The Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory

The Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory, a tax-exempt nonprofit research organization based in Bar Harbor, Maine, operates as a prime recipient of federal research grants focused on comparative regenerative biology, developmental biology, and environmental health science. The laboratory does not hold federal contracts; its federal footprint consists entirely of research grants and sub-awards under larger institutional prime grants, with 89% of recent awards held as prime recipient and 11% as sub-recipient.

The Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory's research portfolio centers on fundamental mechanisms of tissue regeneration and aging across comparative animal model systems, with heavy emphasis on zebrafish, axolotls, C. elegans, and other organisms. Recent prime grants include a $464,952 NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site award (CFDA 47.074, Division of Biological Infrastructure) supporting ten undergraduate students annually through 2028 in mentored research on regeneration and aging across diverse animal models, with integrated training in bioinformatics, advanced microscopy, and science communication; a $422,500 NIGMS Biomedical Research and Research Training grant (CFDA 93.859, National Institute of General Medical Sciences) investigating molecular mechanisms of limb and tail regeneration in axolotls as a foundation for human scarless tissue regeneration; a $464,750 NIGMS grant exploring tissue-specific mechanisms of nucleolin organization in C. elegans using CRISPR/Cas9 and super-resolution microscopy; and a $432,543 NIGMS grant funding the Emerging Leaders in Regenerative Biology and Development (REBILD) training program targeting graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and early-career scientists through intensive ten-day research courses and networking symposiums. Congressional spending grants funded facility infrastructure development for the laboratory's drug-discovery initiative, MDI Bioscience, awarded September 2024 and September 2023, supporting construction and modernization of research facilities.

Customer concentration sits with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Science Foundation. The National Institute of General Medical Sciences leads with 17 awards, the broader NIH system accounts for 18 awards, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences holds 6 awards (including studies on arsenic exposure and psychiatric risk, and viral immunoregulation), NSF accounts for 6 awards, and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases holds 4 awards. These five customer clusters cover 68% of recent award count. Sub-award work routes through the University of Maine System, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and Tufts College, with the laboratory providing computational genomics, transcriptomics analysis, and experimental research services supporting muscle aging and regeneration studies.

Activity has remained modest in recent years—two awards in 2022, seven in 2023, five in 2024, three in 2025, and four in 2026 year-to-date—but the laboratory's grant portfolio reflects deep specialization in regenerative biology research and graduate workforce development. Five awards reach ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months, representing recompete opportunity in those areas. The laboratory's federal mission aligns with NIH and NSF priorities in biotechnology, comparative regenerative and aging biology, environmental health, and STEM workforce development, particularly broadening participation through recruitment from primarily undergraduate institutions and underrepresented populations.