Jackson Laboratory Explained

The Jackson Laboratory
Type:Nonprofit organization Research institute
Products:Mice, C57BL/6J
Model Organisms
Laboratory Animals
Headquarters:Bar Harbor, Maine, U.S.
Location City:Farmington, Connecticut
Location City2:Sacramento, California
Addnl Location City:Shanghai
Addnl Location Country:China
Addnl Location City2:Yokohama
Addnl Location Country2:Japan
Leader Name:Lon Cardon
Founder:C. C. Little
Staff:3,000
Budget:$628M[1]
Budget Year:2023

The Jackson Laboratory (often abbreviated as JAX) is an independent, non-profit biomedical research institution which was founded by Clarence Cook Little in 1929.[2] It employs over 3,000 employees in Bar Harbor, Maine; Sacramento, California; Farmington, Connecticut; Shanghai, China; and Yokohama, Japan.[3] The institution is a National Cancer Institute-designated Cancer Center[4] and has NIH Centers of Excellence in aging[5] and systems genetics.[6] The stated mission of The Jackson Laboratory is "to discover the genetic basis for preventing, treating and curing human diseases, and to enable research and education for the global biomedical community."[7]

The laboratory also provides more than 13,000 strains of mouse models to more than 2,400 organizations in 68 countries around the world.[8] Additionally, JAX is the home of the Mouse Genome Informatics database, and an international hub for scientific courses, conferences, training and education.[9]

Major research areas

The Jackson Laboratory has two research campuses, the Jackson Laboratory for Mammalian Genetics located in Bar Harbor, Maine, and the Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine located in Farmington, Connecticut.[10] Each campus maintains affiliations with a variety of other academic institutions. In the Bar Harbor location, cooperative Ph.D. training is offered in conjunction with the University of Maine[11] and Tufts University.[12] [13] At the Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine, cooperative Ph.D. training is offered in conjunction with the University of Connecticut Health Center.There are more than 60 faculty members maintaining independent labs across these campuses, who perform research in six primary areas:[14]

History

The Jackson Laboratory was founded by Clarence Cook Little, a former University of Maine and University of Michigan president, in 1929 in Bar Harbor, Maine under the name Roscoe B. Jackson Memorial Laboratory with the purpose of discovering the causes of cancer and other diseases through research on mammals.[15] [16] The campus was built on 13 acres of land donated by George Dorr. Initial funding for the laboratory campus came from Edsel Ford, the son of Henry Ford, and from Roscoe B. Jackson, a one-time head of the Hudson Motor Car Company, for whom the institution is named.[17] As well as providing funds for the first laboratory building, Roscoe B. Jackson provided support for the first five years of operation.[17]

The sale of mouse animal models began in 1933 with early sales to the United States Public Health Service and The Jackson Laboratory now provides a high proportion of the mice used in biomedical research [18] In particular, the C57BL/6J strain, which is widely used and cited is maintained at The Jackson Laboratory.[19] The demand for mice generated at The Jackson Lab increased in 1937 when the Surgeon General supported a grant from National Cancer Institute to the lab that made mice produced there a de facto industry standard due to federal standardization requirements because it was the only large-scale mouse provider before World War II.

The research performed at The Jackson Laboratory is associated with at least 26 Nobel Prizes in Physiology or Medicine via research, resources, or educational programming. Some notable findings from the institution include:

Highlights

The Jackson Laboratory Cancer Center

The Jackson Laboratory Cancer Center (JAXCC) first received its National Cancer Institute designation in 1983 in recognition of the foundational cancer research conducted there. The JAXCC is one of seven NCI-designated Cancer Centers with a focus on basic research.

The Jackson Laboratory Cancer Center has a single program, Genetic Models for Precision Cancer Medicine, composed of three biological themes: cancer cell robustness, genomic and genetic complexity, and progenitor cell biology. The themes emphasize the systems genetics of cancer and translational cancer genomics, and all are supported by the JAX Cancer Center's technological initiatives in mouse modeling, genome analytics and quantitative cell biology.[27]

The Morrell Park fire

On May 10, 1989, a flash fire destroyed the Morrell Park mouse production facility.[28] The fire lasted 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.[29]

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.[30]

Acquisitions

In October 2021, Jackson Lab bought Japan-based research animal business from Charles River Laboratories International for US$63 million.[31]

Research resources

Business model

The Jackson Laboratory is recognized by the IRS as a public charity.[33] According to organization literature, revenue comes primarily from the sale of materials and services (~70%) and from government support (~25%).[34] Less than 5% of 2012 revenue came from charitable donations.

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 stated the worker was fired for her confrontational demeanor.[35]

