Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King announced that The Jackson Laboratory is receiving $1,283,324 from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for two innovative research projects aimed at improving human health. One project will examine the relationship between exercise and cognitive function among the aging population and the other will study ways to improve regeneration of damaged human tissue.

“The scientists at The Jackson Laboratory are conducting impressive research to improve human health and overcome challenges that affect nearly every American family,” said Senators Collins and King in a joint statement. “These investments will help lay the groundwork for breakthroughs in treating and preventing age-related cognitive decline as well as accelerating recoveries from surgeries and injuries. Both of these projects represent exciting advances in their respective fields and have the potential to significantly enhance quality of life.”

“We’re grateful to the Senators Collins and King for their ongoing support for increasing the NIH budget, which leads directly to critical investments in biomedical research.,” said Dr. Lon Cardon, President and CEO at The Jackson Laboratory. “These grants will support research discoveries made right here in Maine, to help predict, treat and modify the course of diseases and improve patient outcomes affecting individuals and families around the globe.”

$767,084 was awarded for a research project led by Jackson Lab assistant professor Erik Bloss, Ph.D.  Researchers will investigate the impact of exercise on cognitive decline in older populations by using cutting-edge imaging and data analysis techniques to study how physical activity affects brain structure and function. These experiments aim to increase our understanding of how exercise-related effects on the brain could be harnessed to treat and prevent diseases such as dementia.

$516,240 was awarded for a research project led by Jackson Lab research scientist James Godwin, Ph.D.  The long-term objective of this work is to facilitate the faithful regeneration of damaged human tissues.  Researchers will examine the role of lymphoid immune-cell networks in tissue regeneration. The project aims to identify and characterize the critical biological pathways and genetic modifiers required for inducing latent regenerative potential in adult tissues, laying the groundwork for translation studies aimed at enhancing tissue repair in humans, which would provide enormous benefits for recovery from injuries and surgeries.

The Jackson Laboratory is an independent, nonprofit biomedical research institution that is headquartered in Bar Harbor.  Its mission is to discover precise genomic solutions for diseases and empower the global biomedical community in the shared quest to improve human health.