources for the worldwide biomedical research community.

Researchers at The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine in Farmington, Connecticut seek human genomic solutions to disease through a variety of areas, including computational biology, immunology, the microbiome, and cancer. Located on the campus of UConn Health Center, JAX Genomic Medicine integrates research with the clinic, and provides the human complement to our mammalian studies in Maine.

JAX professionals in Sacramento, California provide genetically unique mouse models, scientific testing, and data analysis services to pharmaceutical, life sciences and medical research communities.

Technical and customer support staff in Shanghai, China facilitate access to premium quality JAX® Mice, researcher support and knowledge sharing for the Chinese scientific community.