In 2009, Jackson Laboratory was fined $161,680 by the EPA for improperly handling and storing hazardous materials.[36]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Fast Facts . The Jackson Laboratory . en.
  2. Web site: Jackson Lab to remove founder's name from conference center . 20 July 2020 .
  3. Web site: About The Jackson Laboratory. Jackson Laboratory. 12 July 2022.
  4. Web site: 13 August 2012 . Find an NCI-Designated Cancer Center – National Cancer Institute . cancer government . en.
  5. Web site: Nathan Shock Centers of Excellence . National Institute on Aging . en.
  6. Web site: Fast Facts . The Jackson Laboratory . en.
  7. Web site: Personalized Medicine Coalition – Advocates for precision medicine : The Jackson Laboratory . personalizedmedicinecoalition . en.
  8. Web site: Fast Facts . The Jackson Laboratory . en.
  9. Web site: JAX Mice and Research Services Provided Through Charles River. Criver.com. 2016-01-10. https://web.archive.org/web/20150818061606/http://www.criver.com/files/pdfs/rms/jax/rm_d_jax_eu_partnership.aspx. 2015-08-18. dead.
  10. Web site: Our Campuses & Communities . The Jackson Laboratory . en.
  11. Web site: GSBSE @ JAX – Graduate School of Biomedical Science and Engineering – University of Maine . Graduate School of Biomedical Science and Engineering.
  12. Web site: Neuro at JAX Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences . gsbs tufts education.
  13. Web site: Mammalian Genetics at JAX Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences . gsbs tufts education.
  14. News: Latter . Carol . JAX Labs uses biomolecular modeling to advance patient health .
  15. Web site: Jackson Laboratory Bar Harbor, ME – Official Website . barharbormaine government.
  16. Web site: The Jackson Laboratory Milestones: 1900 – 1929 . The Jackson Laboratory Timeline . Jackson Laboratory . 2006-12-13 . https://web.archive.org/web/20060925162120/http://www.jax.org/about/timeline/1900.html . 2006-09-25 . dead .
  17. Web site: 85 Years of Discovery . Jackson Laboratory . 2019-03-24.
  18. Web site: Johnson . Mary . Laboratory Mice and Rats . Materials and Methods . en . 8 July 2022.
  19. Griesemer . James R. . Gerson . Elihu M. . Of mice and men and low unit cost . Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part C: Studies in History and Philosophy of Biological and Biomedical Sciences . 1 June 2006 . 37 . 2 . 363–372 . 10.1016/j.shpsc.2006.03.005.
  20. Web site: LittleSis: Jackson Laboratory . 2022-07-28 . littlesis..
  21. Web site: National Institute on Aging funds new Alzheimer's disease center at Indiana University and The Jackson Laboratory . 2023-09-14 . The Jackson Laboratory . en.
  22. Web site: Knockout Mouse Project (KOMP). The Jackson Laboratory. en. 2017-07-16.
  23. Mutations in CTNNA1 cause butterfly-shaped pigment dystrophy and perturbed retinal pigment epithelium integrity. Anneke I. den. Hollander. Patsy M.. Nishina. Carel B.. Hoyng. Neal S.. Peachey. Bart P.. Leroy. Ronald. Roepman. Camiel J. F.. Boon. Frans P. M.. Cremers. Francesca. Simonelli. Sandro. Banfi. Sophie. Walraedt. Elfride De. Baere. Sleiman. Abu-Ltaif. Tamara W. van. Moorsel. Kornelia. Neveling. Stef J.. Letteboer. Jeremy R.. Charette. Gayle B.. Collin. Lucy. Rowe. Lanying. Shi. Minzhong. Yu. Wanda. Hicks. Frederieke E.. Schoenmaker-Koller. Mark P.. Krebs. Nicole T. M.. Saksens. 1 February 2016. Nature Genetics. 48. 2. 144–151. 10.1038/ng.3474. 26691986. 4787620.
  24. Web site: Jackson Laboratory researchers discover mutation involved in neurodegeneration . 2023-09-14 . The Jackson Laboratory . en.
  25. Web site: Jackson Lab Opens To Big Hopes for Bioscience Growth. MATTHEW. STURDEVANT. Courant.com. 2 October 2014 . 23 June 2019.
  26. Web site: 2020-10-08 . Jackson Lab to get 11.8 million dollar grant for cancer research . 2022-07-28 . newscentermaine.com . en-US.
  27. Web site: 2012-07-20 . The Jackson Laboratory Cancer Center – NCI . 2022-07-28 . cancer.gov . en.
  28. News: Probable causes given for Jackson Lab fire. 2013-02-28. Kathy. Harbour. Bangor Daily News. August 21, 1989. 8. Hancock County.
  29. Debris Cleared, Jackson Begins Recovery From Fire. 2013-02-28. Judy. Mathewson. June 26, 1989. The Scientist.
  30. Web site: The Jackson Laboratory Milestones: 1940–1949 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20060925162147/http://www.jax.org/about/timeline/1940.html . 2006-09-25 . 2006-12-13 . Jackson Laboratory.
  31. Web site: 2021-10-13 . Jackson Lab buys Japan-based research animal business for $63M . Mainebiz.
  32. Blake. Judith A.. Judith Blake (scientist). Bult. Carol J.. Kadin. James A.. Richardson. Joel E.. Eppig. Janan T.. The Mouse Genome Database Group. 2011. The Mouse Genome Database (MGD): premier model organism resource for mammalian genomics and genetics. Nucleic Acids Res.. 39. Database issue. D842-8. England. 21051359. 10.1093/nar/gkq1008. 3013640 .
  33. Web site: search results . Exempt Organizations Select Check . EIN 01-0211513 . December 14, 2014 . .
  34. Web site: 2012 Annual Report . December 14, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131001193009/http://www.jax.org/annual-report-2012.pdf . October 1, 2013 . dead .
  35. News: Trotter. Bill. Former worker who accused Jackson Lab of mistreating mice loses whistleblower lawsuit. 6 August 2015. BDN Maine. 3 June 2013.
  36. News: Trotter. Bill. Jackson Laboratory to pay $161,680 EPA fine. 6 August 2015. Bangor Daily News. 2 April 2009.

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