The Jackson Laboratory Cancer Center

The Jackson Laboratory Cancer Center (JAXCC) is an independent, nonprofit biomedical research institution established in 1929 under the then-novel premise that cancer is a genetic disease. JAXCC has been an NCI-Designated Cancer Center since 1983, focusing on deciphering the complex genetics of cancer and designing precision models of the disease.

It is based in Bar Harbor, Maine, with a genomic medicine institute in Farmington, Connecticut; an additional base in New York City (NYSCF); and facilities in Augusta and Ellsworth, Maine; Sacramento, California; and Shanghai, China.

JAXCC's flagship research program, Genetics and Genomics of Aging and Cancer, builds on the center's successful foundation in precision genetics while expanding to include the dimension of aging pathobiology. The research program aims to uncover the genetic, epigenetic, and transcriptional mechanisms underlying aging-related cellular dysfunction, chronic inflammation, and immune dysfunction, and their impacts on cancer and its treatment.

Research at JAXCC

The JAX Cancer Center is an NIH-designated Basic Cancer Center advancing research into the genetic, molecular, and aging-related mechanisms that drive cancer development and treatment resistance. By integrating genomics, computational biology, immunology, and advanced research models, JAX scientists are transforming cancer research discoveries into more precise diagnostics, targeted treatments, and better outcomes for patients and families.

The Jackson Laboratory Cancer Center has supported the basic research of its members and of cancer researchers at large for over 40 years through leadership in genetic models of cancer. These approaches have enabled development of our precision genetics Research Program focused on cancer therapeutic resistance and novel solutions to overcome it.

Select Scientific Initiatives at JAXCC

The pillars of our approach are the integration of mouse and human biology, organismal and cellular models of aging and of cancer, and advanced genomic technologies empowered by intelligent computational systems. The dynamic integration of cross-species data, supported by in silico and laboratory experimentation, enables us to continuously unearth impactful discoveries and refine assumptions to pierce the complexity of cancer.

We have organized our Research Program as three complementary and interrelated Specific Aims. By design, the individual research directions of most JAXCC members span more than one Aim.

Aim 1: Uncover cancer cell-intrinsic mechanisms contributing to tumor progression and treatment resistance and how they are modulated by aging.

Aim 2: Dissect the complexity of the tumor microenvironment and its associations with genetics and aging.

Aim 3: Decipher and modulate aging-associated pathology in the host to prevent tumor progression and treatment resistance.

Impact: By working closely with the JAX Center for Aging Research, which includes the NIA-funded Nathan Shock Center of Excellence in the Basic Biology of Aging and the Interventions Testing Program, we will seek insights into cancer development, metastasis, and treatment resistance in the context of the human life cycle to foster development of age-tailored interventions and generate the next wave of discoveries for potential clinical impact.

* Information on this cancer center profile was provided by The Jackson Laboratory Cancer Center.