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The Jackson Laboratory: Mammalian Genetics Research to Advance Human Health

Reporter: Aviva Lev-Ari, PhD, RN

UPDATED 8/11/2015

Jackson Lab Wins $10M NIH Grant to Form Center for Precision Genetics

Aug 11, 2015

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a GenomeWeb staff reporter

NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – The Jackson Laboratory announced yesterday that it has received a roughly $10 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to establish the Center for Precision Genetics, which will act as the hub of a multi-institute network of investigators working to develop precision models of disease.

The funding, which will be provided over five years, will enable the center to “generate new disease-modeling processes and pipelines, data resources, research results, and models that will be swiftly shared through [the Jackson Lab’s] proven dissemination pipelines to accelerate translation to medical benefit,” Jackson Lab President and CEO Edison Liu said in a statement.

The center will include geneticists, molecular and computational biologists, and clinicians from Emory University; Cedars Sinai Medical Center; the University of California, San Diego; Columbia University Medical Center; Nationwide Children’s Hospital; the University of Massachusetts Medical School; and the University of California, San Francisco.

The first year’s funding of nearly $2 million will be used to launch six projects focused on improving the precision of disease models and the efficiency of preclinical pipelines, the Jackson Lab said.

SOURCE

https://www.genomeweb.com/research-funding/jackson-lab-wins-10m-nih-grant-form-center-precision-genetics

About The Jackson Laboratory

We are an independent, nonprofit organization focusing on mammalian genetics research to advance human health. Our mission is to discover precise genomic solutions for disease and empower the global biomedical community in the shared quest to improve human health.

Our nearly 1,700 employees located in Bar Harbor, Maine, Sacramento, California, and Farmington, Connecticut:

• conduct genetic research
• provide scientific services and genetic resources to laboratories around the world
• educate students of all ages through courses, internships and other programs

Our work uses the mouse as a research tool. Because mice and humans share 95% of their genes, mice are an effective and efficient model for human diseases.

Along with our research we provide scientific resources, techniques, software and data to scientists around the world. We breed and manage colonies of mice to supply other research institutions and laboratories.

Fast facts

Mission statement

We discover precise genomic solutions for disease and empower the global biomedical community in the shared quest to improve human health.

Operating revenue FY2013: $240.5 million

• Public support, including grants and contracts: $63.1 million
• JAX® Mice & Clinical Research Services: $165.3 million
• Contributions and other: $12.1 million

FY 2014 budget (unaudited): $264.5 million
FY2015 budget: $293.0 million

Total staff: 1,707 employees

Our researchers

287 Ph.D.s, M.D.s, and D.V.M.s, including:

• 50 Professors, Associate Professors and Assistant Professors
• 55 Research Scientists and Research Associates
• 17 Emeritus Scientists
• 20 Adjunct Scientists
• 4 Affiliated Scientists
• 51 Postdoctoral Associates
• 6 Predoctoral Associates

Research programs

50 Principal Investigators leading research groups in six major areas:

• Cancers: brain, leukemia, lung, lymphoma, mammary, cancer initiation and progression; cancer detection and therapies
• Computational biology and bioinformatics: mouse genome informatics, comparative genomics
• Developmental and reproductive biology: birth defects, Down syndrome, aging, osteoporosis
• Immunology: HIV-AIDS, anemia, autoimmunity, immune system disorders, lupus, tissue transplant rejection
• Metabolic diseases: atherosclerosis, diabetes, gallstones, hypertension, obesity
• Neurobiology: blindness, cerebellar disorders, deafness, epilepsy, glaucoma, macular degeneration, neurodegenerative diseases

Genetic resources – FY2014

• About 2.5 million JAX Mice were distributed in 2014.

• JAX® Mice have been shipped to approximately 20,000 investigators (or laboratories) in more than 900 institutions, in 56 countries.
• More than 7,000 varieties are available as breeding mice or frozen embryos.
• The Jackson Laboratory Mouse Repository: This repository, maintained by Genetic Resource Science group, is included among the most premier mouse resources available to the biomedical research community. It currently features a portfolio of over 4,000 targeted and 1,600 transgenic mutant mouse lines representing mouse models for much of the human disease spectrum. Over 600 hundred lines are added to this collection annually.
• The Laboratory’s Animal Health program oversees the health, welfare and husbandry of Jackson Laboratory mice and provides expertise in the evaluation of clinical diseases.

Cancer Center designation

The Jackson Laboratory, founded in 1929 as a cancer research facility, has been designated as a Cancer Center by the National Cancer Institute since 1983 to conduct basic research.

Senior Management Team

Edison T. Liu, M.D.
President and CEO

Dr. Liu is the president and CEO of The Jackson Laboratory. Previously, he was the founding executive director of the Genome Institute of Singapore (2001-2011), and was the president of the Human Genome Organization (HUGO) from 2007-2013. Between 1997 and 2001, he was the scientific director of the National Cancer Institute’s Division of Clinical Sciences in Bethesda, Md., where he was in charge of the intramural clinical translational science programs. From 1987 to 1996, Dr. Liu was a faculty member at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he was the director of the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center’s Specialized Program of Research Excellence in Breast Cancer; the director of the Laboratory of Molecular Epidemiology at UNC’s School of Public Health; chief of Medical Genetics; and the chair of the Correlative Science Committee of the national cooperative clinical trials group, CALGB.

