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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 23 M A R C H 2 2 , 2 0 2 1 en, we populated the labs with volunteers from our scientific staff who worked 24/7 to set up the system. e major problem was not the physi- cal testing, which is indeed challeng- ing, but something we know how to do. More challenging was connecting with the IT systems of the various hospitals that had to transfer their samples to us. e medical informa- tion systems across the country are not well integrated. We would not have been able to respond to this were it not for the unique talents across the laboratory. It's because of them that we were able to mount this effort. MB: JAX received $108 million in grants in 2020. Is that the most the lab has ever received in a single year? EL: Yes. ere are institutions that receive more, but they are 100 times bigger than we are. We have only 70 principal investigators. Yale has single departments that are bigger than our entire research leadership. But if you look at our total research productivity, we are among the most accomplished intuitions in the United States and certainly bring in the majority of NIH grants in Maine. MB: What's on the horizon? EL: We are committed to what we call a digital future. We start out with genetics. Put that on steroids and it becomes genomics. Now it's all about data science, which seeks to make sense of the complex data coming using powerful computational algo- rithms out of the genetics and genom- ics we do. So, our next push will be to engage in artificial intelligence and data science in the interpretation of complex biological data so we can craft predictive biological systems, so that we can project the course of human disease. Also, by knowing how those systems function in the context of disease, we can craft precise treatments for each individual. MB: Has this been a stressful year for you? EL: It's a challenge, but we have great colleagues who work well together. ey are my support system and my inspiration. On a personal level, this is my fourth leadership and third major leadership position. So, none of what we have experienced surprises me. I was trained as a physician and as an oncolo- gist, where every day has its stresses because you're dealing with a life-threat- ening disorder. You learn to cope and hopefully maintain your humanity along the way. Living in Maine has a way of soothing the soul. So, when the calming effect of living in Downeast Maine is added to a loving family and fantastic colleagues, I am doing just fine. Laurie Schreiber, Mainebiz senior writer, can be reached at lschreiber @ mainebiz.biz Take your virtual events to the next level! Headlight AV starts with your vision and takes care of all the details to meet your specific needs, objectives, and budget considerations. HeadlightAV.com / 207.775.1671 livestream [live•stream / verb] To stream (a live or virtual event) over the internet. Do your employees take pride in what you do? Find out. F O R I N F O R M AT I O N A N D TO A P P LY G O TO B E S T P L AC E S TO W O R K M E. C O M Premier Sponsor: A N E M P L O Y E E E N G A G E M E N T P R O G R A M D E A D L I N E: M AY 28 Brought to you by: P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y O F JA C K S O N L A BO R AT O R Y In 10 years, Liu grew JAX from 1,300 to 2,400 employees; 860,000 to 1.5 million square feet; 5,000 to 12,000 mouse strains; and $65 million to $108 million in grants. He's seen here with one of the lab's postdoctoral associates.

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