More recently, they have provided the foundation for the derivation of stem cells. These “monster” tumors, comprised of tissues that are derived from all three germ layers, have intrigued physicians and pathologists for centuries. One of the most important areas of research conducted at the Jackson Laboratory involved teratomas. The factor was passed to all mice that suckled from an affected mother, regardless of whether they were her progeny or not. One of the early discoveries made at the Jackson Laboratory was a mouse mammary tumor agent that passed from mothers to nursing mice. Their work touched on a variety of subjects, including early embryogenesis, growth, histogenesis, teratogenesis, pathogenesis, normal and abnormal physiology, aging patterns, and reproductive behaviors.

Early research focused on the genetic aspects of cancer and radiology, with particular effort spent refining strains of inbred mice that possessed particular mutations of interest that could help Little and his colleagues in their research. His early researchers includedĮlizabeth Fekete. These remain the laboratory’s goals, and are provided on its website ( Little remained director of the Jackson Laboratory until he retired in 1956. It was also fully committed to providing services and genetic resources to scientists around the world and aimed at educating the next generation of scientific researchers. During the 1930s, the laboratory’s mission centered on determining the genetic basis for treating, curing, and preventing human disease. However, since the laboratory opened only months before the Great Depression, its first years were a financial struggle. Jackson, prompted the decision to name the laboratory in Jackson’s honor, instead.Ī major portion of the Jackson Laboratory’s funding came from several wealthy Detroit patrons, including Edsel Ford and Richard Hudson Webber. Dorr, the death in 1929 of one of the donors, Roscoe B. Though Little originally intended to name the Laboratory for Dorr’s father, Charles H. He chose Bar Harbor as its location for several reasons: the coastal climate was excellent for raising animals he felt the local residents possessed a strong work ethic and a generous amount of land had been donated to build the laboratory by George B. In 1925 Little was appointed president of the University of Michigan, but he returned to Maine in 1929 to establish the Jackson Laboratory. While university president, Little established a summer science program in which he took science students on field trips to Bar Harbor to study biology. While studying at Harvard, Little established mammalian genetics as a scientific field with which he wanted to tackle the cancer problem. Little was a Harvard graduate and became president of the University of Maine in 1922. Located at Bar Harbor on Mount Desert Island in Maine, the Jackson Laboratory focuses today on cancer research using mouse genomics. Mice were chosen by researchers at Jackson as the best available model for genetic research, and today genetically uniform strains of mice developed at the lab are used in laboratories all over the world. Teratomas, gene replacement therapy for birth defects, and more because its researchers have focused from the beginning on developing the mouse as a model organism. The lab has been pivotal in research with Jackson Laboratory, known commonly in the scientific field as the Jackson Laboratory, was founded byĬlarence Cook Little in May 1929. More information about Farmington and the greater Hartford area can be found at the Central Connecticut Chambers of Commerce.The Roscoe B. The small, tight-knit community enjoys team activities and family events throughout the year. Our Farmington team enjoys the on-site café, fitness center, and several clubs centered around common interests.

A wide variety of shopping, dining, cultural activities, and outdoor recreation are all readily available in this vital urban center.

JAX Genomic Medicine, which opened in 2014 next to the UConn Health Center campus, facilitates clinical collaboration with Connecticut’s many universities and hospitals.įarmington has been recognized as one of the most desirable communities in Connecticut and is conveniently located halfway between New York City and Boston. Researchers here focus on human genomics, complementing our long history of mammalian genetics expertise. Our Farmington campus is home to The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine.

The jackson laboratory