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55 B U S I N E S S P RO F I L E S S P O N S O R E D C O N T E N T B U S I N E S S P R O F I L E human cells, and we were one of the first in the U.S. to develop training workshops for their development which are attended by researchers from Maine and around the world. Creating Advanced Tools to Improve Human Health "Right now, chronic kidney disease affects a very large part of the population, 30 million people, and there's no way to reverse or cure it," said Cory Johnson, Ph.D. (no relation to Gabriela), a graduate of the University of Maine's biomedical science program who is doing post-doctoral research with organoids at MDI Bio Lab. "Kidney organoids offer an opportunity for true therapeutic potential," he adds. "If we're able to build a kidney that is fully functional outside the body, then we have no more need for human donors." Experiments by Cory Johnson and others at MDI Bio Lab are addressing a key problem — how to get kidney organoids to grow near and attach to blood vessels for oxygenation and other vascular services. e goal of growing a fully-functioning kidney organoid is years away, they note. In the meantime, our new subsidiary, MDI Bioscience, is working towards shorter-term goals for "trans- lational science" — applying knowledge and tools created by academic researchers to develop real-world therapies and drugs to improve human health. MDI Bioscience is leveraging our work with zebrafish, C. elegans roundworms and computerized modeling to provide drug discovery and screening systems that can be more efficient than mammalian models. It's building out a new facility on campus now, which will be able to run high-throughput screening systems powered by big-data analytics. A Long History of Discovery, Downeast It's a lot of exciting, cutting-edge biomedical advancement happening on our little campus, tucked away in Bar Harbor's Salisbury Cove. In its first century, the nonprofit laboratory operated much like a summer-camp where high-level research biologists and their families could rusticate on Mt. Desert Island, with cottages, lab benches and species-rich Frenchman Bay on hand. Nobel Prize winners, accomplished biologists and doctors from famed research institutes such as Tufts, Harvard, Yale and beyond rubbed shoulders and exchanged ideas within the Lab's informal culture and inspiring natural environment. eir science was rigorous, and they discovered basic biological truths that led to valuable treatments for liver disease, glaucoma and cancer, and made fundamental advances in scientific under- standing of the kidney's complex functions. Around 2000, MDI Bio Lab started hiring full-time, year-round scientific staff. Renovations followed, along with the construction of modern training facilities, laboratories and state-of-the-art scientific infrastructure. Over that period, we've won more than $150 million in federal research awards, making us the third biggest recipient of National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding in the state. at's helped us to grow our number of research groups, develop new training and invest in the game-changing biotech of the era: automated gene-editing systems such as CRISPR, a big-data bioinformatics processing core, and 3D, light-sheet microscopy that is best in its class in the nation — all of it available for research by students and scientists around Maine. MDI Bio Lab's 125 th birthday comes at the dawn of a new era in biomedical discovery, and we are laying groundwork for a new decade of growth — new research groups, expanded train- ing programs for graduate students from around Maine and the world, and continued development of new biotech tools. "Our stunning coastal campus fosters a deep appreciation for the beauty and complexity of nature and nurtures a uniquely inspiring scientific ecosystem," said Haller. "It's a place where some of the best scientific minds of the day find refuge, share ideas, challenge conventional thinking and pursue answers to our most pressing questions about how to improve human health." l MDI Biological Laboratory 159 Old Bar Harbor Rd., Bar Harbor, ME 04609 Sector: Life Sciences President Hermann Haller, M.D. Founded: 1898 Maine employees: 105 www.mdibl.org P H O T O C O U R T E S Y O F M D I B I O L O G I C A L L A B O R A T O R Y P H O T O C O U R T E S Y O F M D I B I O L O G I C A L L A B O R A T O R Y Below: MDI Bio Lab is committed to training the next generation of scientists, medical professionals and entrepreneurs through student fellowships and our year-round courses and conferences. Left; The nervous system of the axolotl salamander, which we study for its extraordinary abilities to regenerate damaged organs, tissues and limbs.

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