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Most people with prior SARS-CoV-2 infection or vaccination have T cell immune responses against Omicron variant despite low antibody responses

Feb 9, 2022

BOSTON – When an individual is infected with the COVID-19–causing virus SARS-CoV-2, the immune system is called into action to produce antibodies and T cells that target viral proteins and clear the infection. It has become clear that the recent Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 can unfortunately escape antibody responses even in many people who have been […]

Scientists identify second HIV patient whose body appears to have rid itself of the virus

Nov 18, 2021

BOSTON – During infection, HIV places copies of its genome into the DNA of cells, creating what is known as a viral reservoir. In this state, the virus effectively hides from anti-HIV drugs and the body’s immune response. In most people, new viral particles are constantly made from this reservoir. Anti-retroviral therapy (ART) can prevent the […]

Scientists create a new best-in-class anti-malarial antibody

Nov 17, 2021

One day, monoclonal antibodies could bridge the gaps in protection left by even highly effective vaccines. BOSTON – Longstanding and equally lethal infectious disease crises have continued unabated in the background of the COVID-19 pandemic. While the 2020 mortality data is still being assessed, malaria, which kills more than 400,000 people annually, seems to have far […]

Confirmed High Levels of SARS-CoV-2 Virus in Children

Oct 15, 2021

Viral load had no correlation to disease severity in children, but children are potential spreaders of current and emerging variants. BOSTON – Researchers at the Ragon Institute of Mass General, MIT, and Harvard, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), and colleagues from Brigham and Women’s Hospital have published additional data on several features of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in […]

When Good T cells Go Bad

Sep 8, 2021 Features

Ragon researchers find impaired T cells precede loss of HIV control. HIV is a master of evading the immune system, using a variety of methods to prevent the body from being able to find and kill it. The vast majority of people living with HIV require daily medication to suppress the virus and therefore prevent […]

HIV Vaccine Trial “Imbokodo” Will Not Progress to Next Steps

Aug 31, 2021

Today, Johnson & Johnson announced results from the primary analysis of the HIV vaccine trial “Imbokodo,” also called HVTN 705/HPX2008. Overall, the data showed the investigational HIV vaccine, which was tested in young women at high risk for HIV infection in sub-Saharan Africa, did not provide sufficient protection against HIV infection. While the results suggest some […]

RISE: Ragon Institute Summer Experience

Aug 6, 2021 Ragon Culture

On July 6, 2021, the Ragon Institute launched RISE, the Ragon Institute Summer Experience. Working with local communities, RISE provides an opportunity for local high school students to explore STEM through summer internships at the Ragon.   Starting an internship program is never easy, and certainly no less challenging during the latter half of a pandemic. […]

What the Nose Shows: Early Determinants of COVID-19 Severity

Jul 26, 2021

Image: SARS-CoV-2 on the surface of a cultured cell. (Credit: NIAID) Over the past 18 months, researchers have learned much about COVID-19 and its viral cause, SARS-CoV-2. They know how the virus enters the body, coming in through the nose and mouth and beginning its infection in the mucus layers of the nasal passageway. They know […]