Ragon Institute
Mar 28, 2017 Ragon Culture
Nineteen MIT undergraduates attended the inaugural Health Sciences and Technology (HST) course “Evolution of an Epidemic”, taught during the 2017 Independent Activities Period (IAP) in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa. Focusing on the HIV epidemic as an example, course directors Dr. Bruce Walker (Ragon Institute of Mass General, MIT, and Harvard) and Dr. Howard Heller (MIT Medical) built a […]
Jan 10, 2017
More diverse vaginal microbiomes in South African women may underlie increased risk CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – A team of researchers from the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and the Ragon Institute of Mass General, MIT, and Harvard has found that the most common bacterial community in the genital tract of healthy South African women is associated […]
Dec 19, 2016
Targeting human genes required for viral reproduction but not for T cell survival would avoid inducing treatment resistance BOSTON – Investigators from the Ragon Institute of Mass General, MIT, and Harvard and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard have used the revolutionary new gene-editing technology CRISPR-Cas9 to identify three promising new targets for […]
Dec 5, 2016 Ragon Culture
The 7th annual HIV Prevention Workshop hosted by the Ragon Institute, the Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa( CAPRISA), and the HIV Pathogenesis Program, took place in Magaliesburg, South Africa from 18 – 30 November 2016. More than 80 scientists and students participated in the workshop from local and international research […]
Nov 29, 2016 Ragon Culture
World AIDS Day, held on the 1st December each year, is an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV, show their support for people living with HIV and to commemorate people who have died. Wearing a red ribbon is one simple way to do this. You can also show your support […]
Nov 29, 2016 Ragon Culture
On Tuesday, November 22, 2016, the Ragon Institute supported the Celebration of Life Thanksgiving Dinner at the Hynes Convention Center. Every year, Victory Programs Boston Living Center hosts the Celebration of Life event which honors Boston community members living with HIV/AIDS. This year, the event featured a traditional Thanksgiving Dinner, live entertainment and a Resource […]
Oct 31, 2016 Ragon Culture
On September 9th, our Tech Square neighbor Catalyst Restaurant held their 5th anniversary celebration and they graciously incorporated a fund raiser into their event with the proceeds to benefit the Ragon Institute. Over 225 guests attended the event and enjoyed the great food and entertainment from hula dancers. The event raised $4600 which will […]
Oct 6, 2016 Ragon Culture
This fall, Ragon Institute faculty and students gathered in Brewster, MA for an intensive three days of scientific discussion, poster sessions, and team building exercises. Click images to view larger.
Sep 22, 2016
A study led by investigators from the Ragon Institute of Mass General, MIT, and Harvard finds evidence that antibody protection may help control infection with the bacteria that causes tuberculosis (TB). In their study receiving online publication in Cell, the research team describes finding consistent differences in both the structure and function of antibodies targeting […]
Aug 29, 2016 Ragon Culture
It’s a quintessential summer day—92 degrees and sunny without a cloud in the sky—but instead of heading to the beach, this group of motivated students is headed to Technology Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to work in a lab at the Ragon Institute of Massachusetts General Hospital, MIT, and Harvard. No small feat, the highly […]
Aug 23, 2016 Awards
Dr. Douglas Kwon has been awarded the Massachusetts General Hospital Department of Medicine Innovation Grant. Dr. Kwon submitted a proposal for the grant based on technology which leverages the power of genome sequencing to identify a bacteria’s species, as well as the level of resistance. This technology will allow doctors to generate a diagnosis […]
Aug 1, 2016
The Ragon Institute of Mass General Hospital, MIT, and Harvard has a dual mission to contribute to the accelerated discovery of an HIV/AIDS vaccine and subsequently to establish itself as a world leader in the collaborative study of immunology. Thus, the vast majority of studies require the use of peripheral blood cells such as B […]
Jul 19, 2016
For millennia physicians have cured the sick and treated the ill, oftentimes experimenting on their patients and developing new medical treatments. However, for the past fifty years a dichotomy has been forming between the role of physicians who treat patients and researchers who pioneer new therapies. A 2013 study by the Journal of the […]
Jul 12, 2016 Features
On May 9th 2016, the first Rethinking Global Health workshop was held at the MIT Media Lab. This event, organized by the newly formed student organization MIT Cost-effective Healthcare Initiative, was attended by a diverse group of over 180 students, faculty members, physicians, NGO representatives and industry representatives. The goal of the workshop was […]
Jun 28, 2016
BOSTON – The rapid development of a safe and effective vaccine to prevent the Zika virus (ZIKV) is a global priority, as infection in pregnant women has been shown to lead to fetal microcephaly and other major birth defects. The World Health Organization declared the Zika virus epidemic a global public health emergency on February […]
Jun 21, 2016
Understanding why some strains of HIV may be more infectious than others may provide critical clues to developing an HIV vaccine that effectively blocks HIV transmission. A study in the journal PLoS Pathogens, led by researchers at the Ragon Institute of Mass General, MIT, and Harvard have decoded new information about the genetic makeup […]