Collins, King Announce Nearly $1 Million in Medical Science Funding for The Jackson Lab and RockStep Solutions

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King announced today that the National Institute of General Medical Sciences is awarding a total of $964,714 to The Jackson Laboratory of Bar Harbor and RockStep Solutions of Portland. The Jackson Laboratory will receive $214,651 to support an education project titled, “Curriculum Development and Training for Systems Genetics.” RockStep Solutions will receive $750,063 to support a research project titled, “Novel Use of Emergent Technologies to Improve Efficiency of Animal Model Research.”

“This is an exciting time for Maine’s research community,” said Senators Collins and King in a joint statement. “The Jackson Lab has a proud history of innovative research, and RockStep Solutions is quickly becoming an important part of that forward-thinking tradition. This funding will allow JAX and RockStep to continue to innovate as they expand education and training efforts, and explore new software approaches that can open new doors in laboratories across the country.”

The Jackson Laboratory is an independent, nonprofit biomedical research institution dedicated to improving the future of health care. RockStep Solutions is a software engineering company that specializes in software solutions for laboratory research. The team of engineers and researchers that founded RockStep are formerly of The Jackson Lab.

The National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The NIGMS supports research to increase the understanding of biological processes, laying groundwork for potential advances the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disease.

Both Senators Collins and King are members of the Senate NIH Caucus.