The 25th Celebration of Maine INBRE.
The Maine INBRE: Shaping Maine’s “Scientific Identity” for 25 Years
Scientists, academic leaders and students from all corners of Maine converged on campus to celebrate the pioneering achievements of the Maine IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence.
“This is a moment of both gratitude and momentum — 25 years of a federal partnership that quietly changed what’s possible in Maine science,” said MDI Bio Lab President Hermann Haller, M.D.
President Hermann Haller, M.D., speaking at the 2026 Annual Meeting.
MDI Bio Lab Forges Ahead
Despite the political climate and uncertainty about long-term federal funding, the MDI Biological Laboratory is “navigating the change and building resiliency,” said Vice President for External Affairs Jeri Bowers at the Annual Meeting of the Corporation.
Jennifer Benz, Ph.D.
Leading Research and Media Communicator Joins Board of Trustees
MDI Biological Laboratory has appointed Jennifer K. Benz to its Board of Trustees, adding a nationally recognized voice in science communication and public affairs research to the institution’s governance.
2026 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellows at their culminating Student Symposium.
SURF Student Spotlights
Every summer, students from across Maine and beyond join us at MDI Biological Laboratory to explore the world of scientific research. Working alongside our scientists and educators, these emerging researchers gain hands-on experience, build new skills and discover what it means to pursue a career in science. In this series of student spotlights, get to know some of the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellows who spent their summer learning, exploring and making their mark at MDI Bio Lab.
Teagan Rupp, Shcherbata Lab
Joyce Quiñones-Fernandez, Spaulding Lab
Kirin Guay, Updike Lab
Anna Yegorova, Murawala Lab
In addition, we sat down with Hannah Lust, Ph.D., MDI Bio Lab’s Director of STEM, Undergraduate & Graduate Training to talk about the SURF program, this year’s students and the kind of experiences that create such a transformative summer.
Publications
Lessons from the Axolotl: De Novo Nephron Formation after Nephrectomy
Journal of the American Society of Nephrology
Omar Maged and Prayag Murawala
A single non-coding RNA locus produces small and long regulatory RNAs with distinct biological functions
Genetics
Travis Carney and Halyna Shcherbata
Nonhistone Post-translational Modifications as Integrative Signaling Networks in Podocyte Injury and Glomerular Disease
Journal of the American Society of Nephrology
Yannic Becker, Patricia Schroder, Hermann Haller and Guibao Ke
August 17 MDI Science Cafe: Environmental Stressors & Kidney Health.
In Case You Missed It
+ Nishad Jayasundara, Ph.D., a Maine INBRE graduate and former Visiting Scientist, explored his research at a recent Science Cafe on how exposure to environmental toxins can have synergistic effects that disrupt kidney development and may contribute to Chronic Kidney Disease of unknown etiology (CKDu).
+ The Bar Harbor Story provided a colorful account of the recent celebration of the Maine INBRE. WABI Channel 5 was there too.
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