BIG Science on Mount Desert Island

Smack dab in the middle of Bar Harbor is some of the biggest science happening in the state of Maine……two major science research facilities, neither associated directly, but well connected with the academic world.   Living here you can be surprised to find yourself living next to a specialist in the electron microscope – here in a town of 6,000 folks, how likely is that to happen?  Very likely as MDI turns out to be a hotbed of science for the state of Maine.

JACKSON LABORATORY:A Bar Harbor, Maine, landmark since it was established in 1929.   The Jackson Laboratory today is home to 38 biomedical research teams. These scientists have on-campus access to more than 4,000 varieties of laboratory mice bred to model the genetic complexities of human diseases and conditions including cancer, dementia, obesity, high cholesterol and many others.    We were able to have our daughter participate in Jackson Lab’s year long high school intern program through MDI High School.   She worked on the team which identified the gene responsible for open angle glaucoma in mice. Locally known as the “mouse house” Jackson Lab means more to the MDI community than just a place for jobs.   It brings folks to the island to live and in turn brings the world to the island through it’s many teaching symposiums and programs.

Talk about current news and breakthroughs: in July, Jackson Laboratory Professor David Harrison and collaborators reported in the journal Nature that rapamycin, a drug used to prevent organ rejection in human transplant recipients, can significantly extend the lifespan of mice, in replicated experiments and on heterogeneous populations. Harrison’s team fed rapamycin to mice late in their life–600 days of age, corresponding to about age 60 in humans–and extended their maximal lifespan by 9 to 14 percent, making rapamycin the first pharmacological intervention proven to lengthen mammalian lifespan.
This research was included in Nature’s year-end tally of the top 10 science stories most accessed by their readers. The editors of Science also selected the Jackson Laboratory report among the top 10 scientific breakthroughs of the year.

The Science editors comment, “It’s not Ponce de León’s vision of the fountain of youth: the secretion of a dirt-dwelling bacterium from Easter Island. But this year researchers showed that the compound, called rapamycin, boosts longevity in mice, the first time any drug has stretched a mammal’s lifespan.” Together with advances in understanding how calorie restriction increases lifespan, they note that the Jackson Laboratory findings “might lead researchers to more palatable alternatives for slowing aging or at least increasing how long we remain healthy.”

MDI BIOLOGICAL LABORATORY:  On MDI since 1921, MDIBL has grown rapidly over the past ten years and continues to recruit new investigators and construct state-of-the-art laboratory facilities. Approximately sixty visiting scientists join their resident faculty in Salisbury Cove each year to conduct collaborative research.  Each year, about three hundred students at all stages of their scientific education join in this exceptional community and are greeted as new colleagues.

With a commitment to preserving the marine environment and the belief that everyone needs to understand science, MDIBL’s community extends beyond the world of scientific research. They are restoring marine habitat and engaging local school children and community volunteers in scientific activities that monitor and protect water quality.

They offer programs throughout the summer that educate the public about the marine environment, genetics, and biomedical research. Family science nights bring hundreds of children to the Lab, and our aquarium and touch tank mean that hands-on education can begin when a child reaches for their first sea star.

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