The Jackson Laboratory

Nearly 450 experts came together in New York City last week for the inaugural JAX-NYSCF Conference on stem cell science! 🧬

The two-day event at The Rockefeller University celebrated 20 years since the discovery of induced pluripotent stem cells and marked the first conference since The Jackson Laboratory and the New York Stem Cell Foundation joined forces.

Attendees from academia, industry, government, nonprofits, and patient groups heard unpublished research on aging, rare disease, and gene editing, along with keynotes from leaders in the field and a poster session featuring nearly 100 scientists.

Read the full recap and check out the photos from the event: https://www.jax.org/news-and-insights/2026/september/inaugural-jax-nyscf-stem-cell-conference

The human immune system is constantly changing. It learns from infections, responds to vaccines, and adapts throughout life. Yet until now, we lacked a comprehensive map of how the immune system develops from the earliest months of life through centenarians.

A team led by JAX scientists created a new map of immune cells across the human lifespan and found that infants do not simply have an immature immune system; they have a fundamentally different one.

A lifelong journey: Researchers create first single-cell atlas of the human immune system from infancy to age 105 A team led by researchers at The Jackson Laboratory (JAX) creates new map of immune cells from infancy to old age, finding that infants have a fundamentally different immune system from adults.

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.

Cerebral palsy might be a collection of symptoms, not its own disease A JAX-led study of more than 5,000 people is challenging long-held assumptions about cerebral palsy genetics.

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.

JAX and Connecticut State Community College educators advance genomics workforce training with online modules Genomics in Action learning path brings applied science, career exploration, and workforce-ready skills to community college students.

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.

Skin is our most accessible organ. Could it reveal new clues about aging and frailty? How JAX scientists are investigating whether our skin microbiome could serve as a window into the biology of aging and frailty.

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.

The Jackson Laboratory receives $4.6 million ASAP grant to build comprehensive stem cell toolkit for emerging Parkinson’s disease targets 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.

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