MDI Biological Laboratory

MDI Biological Laboratory

@mdibl.org

An independent, non-profit biomedical research institution in Salisbury Cove, Maine, improving human health through research, education, and ventures that transform discoveries into cures: mdibl.org

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MDI Biological Laboratory
@mdibl.org

What can a fish teach us about #aging? Justin Kenney, Ph.D., of Wayne State University, visited MDI Bio Lab to learn about African turquoise #killifish, which live six months or less. He hopes to use them to study how compounds affect healthspan and #lifespan. 🧪

mdibl.orgA New Community: Learning Killifish Husbandry on MDI - MDI Biological LaboratoryJustin Kenney, Ph.D., works with zebrafish in his research program at Wayne State University in Detroit. His focus has been using zebrafish to study the biological mechanisms that underlie individual differences in behavior, specifically risk taking. He and his lab also develop innovative tools and methods to improve zebrafish research, including creating AZBA, the first...
MDI Biological Laboratory
@mdibl.org

#SURF2027 Applications open in one week! Our Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships engage students in scientific explorations in aging and regenerative biology, offering skills necessary for successful careers in the biological sciences. 🍎 #AcademicSky https://ow.ly/tip85100yyQ

MDI Biological Laboratory
@mdibl.org

Congratulations to Liz Marnik, recipient of the Maine Discovery Maine Science Award for Advancing Trust in Science! Dr. Marnik helps people understand how science works and why it matters. We’re proud to see her recognized for making science more accessible, engaging and trustworthy. Well done!

MDI Biological Laboratory
@mdibl.org

For Anindita Neog, the question is personal. Her father lives with #diabeticretinopathy. Her research at MDI Bio Lab uncovered something unexpected: #zebrafish can produce insulin in their eye tissue, a discovery that could offer clues about how the eye repairs itself. 🧪 https://ow.ly/G78W50ZY1WL

MDI Biological Laboratory
@mdibl.org

#AI is transforming how we study the building blocks of life. At MDI Bio Lab, Dustin Updike uses #AlphaFold to predict protein structures, and is working with a #Maine high school teacher through a program with Maine Mathematics & Science Alliance to bring this powerful tool into the classroom.

mdibl.orgAlphaFold AI Program Reshapes Research - MDI Biological LaboratoryProteins are the working machinery of every cell, and their shape largely determines what they do. But for decades, learning the shape of a single protein was a major, even onerous undertaking. Scientists typically coaxed cells to make large quantities of a particular protein, purified it, and then induced the formation of a crystal of...
MDI Biological Laboratory
@mdibl.org

Fruit flies, axolotls and tiny worms! 🔬 Bates College students visited MDI Bio Lab this week to explore research in regeneration, data science and environmental health—and connect with scientists who can help guide their future in science. #maineinbre #AcademicSky 🍎 📸 Jane Disney

MDI Biological Laboratory
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Congratulations to grad student Damián García-García on winning 2nd prize in the best poster category at the 7th Biennial Salamander Meeting 2026! 📸 Sonia Olguín García and Keninseb García Rojo / Press and Communications Department, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, UNAM

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Anecdata.org
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We're rolling out a new feature on Anecdata: Badges! Badges are achievements project participants can earn when they reach certain milestones- 25 observations, 10,000 pieces of debris, when they submit observations in all habitat types in your project. www.anecdata.org/pages/badges

MDI Biological Laboratory
@mdibl.org

MDI Bio Lab scientists Halyna Shcherbata, Ph.D., and Travis Carney, Ph.D., uncovered a new mechanism of gene regulation in fruit flies: a single DNA sequence can produce two different RNA molecules with distinct effects—including one that helps suppress tumors. 🧬 🧪 🪰

mdibl.orgDouble Duty: A Shared DNA Sequence's Unexpected Role in Gene Expression - MDI Biological LaboratoryScientists at MDI Biological Laboratory and Hannover Medical School have found that a single stretch of DNA in the fruit fly genome does something unexpected: it can produce two entirely different molecules with two entirely different jobs. One molecule acts as a tumor suppressor, a role nobody had documented for it before. An overabundance of...
MDI Biological Laboratory
@mdibl.org

Will we see you at the 2026 BioME Annual Conference on Oct 14? BioME Annual Conferences are a great opportunity to learn about the life sciences industry in Maine, and connect with industry professionals, academia, research institutions and government. https://ow.ly/mHhI50ZTZnR

MDI Biological Laboratory
@mdibl.org

It’s DAF Day! 💙 Donor Advised Funds make giving easy — and they’re not just for the wealthy. 💡 69% of DAF gifts are under $1,000! A DAF lets you plan your charitable giving, get tax benefits and support the causes you care about most — like MDI Bio Lab. https://ow.ly/5LSe50ZVYQt

MDI Biological Laboratory
@mdibl.org

In 2013, he came to MDI Bio Lab as a Summer Student Fellow, a recent high school graduate from rural Maine who was still figuring out what a life in science could look like. Donald J. Brooks shares why he wants other young scientists to have the same opportunity. 🔬🍎

mdibl.orgPaying Forward an Opportunity - MDI Biological LaboratorySURF alum Donald J. Brooks says his experience at MDI Bio Lab helped launch his career in science. Now, as a monthly donor, he is paying that opportunity forward so other students can discover the same possibilities.
MDI Biological Laboratory
@mdibl.org

The 2026 ATK Conference brought together researchers, students, speakers and guests from around the world for three days of discovery, collaboration and conversation around the African turquoise killifish. Thank you to everyone who contributed to making this year’s conference such a memorable one!

