Jackson Laboratory

The Jackson Laboratory
Type 501(c) organization
Website Official website
Located near scenic Frenchman Bay on Mount Desert Island, Maine, The Jackson Laboratory is a nonprofit biomedical research institution.

The Jackson Laboratory (often abbreviated as JAX) is an independent, nonprofit biomedical research institution dedicated to contributing to a future of better health care based on the unique genetic makeup of each individual. With more than 1,500 employees in Bar Harbor, Maine, Sacramento, California and at a new genomic medicine institute in Farmington, Connecticut, the Laboratory's mission is to discover precise genomic solutions for disease and empower the global biomedical community in the shared quest to improve human health. [1] The institution is a National Cancer Institute-designated Cancer Center and has NIH centers of excellence in aging and systems genetics. The Laboratory is also the world's source for more than 7,000 strains of genetically defined mice, is home of the Mouse Genome Informatics database and is an international hub for scientific courses, conferences, training and education.

Major research areas

Jackson Laboratory research, represented by the activities of more than 40 laboratories, is largely sponsored by NIH grants and is focused in 15 major areas:

History

Historic research highlights

The Jackson Laboratory was founded in 1929 in Bar Harbor, Maine, by former University of Maine and University of Michigan president C. C. Little under the name Roscoe B. Jackson Memorial Laboratory.[2]

Recent research has provided insight into cancer stem cells and treatments for leukemia; progress with type 1 diabetes and lupus; and a breakthrough in extending mammalian life span.

The Morrell Park fire

On May 10, 1989, a flash fire destroyed the Morrell Park mouse production facility.[3] The fire raged for five hours, requiring over 100 firefighters from 15 companies and a total of 16 trucks for the fire to be contained. Four workers of the Colwell Construction Company who were installing fiberglass wallboard in the room where the fire broke out were injured, one with burns over 15 percent of his body. While none of the foundation strains were lost, 300,000 production mice (about 50% of their stock) died, resulting in a national shortage of laboratory mice and the layoff of 60 employees.[4]

This was the second fire to severely affect the laboratory; the 1947 fire that burned most of the island destroyed most of the laboratory, and its mice. Worldwide donations of funds and mice allowed the lab to resume operations in 1948.[5]

Research resources

Educational programs

Business model

The Jackson Laboratory is recognized by the IRS as a public charity.[6] According to organization literature, revenue comes primarily from the sale of materials and services (~70%) and from government support (~25%).[7] Less than 5% of 2012 revenue came from charitable donations.[7]

Notable researchers

Controversy

In 2013, a jury in Maine found that Jackson Laboratory did not violate that state’s whistleblower protection law when they fired an employee who claimed to have been terminated after reporting her concerns about the treatment of animals to the National Institutes of Health Office for Laboratory Animal Welfare. The worker accused the laboratory of “allowing mice to suffer and then die in their cages instead of euthanizing them” and of cutting off the toes of mice to identify them. Jackson laboratory denied the allegations and said the worker was fired for her confrontational demeanor. [8]

In 2009, Jackson Laboratory was fined $161,680 by the EPA for improperly handling and storing hazardous materials.[9]

See also

References

  1. "About The Jackson Laboratory". Jackson Laboratory. Retrieved 2 April 2013.
  2. "The Jackson Laboratory Milestones: 1900 - 1929". The Jackson Laboratory Timeline. Jackson Laboratory. Archived from the original on 2006-09-25. Retrieved 2006-12-13.
  3. Harbour, Kathy (August 21, 1989). "Probable causes given for Jackson Lab fire". Bangor Daily News (Hancock County ed.). p. 8. Retrieved 2013-02-28.
  4. Mathewson, Judy (June 26, 1989). "Debris Cleared, Jackson Begins Recovery From Fire". The Scientist. Retrieved 2013-02-28.
  5. "The Jackson Laboratory Milestones: 1940 - 1949". The Jackson Laboratory Timeline. Jackson Laboratory. Archived from the original on 2006-09-25. Retrieved 2006-12-13.
  6. "Exempt Organizations Select Check" (search results). IRS. EIN 01-0211513. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
  7. 1 2 "2012 Annual Report" (PDF). Retrieved December 14, 2014.
  8. Trotter, Bill (3 June 2013). "Former worker who accused Jackson Lab of mistreating mice loses whistleblower lawsuit". BDN Maine. Retrieved 6 August 2015.
  9. Trotter, Bill (2 April 2009). "Jackson Laboratory to pay $161,680 EPA fine". Bangor Daily News. Retrieved 6 August 2015.

Coordinates: 44°21′56″N 68°11′47″W / 44.3655°N 68.1965°W / 44.3655; -68.1965

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