Features Archives | Page 2 of 6

Yu Lab Study Finds Sex-Linked Innate Immunity Shapes HIV Reservoirs During Long-Term Therapy

Sep 17, 2025 Features

A new multi-center study led by investigators at the Yu Lab reports that biological sex influences how the body “selects” long-lived HIV reservoir cells during years of effective antiretroviral therapy. The team finds stronger innate immune pressure in females, offering fresh clues for cure-directed strategies. Published in Science Translational Medicine, the study analyzed more than 4,000 […]

Kwon Lab Study Links Gut Immune Cell Metabolism to Barrier Damage in HIV

Sep 11, 2025 Features

A new study led by investigators at the Kwon Lab and collaborators shows how energy use by gut immune cells can weaken the intestinal lining in people living with HIV, even when the virus is controlled by treatment. The work identifies a metabolic switch inside these cells as a promising target to help protect the […]

David Baltimore, Nobel Laureate and Co-Chair of Ragon Scientific Advisory Board, Dies at 87

Sep 8, 2025 Features

The Ragon Institute is deeply saddened by the passing of David Baltimore, PhD, a Nobel laureate in physiology or medicine who served as a co-chair of our Scientific Advisory Board for many years and helped to set the scientific direction of our institutional research. “The passing of David Baltimore, Nobel Laureate, is a seismic loss […]

NPR – Whatever happened to … the race to cure HIV? There’s promising news

Aug 27, 2025 Features

In July 2024, we published a story with the headline: “One of the 7 people cured of HIV tells his story. Can his cure work for others.” This summer, at the International AIDS Society conference, came news of an exciting new development in the the ongoing effort to bring the epidemic to an end. This story is […]

Eric Dang Joins Ragon Faculty

Aug 21, 2025 Features

We are excited to announce that Eric Dang, PhD, will be joining the Ragon Institute as a new faculty member, where he will lead the Dang Lab. Eric will serve as a Core Member of the Ragon Institute and will be proposed for an appointment as an Assistant Professor of Immunology at Harvard Medical School. Dang received his […]

Ragon Institute Welcomes Computational Biologist Eric Sun to Faculty

Jul 31, 2025 Features

The Ragon Institute is pleased to announce that Eric Sun, PhD, will join the institute’s faculty and establish the Sun Lab, dedicated to advancing computational science and deepening our understanding of the biology of aging. Sun will hold dual appointments as a Member of the Ragon Institute and an Assistant Professor in MIT’s Department of […]

Ndhlovu Lab Study Highlights Crucial Genetic Diversity for Effective Vaccine Development in Africa

Jul 23, 2025 Features

A recent study from the Ndhlovu Lab at the Ragon Institute has uncovered significant gaps in global vaccine strategies, revealing that immune system gene diversity in African populations has been widely overlooked in current vaccine design approaches. The study, published in Scientific Reports, investigated high-resolution data on Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) genes in populations from […]

“There’s Still So Much to Be Done” – An Interview with Visiting PhD student Lucia Baquero

Jul 11, 2025 Features

Baquero discusses her HIV research, her time at the Ragon Institute, and the importance of preserving scientific and public health progress in Argentina. Lucia Baquero is a visiting doctoral candidate from Buenos Aires, Argentina, currently conducting research at the Ragon Institute as part of her doctoral work. She’s part of a longstanding collaboration between her […]

Wong Lab Postdoc Awarded Jane Coffin Childs Fellowship

Jun 24, 2025 Awards

Tomer Milo, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow in the Wong Lab at the Ragon Institute of Mass General Brigham, MIT, and Harvard, has received the esteemed Jane Coffin Childs Fellowship. The fellowship supports promising early-career scientists conducting innovative biomedical research. Milo, who completed his doctoral work at the Weizmann Institute of Science, is recognized for his […]

Building Computational Infrastructure for Immunology Research: A New Initiative at the Ragon Institute

Jun 11, 2025 Features

In 2022, the Mark and Lisa Schwartz AI/ML Initiative was launched at the Ragon Institute to explore the boundaries of artificial intelligence and machine learning within the context of immunology. Its first major project was the development of the MUNIS epitope predictor by the Gaiha Lab in collaboration with MIT. Now, Ragon faculty member Sophia […]

Alter Lab Study Uncovers How Certain Antibodies Help Fight Tuberculosis

May 30, 2025 Features

Researchers at the Ragon Institute have made a significant discovery about how antibodies can directly enhance the body’s ability to fight Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), the bacteria responsible for tuberculosis (TB). Despite decades of research, TB remains one of the deadliest infectious diseases worldwide, with about 10 million new cases and 1.6 million deaths annually. Currently, […]

Gaiha Honored with 2025 HST Seidman Prize for MD Research Mentorship

May 16, 2025 Awards

The Ragon Institute is proud to announce that Gaurav Gaiha, MD, DPhil, has been awarded the prestigious HST Seidman Prize for MD Research Mentorship. Presented annually by the Harvard-MIT Health Sciences and Technology (HST) program, this award recognizes a faculty member for their outstanding research mentorship of an HST MD student. Established in 2009 by […]

MIT News — A new computational framework illuminates the hidden ecology of diseased tissues

May 6, 2025 Features

To understand what drives disease progression in tissues, scientists need more than just a snapshot of cells in isolation — they need to see where the cells are, how they interact, and how that spatial organization shifts across disease states. A new computational method called MESA (Multiomics and Ecological Spatial Analysis), detailed in a study […]

Global Ragon-Africa Scholars Program Launched for Internal Community

Apr 8, 2025 Features

The Ragon Institute is proud to announce the launch of our new initiative, the Global Ragon-Africa Scholars Program (GRASP), generously supported by the Virginia Wellington Cabot Foundation. GRASP provides scholarships of up to $5,000 in travel and seed funding, offering Ragon-based graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, research scientists, and administrative staff opportunities to directly engage with […]

New Study Offers Hope in Reducing HIV Risk for Young Women in South Africa

Apr 4, 2025 Features

A healthy vaginal environment dominated by Lactobacillus crispatus is associated with a lower risk of HIV acquisition among women. However, only a fraction of women worldwide, and even fewer in Africa, have vaginal microbiomes dominated by Lactobacillus crispatus. Now, a groundbreaking study led by Drs. Anke Hemmerling and Craig Cohen from UCSF’s Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive […]

Biohaven Leadership Visits Ragon Institute

Mar 17, 2025 Features

Earlier this month, the Ragon Institute welcomed leadership from Biohaven for an insightful visit and discussion with our team. Biohaven CEO Vlad Coric, MD, and board member John Childs toured the Institute and met with Bruce Walker, MD, the Ragon Institute’s founding director, to explore mutual interests and opportunities in the fields of immunology, infectious […]