Dr. Liu is an international expert in cancer biology, genomics, human genetics, molecular epidemiology and translational medicine. Dr. Liu’s own scientific research has focused on the functional genomics of human cancers, particularly breast cancer, uncovering new oncogenes, and deciphering the dynamics of gene regulation on a genomic scale that modulate cancer biology. He has authored over 300 scientific papers and reviews, and co-authored two books.

He obtained his B.S. in chemistry and psychology, as well as his M.D., at Stanford University. He served his internship and residency at Washington University’s Barnes Hospital in St. Louis, followed by an oncology fellowship at Stanford. From 1982 to 1987 he was at the University of California, San Francisco, at the G.W. Hooper Foundation.

Charles E. Hewett, Ph.D.
Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer

Dr. Hewett serves as executive vice president and chief operating officer of The Jackson Laboratory and as general manager of JAX^® Mice, Research & Clinical Services, the organization’s nonprofit research resources and services business. Since his arrival in 2004, he has overseen the launch of numerous research products and services; modernization of mouse production facilities; and completion of new research laboratories in Bar Harbor, Maine, and the relocation and expansion of the Laboratory’s California operation. Dr. Hewett also led the development of The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine and secured the state of Connecticut’s agreement to provide $291 million, 17 acres of land and 10 faculty positions for its establishment. He is currently working to design and construct the facility and recruit its administrative staff. Dr. Hewett is a member of the Laboratory’s Board of Trustees and also served as a founding board member of the New York Genome Center.

Prior to joining the Laboratory, as CEO of Atlantic Energy Partners and Neptune Regional Transmission System, Dr. Hewett successfully developed a $650 million underwater merchant D.C. electric transmission system connecting Long Island, N.Y., to New Jersey. At the same time, he also served as vice president and secretary to the Board of the Cianbro Companies. In the mid 1990s, Dr. Hewett served for three years as the chief operating officer of the Executive Branch of the state of Maine during Governor Angus King’s first term. He has held chief executive posts in the international pharmaceutical industry, in electric generation and in natural resource management and has created companies and managed start-up projects in Asia, Europe and the United States. He is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate in political economy from Williams College and holds M.F.S., M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from Yale University where he was a member of Sigma Xi.

Robert Braun, Ph.D.
Vice President for Research; Professor

Bob Braun, a distinguished scientist in the field of reproductive genetics, joined The Jackson Laboratory in 2007 after more than 20 years at the University of Washington School of Medicine, where he served as professor of genome sciences and as director and co-director, respectively, of two different University programs in reproductive biology research. Dr. Braun earned his undergraduate degree in molecular, cellular and developmental biology, chemistry and mathematics at the University of Colorado, Boulder, and his Ph.D. in the Tufts University School of Medicine department of microbiology. The recipient of many honors and awards, Dr. Braun has also been a visiting scientist at the Medical Research Council in England and, in 2001-2002, at The Jackson Laboratory.

Kenneth H. Fasman, Ph.D.
Vice President for Strategic Initiatives

A biomedical researcher whose work in the academic, nonprofit and business sectors has made him a leader in scientific collaborative research management, Kenneth H. Fasman focuses on The Jackson Laboratory’s key strategic initiatives and collaborations He joined the Laboratory in 2015 after having served in various advisory roles for more than 15 years, including as a member of the Laboratory’s Board of Scientific Counselors. Dr. Fasman joined the Laboratory from the Adelson Medical Research Foundation in Needham, Mass., where he was vice president and chief scientific officer (2008-2015). From 1998 to 2008, he worked with the international pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca, rising to director of drug development strategy and performance. From 1992 to 1998, Fasman worked on the human genome project at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and later at the Whitehead Institute/MIT Center for Genome Research. While earning his Ph.D. in biomedical engineering from Hopkins, Fasman cofounded a laboratory software and systems design consulting firm, BME Systems, Inc.

Michael E. Hyde
Vice President for External Affairs and Strategic Partnerships
Mike Hyde manages federal and state governmental relationships for The Jackson Laboratory. He helps to build understanding of the Laboratory and its mission among decision makers, and he represents the Laboratory in policy discussions at various levels of government. Mr. Hyde also explores opportunities for strategic partnerships, and works with the CEO to open up new possibilities for research and collaboration.

Mr. Hyde is a member of the Laboratory’s Senior Management Team, and he also represents the Laboratory on the board of directors of the Maine State Chamber of Commerce. His accomplishments include helping to secure funding for the JAX Genomic Medicine expansion in Connecticut and reshaping the Laboratory’s branding and communications programs. Before joining the Laboratory in 2006, Mr. Hyde had a long career as a collegiate marketer and fundraiser. He holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Missouri, Columbia.

