The Jackson Laboratory

09/03/2026

A JAX-led study of more than 5,000 people is challenging long-held assumptions about cerebral palsy genetics. Researchers found strong evidence for only a fraction of genes previously reported as associated with cerebral palsy, suggesting it may reflect symptoms shared across multiple underlying conditions rather than a single disease.

A JAX-led study of more than 5,000 people is challenging long-held assumptions about cerebral palsy genetics.

09/03/2026

A major investment in bioscience education is now reaching college classrooms across Connecticut and beyond. The Jackson Laboratory (JAX) and the Connecticut State Colleges & Universities (CSCU) system have completed development of Genomics in Action, a federally-funded series of 13 online learning modules designed to prepare undergraduate students for careers in bioscience, biotechnology, and precision medicine.

Genomics in Action learning path brings applied science, career exploration, and workforce-ready skills to community college students.

08/31/2026

When it comes to aging skin, scientists think of much more than wrinkles. They think of an organ with multitudes of microbes, immune cells, structural proteins, and chemical signals that constantly interact with one another.

JAX's Sasan Jalili is investigating whether our skin microbiome could serve as a window into the biology of aging and frailty.

How JAX scientists are investigating whether our skin microbiome could serve as a window into the biology of aging and frailty.

08/27/2026

Scientists have identified many genes associated with Parkinson’s disease risk and progression, but understanding how they contribute to the disease remains a major challenge. To help address that gap, The Jackson Laboratory (JAX) and the New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF) have been awarded a $4.6 million grant to develop standardized research tools that will help researchers better understand how genetic factors associated with the disease affect the health and function of brain cells.

The award is an Aligning Science Across Parkinson’s (ASAP) Collaborative Research Network (CRN) Technical Track grant administered by The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF). It will enable scientists from the JAX-NYSCF Collaborative to develop new human stem cell models to better understand how Parkinson’s disease develops.

By creating and sharing these models, along with supporting datasets and protocols, the team will offer research laboratories worldwide new tools to investigate disease mechanisms, compare results, and identify potential paths toward new therapies.

Supported by an ASAP Collaborative Research Network grant, JAX-NYSCF researchers will create, validate, and share human stem cell models and data for emerging Parkinson’s disease targets.

08/25/2026

New tools can lead to new discoveries.

Researchers at JAX are developing a stem cell toolkit designed to help scientists better understand Parkinson's disease. Using human stem cell models, the team will investigate how genetic risk factors influence disease development, creating resources that can support research and therapeutic discovery worldwide.

Explore the full story: https://go.jax.org/4ogtbo

08/20/2026

How do we inspire the next generation of scientists, healthcare leaders and informed citizens? Start with teachers. 🧬👩‍🏫

The JAX Education Teaching the Genome Generation™ (TtGG) supports educators with hands-on genomics training and classroom-ready tools that help bring modern science to students.

See how in our new video and story: https://www.jax.org/news-and-insights/2026/august/building-the-next-generation-of-genomic-thinkers

08/18/2026

August 18 is World Breast Cancer Research Day.

The future of breast cancer research depends on detecting disease earlier, understanding how tumors evolve over time and identifying which patients are most likely to respond to specific therapies.

At JAX, scientists are combining genomics, epigenetics, aging biology, AI-driven analysis and translational disease modeling to build a more precise understanding of how breast cancer develops and spreads. As breast cancer research moves toward more personalized and predictive approaches, JAX researchers are working to uncover the molecular mechanisms that drive aggressive disease and translate those discoveries into better diagnostics and treatments for patients.

Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers worldwide and the most commonly diagnosed cancer among women.

08/17/2026

A meaningful recognition for the JAX Rare Disease Translational Center: the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM Group) highlights our recent research showing how base editing can correct disease-causing mutations in PEX1, a gene associated with Zellweger spectrum disorder, an extremely rare and life-threatening disorder.

Authored by Rebecca Ahrens-Nicklas, one of the physicians who treated Baby KJ Muldoon with the world’s first personalized gene-editing therapy in 2025, the article connects JAX's research using mouse models and human cells to the broader potential of gene editing for rare disease. Read more on the JAX research: https://www.jax.org/news-and-insights/2026/april/in-mice-gene-editing-repairs-a-mutation-that-causes-rare-liver-disorder

This is a powerful example of JAX’s approach to translational science: building precise disease models, advancing gene-editing technologies and generating insights that can help move genetic therapies toward patients.

We’re proud to see this work recognized by NEJM and excited about what it represents for the future of rare disease treatment. https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMcibr2606991

This article describes gene editing in a mouse model of a peroxisomal disorder, as well as the broader landscape, including regulation, of the treatment of rare genetic disease through gene editing.

08/17/2026

The immune system influences nearly every aspect of human health, from resistance to infection and cancer to healthy aging and tissue repair. Yet immune responses vary dramatically from one person to another, shaped by genetics, environment, diet, metabolism, age, and prior immune experience.

At The Jackson Laboratory, researchers are developing a systems-level understanding of immunity by integrating immunology with genomics, computational biology, and advanced mouse and cellular models. JAX scientists investigate the molecular and cellular mechanisms that shape immune resilience and immune dysfunction, enabling the discovery of biomarkers, therapeutic targets, and precision medicine strategies for cancer, infectious diseases, autoimmune disorders, and age-related immune decline.

Decoding the human immune system to predict health, disease, and therapeutic response.

08/14/2026

What genetic and epigenetic programs guide a stem cell to choose its fate—and can we rewrite those instructions? How do tissues know when to grow, when to stop, and how to organize themselves in space? And when disease or injury disrupts those systems, how can we restore them?

At JAX, we tackle these questions across developmental biology, stem cell biology, reproductive biology, and regenerative medicine. Our researchers study how cells maintain pluripotency and commit to specific lineages, explore stem cell populations in healthy and diseased tissues, and investigate how germ cells develop and how tissues repair themselves.

By studying how cells are born, integrate, and regenerate, JAX researchers are uncovering the foundations of human health.