MDI Biological Laboratory
@mdibl.org

As another week wraps up, our researchers are putting experimental techniques into practice and exploring new ideas. A reminder that while seasons are changing along the coast of Maine, the curiosity, questions and new ideas are still bubbling away here at MDI Bio Lab! 🫧

MDI Biological Laboratory
@mdibl.org

Last week’s Foundations and Applications of Human #PSCs course brought together an enthusiastic group of scientists for several days of hands-on learning, discussion, and exploration of human pluripotent stem cell research and the Maine coastline. Thank you to everyone who joined us!

MDI Biological Laboratory reposted

Anecdata.org
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Your daily Anecdata patches are being written from the most remote island in Maine, Monhegan Island!

MDI Biological Laboratory
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One of the small joys of being at MDI Biological Laboratory: there’s always something new to see, even when you’re looking at the same place. ☀️

MDI Biological Laboratory
@mdibl.org

Sonia Sandhi, Ph.D., earned her doctorate through MDI Bio Lab’s graduate fellowship program, which has more than doubled in size in just three years. Learn more about Sonia’s journey into science in our Q&A. 🍎🧪👩‍🔬

mdibl.orgSonia Sandhi’s Journey to a Ph.D. in Aging ResearchMDI Bio Lab’s graduate training program has more than doubled its ranks in three years. Just since last year, five fellows earned their doctorates while embedded in MDI Bio Lab’s research groups. Among them, Sonia Sandhi, Ph.D. We caught up with her just before she presented her research on sex differences on muscle aging to the annual Meeting of the Corporation. She spoke about her remarkable journey from modest circumstances in her native India to the highest levels of academic achievement, with the Ph.D. from Hannover Medical School and now, a appointment as Research Fellow to the...
MDI Biological Laboratory
@mdibl.org

MDI Bio Lab's Murawala Lab at MDI Bio Lab with Damián García-García are investigating how #axolotls naturally regrow dopaminergic #neurons—the same cells lost in #Parkinson’s disease. Their work has received a $200,000 The Parkinson's Foundation Impact Award. 🧪🧠

mdibl.orgParkinson’s Foundation Backs MDI Bio Lab’s Brain Cell Regeneration ProjectThe MDI Biological Laboratory (MDI Bio Lab) has received a $200,000 Impact Award from the Parkinson's Foundation to investigate how the axolotl naturally regrows dopaminergic neurons in the brain — the same cells whose progressive loss drives the motor-control challenges that accompany Parkinson's disease.
MDI Biological Laboratory
@mdibl.org

What a terrific visual example of why the #zebrafish is such an important model when we study aging and regeneration!

Zebrafish Rock! 🎃@zebrafishrock.bsky.social

Adult #zebrafish fully regenerates a damaged tail after 14 days. Credit to Dr. Yoonsung Lee at Kyung Hee University. #ZebrafishZunday

MDI Biological Laboratory
@mdibl.org

Friday vibes, #Celegans style. 🪱 We’re not saying our scientists have a favorite model organism… but someone on campus decided to share their love of nematodes with the world. 🧪🔬 Science meets art at MDI Bio Lab. We approve.

MDI Biological Laboratory reposted

Anecdata.org
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Today we've pushed out an update that resolves an issue with data analysis. To summarize, querying a multi-row datasheet where "Debris Type" was equal to "Cigarettes" would have matched all *observations* where Debris Type = Cigarettes, instead of matching all datasheet rows that matched.

MDI Biological Laboratory
@mdibl.org

A love of science. A lifelong love story. And now, a $1 million investment in the next generation of scientists. Discover the story of Jonathan Epstein, M.D., and Margaret Myers, M.D., and their connection to MDI Bio Lab. #endowment #philanthropy

mdibl.orgA Love Story, Twice ToldFor more than a century, scientists have gathered at the MDI Biological Laboratory to learn from the diversity of life in order to better define our connection to the natural world, and apply this knowledge to human health. Our supporters are an integral part of our community, and there are many way…
MDI Biological Laboratory
@mdibl.org

A 2-week spring break course at MDI Bio Lab helped launch Nishad Jayasundara’s career in science. Today, his research on pollution, climate change and human health is bringing him back to MDI Bio Lab—and its #zebrafish expertise. #MaineINBRE 🧪🌎 🔬

mdibl.orgHow a Spring Break Course at MDI Bio Lab Launched a CareerAs one of the first undergraduates to be supported by the Maine IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE), Nishad Jayasundara, Ph.D., was introduced to comparative biology at MDI Bio Lab 25 years ago. Now, aided by MDI Bio Lab’s expertise with zebrafish, his research is raising alarms about water pollution, climate change and chronic kidney disease.