The MBL has a long history of breakthroughs in both imaging and the development of new research organisms. MBL’s strategic vision focuses on expanding these initiatives to new levels of excellence for both research and education. The initiatives are complimentary to each other and are the driving areas for research expansion and growth at the MBL.

Imaging Innovation Initiative
imaging header
Credit M. Shribak, E. Ivashkin, K. Gribble

Through its convening power the MBL has fostered advancements in imaging technology that have led to multiple Nobel Prizes and critical breakthroughs in our understanding of biology. The Imaging Innovation Initiative addresses the broadly recognized need to increase the speed of innovation in biological imaging and associated data analysis that is critical to sustaining and increasing the pace of basic, translational, and clinical research.

The Imaging Innovation Initiative allows researchers and students to push the boundaries of microscopy to answer some of the most challenging scientific questions. The collaborative nature of their interactions not only enhances the research but also helps to drive technology innovation.

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New Research Organisms
new research organisms
Credit: Loretta Roberson

By studying experimentally tractable organisms, we can better understand the mechanisms that underlie biological processes, often discovering that evolution has come to multiple solutions to the same problem. A significant amount of interesting biology is not well represented by current major models. Focusing on a few species means we are missing out on the vast biological diversity found in nature, most predominantly in the ocean.

The New Research Organisms initiative will create the next generation of genetically tractable aquatic research organisms, drawing support from the MBL’s unique location, infrastructure, the intellectual capital made available by its convening power, and its unparalleled capacity in educational dissemination.

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