Regeneration
Laboratory Receives Funds for Research on Peripheral Neuropathy
The MDI Biological Laboratory has received a grant of $456,500 over two years from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke for the study of peripheral neuropathy. The grant will support research conducted by assistant professor Sandra Rieger, Ph.D., on chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy, a disabling condition causing pain, numbness, tingling and temperature sensitivity in...
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Unlocking the Secret to Growing New Limbs
MDI Biological Laboratory scientists Benjamin L. King, Ph.D., and Voot P. Yin, Ph.D., have identified genetic regulators governing regeneration that are common across species. Many lower organisms retain the miraculous ability to regenerate the form and function of almost any body part after injury. Humans share many of our genes with these organisms, but our...
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Groundbreaking Ceremony for New Training Laboratory
The MDI Biological Laboratory recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for a new 6,560-square-foot training laboratory that will double the laboratory’s capacity to provide hands-on training for students and teachers in biomedical research each year. About 115 elected officials, community leaders, trustees, students and staff attended the ceremony, which was followed by a ceremonial signing of...
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Limb and Organ Regeneration Featured on “Maine Calling,” MPBN’s Popular Radio Call-In Program
Though it sounds like science fiction, limb regeneration in humans is within the realm of possibility. The study of limb regeneration can also lead to advances in wound healing and in the development of highly sophisticated prosthetic devices that are much more sensitive and effective than those that are currently in use. MDI Biological Laboratory...
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MDI Biological Laboratory to Host Opening Reception for 2016 Art Meets Science Exhibit: Fifth Annual Exhibit Celebrates ‘Artists, Naturalists and the Vision for Acadia’
The MDI Biological Laboratory will launch the largest and most wide-ranging show in the five-year history of its annual Art Meets Science exhibit with an opening reception on Thursday, July 7. Encompassing the work of 45 artists and a timespan of more than 100 years, the quality of the work and the range of media...
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MDI Biological Laboratory Featured on ‘Maine Calling,’ MPBN’s Popular Radio Call-In Show
What treatments can extend life? How solid is the evidence that they slow aging? How soon will we know about their impact on human health? What would be the social and environmental impacts if people routinely lived 25 percent longer than they do now? These and other tantalizing questions about aging were the subject of...
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Is Aging Inevitable? Not Necessarily for Sea Urchins: Study Shows That Sea Urchins Defy Aging, Regardless of Lifespan
Sea urchins are remarkable organisms. They can quickly regrow damaged spines and feet. Some species also live to extraordinary old ages and — even more remarkably — do so with no signs of poor health, such as a decline in regenerative capacity or an increase in age-related mortality. These ocean Methuselahs even reproduce as if...
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Construction Underway on New Training Laboratory: 6,500-Square-Foot Facility Will More Than Triple Training Space
Construction is underway on a new 6,560-square-foot training laboratory building that will more than triple the MDI Biological Laboratory’s dedicated training space. The expansion of the training infrastructure will allow for an increase from 350 to 500 in the number of students and teachers receiving hands-on training in biomedical research annually. The new building is...
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Video Released in Observance of National Parkinson’s Awareness Week
In celebration of Parkinson’s Awareness last month, we launched a video celebrating two unique champions for research: Michael Westphal, a former competitive runner who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s at age 49, and Aric Rogers, Ph.D., a scientist at the MDI Biological Laboratory who was motivated to study neurodegenerative diseases by a family history of Huntington’s...
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