COPY OF Events

Read our May 2022 newsletter here!

As the Maine IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (ME-INBRE) enters its 22nd year (and the fourth of the current five-year funding cycle) it is exciting to reflect on what we’ve accomplished and how we are positioned to further augment and expand biomedical research excellence in Maine. This National Institutes of Health (NIGMS) funded Institutional Development Award (IDeA) program began in 2001 …

The Maine INBRE in its 22nd Year – Looking Back and Ahead

The INBRE Summer Undergraduate Fellowship Program selected 17 fellows to receive mentored research fellowships for 2022.  In addition to mentored lab research, the students will participate in bioinformatics workshops, translational medicine lectures, a Communicating Science course, as well as responsible conduct of research training.

Congratulations to the awardees and their mentors:

There’s a good chance that by now, many of you have heard of “cloud computing.”  You might have even read the recent news about the project carried out by the Maine INBRE Bioinformatics Core under the auspices of the NIH Science and Technology Research Infrastructure for Discovery, Experimentation, and Sustainability (STRIDES) Initiative.

So what is cloud computing?  In an uncharacteristic burst of brevity (for me), I’m going to give you the answer quickly, and then you can keep reading if you want more details …

Cloud Computing 101

Over the last few years, the MDI Biological Laboratory has heavily invested in the LMF, primarily with the with support of the Maine IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) grant. The LMF is responsible for the seven microscopes on campus at MDIBL. Fundamentally necessary to aid modern scientific research, the imaging needs of faculty can range from whole organism to samples that are only nanometers (nm) in size (a nanometer is one billionth of a meter) …

Take a Closer Look: Microscopy at MDIBL

This program provides small grant awards to researchers from institutions engaged in biomedical research and research training within Maine. Faculty from Maine IDeA institutions (those with INBRE or COBRE programs); independent, non-profit research institutions; or public and private undergraduate institutions are eligible to apply for funding. Note: Scientists who are directly funded by a COBRE grant may not receive funding under this program. These awards, which provide up to $5,000, can be used to support biomedical research using any Core facility in a northeast IDeA state (Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Delaware) or other IDeA states, if services cannot be found locally.

Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA)

The Maine IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (Maine INBRE) invites applications for funding to support the use of research core services at the the University of Maine, Maine Medical Center Research Institute, MDI Biological Laboratory, The Jackson Laboratory, and The University of New England, as well as core services from other IDeA institutions in the region.

View Maine Cores and contact information

Other IDeA institution Core services are also eligible to be used with this funding.

The purpose of this initiative is to provide faculty members at Maine institutions an opportunity to advance their biomedical research projects and participate in the NIH-supported IDeA program.

Eligibility: Researchers from Maine IDeA institutions (those with INBRE or COBRE programs); independent, non-profit research institutions; or public and private undergraduate institutions that are engaged in biomedical research and research training within Maine are eligible to apply for funding. Note: Scientists who are directly funded by a COBRE grant may not receive funding under this program.

Applicants are required to formally submit these documents:

1. NIH-style biosketch, including other support (see instructions and form page).
2.  Application Form,  which includes:
   1. Intended core to be used
   2. Detailed budget
   3. Project proposal for core usage, pre-approved by director of the core to be used
   4. Plans for publication(s) or intended grant submission(s)
   5. Time frame in which the project will be completed.

By receiving the award you agree to acknowledge INBRE support on all publications and presentations resulting from this funding and abide by NIH Public Access Policy.

NIH Guidelines: All publications or presentations that result from Maine INBRE-supported research are required to acknowledge the NIH, NIGMS, and the IDeA program. In addition, publications and presentations made possible by INBRE, even though the research may be funded by other mechanisms, must acknowledge NIH, NIGMS, and IDeA. Those who use INBRE funded research cores and resources (e.g., equipment and/or facilities), or whose research team includes INBRE funded personnel, are also expected to acknowledge the grant support.

Please acknowledge this support using this language:

Research reported in this publication (or presentation) was supported by an Institutional Development Award (IDeA) from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under grant number P20GM103423.

Funding will be awarded on a rolling basis and is based on the scientific merit and relevance of the proposal to biomedical research, the need for the core service, and the availability of funding. Applications will be pre-approved by the core director of the core intended to be used and final approval will be given by the Maine INBRE Research Resources Core.

Applicants will be notified within 5–10 business days after submission of the pre-approved proposal.

Note: Funding awarded through this program must be expended during the fiscal year in which is it awarded (May 1-April 30). Funds not expended by that date will be forfeited to the INBRE Research Training & Resources Core. Carryover is not permitted.

Questions? Please contact the Program Coordinator Dustin Updike, Ph.D.

Application Deadline: June 1, 2022

Maine Microscopy: Foundations and Fundamentals

Over 170 students, postdoctoral fellows, and scientists are registered to attend what is believed to be the oldest and largest gathering of life science practitioners in the state. The event features scientists from the MDI Biological Laboratory, The Jackson Laboratory, The Roux Institute, IDEXX and Maine’s academic institutions.

The 49th annual Maine Biological and Medical Sciences Symposium (MBMSS) is a state-wide gathering of scientists and students—an opportunity to share research results, exchange ideas, promote collaboration, and network with Maine scientists in a variety of disciplines. This year’s event will take place April 22-23. The Keynote Speaker is Connie Cepko, Ph.D., Bullard Professor of Genetics and Neuroscience at Harvard Medical School and Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator.

Registrations close March 25, 2022.

The year got underway with the University of Maine Honor’s College course “Molecular Mechanisms of Human Disease,” which featured faculty from the University of Maine, Dartmouth College, and MDI Biological Laboratory. Soon after, we welcomed students from Southern Maine Community College for their course, “Stem Cells and Regeneration in Planarians.” Jason Pellettieri from Keene State College (New Hampshire INBRE) was the lead faculty member for this cohort and was supported by staff from SMCC and the MDI Biological Laboratory …

Courses Already in Full Swing for 2022

 Dr. Ben King (University of Maine), Co-Director of the INBRE Bioinformatics Core, shares his research with Dr. Jon Lorsch, director of the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)

The NIH, through its STRIDES program, has engaged the Maine INBRE Bioinformatics Core to collaborate in a pilot project with an ultimate goal of developing a method and platform to share computational tools and processes with other scientists using Google Cloud resources. Core co-directors, Drs. Benjamin King (University of Maine and Joel Graber (MDI Biological Laboratory), are exploring ways Maine can leverage cloud computing to overcome barriers to accessing large amounts of data seamlessly. If successful, the hope is to replicate it in other INBREs in states across the country. The pilot is implementing an RNA-seq analysis pipeline in the Cloud platform using data produced by the lab of INBRE project leader Dr. Sally Molloy.

Read article in the Bangor Daily News