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Novel insights into antibody protection mechanisms mark a step forward in the search for an HIV vaccine

Sep 7, 2018

Vivian Chou | Harvard University   The search for a safe and effective HIV vaccine is a major scientific and clinical challenge. In an exciting new Nature Medicine paper published earlier this week, researchers at the Ragon Institute and their collaborators uncover important insights into how antibodies provide protection following vaccination. These findings bring researchers […]

Ebola virus experts discover a powerful approach for stopping outbreaks

Aug 31, 2018

Bronwyn Gunn and Galit Alter | Ragon Institute of Mass General, MIT, and Harvard   From 2013–2016, West Africa faced the deadliest Ebola outbreak the world has ever seen. By the time the outbreak was declared over, 11,325 people had died. Antibody therapy is considered among the most promising treatments for the Ebola virus infection, […]

Study: Cellular changes lead to chronic allergic inflammation in the sinus

Aug 23, 2018

Findings suggest mechanisms for the persistence of nasal polyps and possible new treatment strategies. Anne Trafton | MIT News Office   Chronic rhinosinusitis is distinct from your average case of seasonal allergies. It causes the sinuses to become inflamed and swollen for months to years at a time, leading to difficulty breathing and other symptoms […]

New Evidence for the Role of PKCβ in B Cell Fate Decision

Jul 13, 2018

Vivian Chou | Harvard University   The immune system plays the crucial role of defending the body against pathogens that can cause dangerous and deadly infections. How the immune system performs this incredible function has spurred numerous research questions, many still unanswered. In a recent study published in Immunity, researchers at the Ragon Institute in […]

Team Ragon Raises Funds for 2018 AIDS Walk & 5K Run

Jun 8, 2018

Bright and early on Sunday, June 3rd, 2018, the members of Team Ragon arrived on the Boston Common for the 33rd Annual AIDS Walk and 5K Run. Representing the Ragon Institute with more than 30 walkers and runners and a combined team fundraising total of $66,145.66, Team Ragon secured its place as the event’s top […]

Ragon Employee Recognized for Suggestion of the Month

Mar 20, 2018 Awards

Alex Cusson, Administrative Manager at the Ragon Institute of Mass General, MIT, and Harvard, was nominated for the March 2018 Suggestion of the Month in recognition of a comment he submitted via Isuggest, a platform which aims to implement changes to operational processes across Massachussets General Hospital, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Partners HealthCare based […]

MIT Students Gain Global Perspective on the HIV Epidemic

Feb 23, 2018 Ragon Culture

From January 19th to 29th, 2018, MIT undergraduates traveled to Durban, South Africa, to study the evolution of the AIDS epidemic. The class, a Health Sciences and Technology (HST) course taught by Dr. Bruce Walker (Ragon Institute) and Dr. Howard Heller (MIT Medical), is in its second year, and aims to examine the AIDS epidemic […]

Ragon Institute Hosts Cellular Immunity Workshop

Feb 2, 2018 Ragon Culture

On January 4th and 5th, 2018, leading researchers in the field of cellular immunology participated in an interactive workshop entitled “Prospects for designing and testing vaccines to elicit cellular immunity against HIV”, hosted by the Ragon Institute of Mass General, MIT, and Harvard.   The meeting focused on how cell-mediated immunity can be incorporated into […]

New Insights into the Early Immune Response against Viral Infection

Jan 25, 2018

Vivian Chou | Harvard Medical School In a recent report in Cell, researchers at the Ragon Institute in Cambridge, MA and their collaborators announced a groundbreaking new model of how immunity is initiated in response to viral infections. Achieving broad and long-lasting protection against viruses such as influenza, HIV, and Zika has been a longstanding […]

Clinical Efficacy Trial of Ragon Institute-Supported HIV Vaccine Underway in Africa

Dec 1, 2017

“Mosaic” vaccine designed to respond to many viral strains, address challenge of genetic diversity. Sue McGreevey | Massachusetts General Hospital A phase 2b clinical trial of a novel preventive HIV vaccine regimen developed by researchers at the Ragon Institute of Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), MIT and Harvard, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), and partners has […]

Researchers Develop New Method to Generate Human Antibodies

Jul 25, 2017

An international team of scientists has developed a method to rapidly produce specific human antibodies in the laboratory. The technique, which will be described in a paper to be published July 24, 2017 in The Journal of Experimental Medicine, could speed the production of antibodies to treat a wide range of diseases and facilitate the […]

Ndhlovu Named HHMI International Research Scholar

Jun 20, 2017

Ragon Institute Instructor, Zaza M. Ndhlovu, PhD, is one of forty-one scientists from 16 countries who have been chosen as International Research Scholars through the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI).   HHMI, along with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Wellcome Trust, and the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation developed this award in order to recognize […]

Ragon Top Fundraiser for 2017 AIDS Walk Boston

Jun 8, 2017 Ragon Culture

For the first time, long-time participant, the Ragon Institute of Mass General, MIT, and Harvard is the top fundraising team of the AIDS Walk and 5K Run Boston with a total of  $91,543 raised, the most ever raised by an individual team!     Team Ragon at the Hatch Shell The event was held on […]

2017 AIDS Vaccine Awareness Day

May 18, 2017 Ragon Culture

Today– May 18th, 2017– is the 20th annual HIV Vaccine Awareness Day.  It is a day to raise awareness for the need for a vaccine for HIV/AIDS.  It is also a day to recognize and thank the thousands of HIV vaccine clinical trial volunteers, researchers, health professionals, and activists who work together toward this goal. […]

2017 Global Health Expo

May 15, 2017 Ragon Culture

On Wednesday May 10th, 2017, Ragon participated in the Massachusetts General Hospital Global Health Expo, held in the Bulfinch tent on the main MGH campus.   This annual event, sponsored by the Mass General Center for Global Health, offers an opportunity for the MGH community to learn more about the exceptional breadth of global health […]

Alter named to 2017 Class of MGH Research Scholars

Apr 18, 2017

Dr. Galit Alter, Associate Professor of Medicine at the Ragon Institute, has been named to the 2017 Class of MGH Research Scholars by the Executive Committee on Research (ECOR) at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH).  This is the second time that Dr. Alter has received this award, having been named an MGH Research Scholar in […]