Linda Jensen, M.S.
Chief Financial Officer
Linda Jensen, a senior executive with extensive experience in financial management, came to The Jackson Laboratory in 2005 from Select Energy Services, Inc., where she served as vice president for finance. At the multi-office engineering firm (a subsidiary of Northeast Utilities, a $6 billion utility holding company), Jensen’s projects included structured finance for federal, state and local government clients, as well as health care and educational institutions. Ms. Jensen’s career also includes financial positions with Century III, Inc., Health Systems, Inc., and the multinational Boston Consulting Group, Inc. She holds a B.B.A. from the University of Michigan School of Business Administration and an M.S. from the Sloan School of Management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Charles Lee, Ph.D., FACMG
Scientific Director, The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine
Charles Lee, Ph.D., is the Scientific Director of The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine in Farmington, Conn. Prior to joining the Laboratory in 2013, he was on faculty in the Department of Pathology at Harvard Medical School and directed both the molecular genetics research unit at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the cytogenetics facility for the Harvard Cancer Center in Boston.

Scientifically, Dr. Lee is best known for his discovery that copy-number variation – a state in which cells have a different number of copies of DNA sections, sometimes associated with susceptibility or resistance to disease – is widespread and significant in the human genome. This discovery, along with his subsequent research, has provided tools to aid in the accurate diagnosis of genetic conditions such as autism, birth defects and cancer. Dr. Lee has authored more than 140 papers in top-tiered scientific journals and has held advisory roles for numerous national organizations including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), the American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG) and the American College of Medical Genetics (ACMG).

For his discoveries and research into the human genome, Dr. Lee received numerous accolades and awards including the 2008 Ho-Am Prize in Medicine and a Chen Global Investigator award from the Human Genome Organization. He is also an elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Dr. Lee earned his Ph.D. in 1996 at the University of Alberta in Canada and completed a research fellowship at Cambridge University in England and clinical training at Harvard Medical School. He is board certified as a clinical cytogeneticist by the American Board of Medical Genetics.

Thomas S. Litwin, Ph.D.
Vice President for Education
Scientist and educator Thomas S. Litwin, Ph.D., oversees the Laboratory’s pre-college and college education programs, predoctoral and postdoctoral training programs, and the growing roster of web-based educational material, courses, conferences and workshops for working scientists, laboratory professionals and the public. Dr. Litwin joined the Laboratory after 23 years as director of the innovative Clark Science Center at Smith College in Northampton, Mass. Collaborating with the Center’s eight academic departments and 90 faculty members, he focused on experiential learning curriculum development and science program building. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature from Hartwick College in Oneonta, N.Y., and a Ph.D. in avian ecology from Cornell University’s Laboratory of Ornithology in Ithaca, N.Y. His science education focus has resulted in a PBS feature film and video series for NOVA. Dr. Litwin is a member of the American Association of Colleges and Universities, the Society for Conservation Biology, the Ecological Society of America, the American Geophysical Union, the American Association for the Advancement of Science and Sigma Xi. He was awarded an Aldo Leopold Fellowship for science communication in 2004.

Auro Nair, Ph.D.
General Manager, JAX® Mice, Clinical and Research Services

Dr. Nair joined The Jackson Laboratory in 2007 as associate general manager of JAX® Mice and Services. The institution added clinical services to its offerings, and in 2011 Nair was named general manager of JAX® Clinical and Research Services, responsible for all clinical and scientific research services provided to internal researchers at The Jackson Laboratory and external researchers worldwide. In 2014 he was named to his present post.

Prior to joining JAX, Nair served as vice president for worldwide marketing and North American sales with Caliper Life Sciences (today part of PerkinElmer), Hopkinton, Mass., where he had been responsible for commercialization of Caliper’s products and services. He had been with Caliper and its predecessor company, Zymark, since 1997. From 1990 to 1997 Nair had managed Quality Compliance and Analytical Services at GlaxoSmithKline’s FDA-approved site in Singapore. Nair is a graduate in chemistry from the University of Science, Penang, Malaysia; holds a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Oklahoma, Norman; and has an Executive MBA from Suffolk University in Boston, Mass.

Kristen Rozansky
Vice President for Development and Communications
Kristen Rozansky is responsible for foundation relations, development and communications at The Jackson Laboratory. Before joining the Laboratory in 2013, Ms. Rozansky was associate vice president for development for Penn State University in University Park, Pa., and chief development officer for the Penn State Hershey Medical Center. In her five years at Penn State, Ms. Rozansky’s accomplishments included securing $191 million in pledges and new gifts as part of a University-wide fundraising campaign, and raising more than $65 million in a campaign for a new, freestanding children’s hospital. Starting her development career in 1996 at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia, Ms. Rozansky rose to director of donor relations. In 2002 she moved to the university’s Perelman School of Medicine, becoming the executive director of alumni development and alumni relations and planned giving.

SOURCE

http://www.jax.org/about/index.html

http://www.jax.org/news/press-releases.html