Jackson Laboratory
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The Jackson Laboratory was founded in Bar Harbor, Maine in 1929 by C. C. Little. It is the only non-profit institution ever set up with a dedication to basic research on the genetics of mammals as a primary objective. Originally, the laboratory bred many different species (including dogs, rabbits, guinea pigs and others), now it is a leading institute studying and breeding mice for research. After breeding mice for solely for use by researchers at the laboratory, it was discovered that the many strains of mice were a very valuable resource and could be sold to other laboratories to help fund research. Now the lab supplies over 2 million mice per year to other labs, and 75% of its nearly 3,000 strains are available only from The Jackson Laboratory.
The Jackson Laboratory is the world's largest mammalian genetics research institute, and is currently designated by the National Cancer Institute as a "Cancer Center" to conduct basic cancer research.
Major Research Areas
The Lab's research is focused in 6 major areas
- Bioinformatics: mouse genome informatics, comparative genomics.
- Cancers: bone, cervical, leukemia, liver, lymphoma, mammary, ovarian.
- Development and Aging-Related: birth defects, Down syndrome, osteoporosis.
- Immune System and Blood Disorders: AIDS, anemia, autoimmunity, immune system disorders, tissue transplant rejection.
- Metabolic Diseases: atherosclerosis, diabetes, gallstones, hypertension, obesity.
- Neurological and Sensory Disorders: blindness, cerebellar disorders, deafness, epilepsy, glaucoma, macular degeneration, neurodegenerative diseases.
Famous Scientists at The Jackson Laboratory
Dr. George Snell was a co-recipient of the 1980 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for research he conducted at The Jackson Laborabory. Dr. Snell had discovered the Major histocompatibility complex genes, a discovery that lead to higher success rates of organ transplants.External links
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