The collaboration integrates JAX’s expertise in genetics, disease biology and stem cell research with GSK’s in neurodegeneration and drug discovery. The goal is to help close a gap between scientific discovery and the development of new medicines.
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Bar Harbor-based Jackson Laboratory and its recently acquired stem cell nonprofit said a five-year research collaboration with pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline could advance “human cell-based translational models” for Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative conditions
“Human cell-based translational models” use cells from the human body to develop therapies.
Jackson Lab is a biomedical research institution with nearly 3,000 employees at its facilities in Maine, Connecticut, New York, California, Florida and Japan.
The lab completed its acquisition of the New York Stem Cell Foundation late last year.
GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE: GSK) has its global headquarters in London and U.S headquarters in Philadelphia. The company had 2025 sales of $44 billion, driven by specialty medicines, according to the firm.
Complex diseases
The collaboration brings together JAX’s expertise in genetics, disease biology and stem cell research with GSK’s in neurodegeneration and drug discovery. The goal is to help close a gap between scientific discovery and the development of new medicines.
Disease-relevant cellular models can enable the scientific community to study the underlying human biology of neurodegenerative conditions and accelerate the translation of those insights into potential therapies.
“This collaboration is a concrete example of where early-stage biomedical research is heading,” said Lon Cardon, Jackson Lab's president and CEO.
Certain types of models developed from a patient’s stem cells can more accurately capture the complexity of human biology at scale and accelerate therapies, Cardon said.
The partnership integrates GSK’s knowledge of neurodegeneration, translational science and drug discovery with JAX-NYSCF’s stem cell technology, access to relevant patient cohorts and automation platform.
The potential to build more predictive models of neurodegenerative diseases can help identify promising drug candidates.
“By working together with JAX-NYSCF, we have an opportunity to develop more predictive models and ultimately, to use that better understanding to develop potential new medicines and determine which patients are most likely to benefit from new therapies,” said Chris Austin, GSK’s senior vice president and global head of research technologies.