Jackson Lab wins $493K grant for aging research

Photo / Courtesy Jackson Laboratory Jackson Laboratory, with headquarters in Bar Harbor, has been awarded a federal grant to study a potentially serious blood condition common among older adults.

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By Staff

While the Jackson Laboratory has received much attention recently for work in response to the COVID-19 crisis, the Bar Harbor-based biomedical research institution has just been awarded nearly a half million dollars for investigations in another field — aging.

The National Institute on Aging has awarded the lab a $492,639 grant to support research on clonal hematopoiesis, a common blood condition among older adults that increases their risks of cancer and cardiovascular disease.

JAX associate professor Jennifer Trowbridge and her team will conduct the research, according to a news release Friday.

U.S. Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Angus King, I-Maine, said in a joint statement: “The scientists at the Jackson Laboratory are conducting impressive research and making great strides to conquer diseases that affect nearly every American family.

"We welcome this investment to help support JAX’s efforts to better understand and treat this condition.”

JAX Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer S. Catherine Longley said in the release, “We are grateful for the support of Sens. Collins and King and the National Institute on Aging so we can continue to focus on extending health span, delaying age-related health issues, and improving quality of life for Mainers and people around the world.”

JAX has been scaling up its production of research mice designed to help scientists develop vaccines and treatments for COVID-19. In June, the lab entered a partnership to provide testing for the disease this fall at campuses of the University of Maine System.

The Jackson Laboratory has 2,300 employees and also operates in Ellsworth, California, Connecticut and Shanghai, China.