Ragon Institute
May 17, 2016
A sub-Saharan African donor’s blood has yielded remarkable finds that could be crucial in the search for an AIDS vaccine. An infected donor’s immune system naturally made potent antibodies, which lab tests showed could effectively recognize and neutralize about 50 percent of all HIV-1 strains circulating around the world. HIV-1 is the most widespread HIV […]
May 16, 2016
Last Month, the Ragon Instiute welcomed Dr. Facundo Batista—an internationally renowned expert in the fields of B cell activation, high-resolution imaging and in vivo microscopy—with a symposium entitled “B Cells In Immunity and Cancer.” The symposium, held in the Ragon Institute auditorium, featured Dr. Batista as well as a distinguished panel of guest speakers from […]
Apr 11, 2016 Awards
On March 23, DayZero Diagnostics was announced as the winner of the Harvard Business School (HBS) New Venture Competition. DayZero Diagnostics, headed by Ragon faculty Drs. Douglas Kwon and Melis Anahtar, Dougal Maclauren, Miriam Huntley, and Jong Lee, is a startup which is striving to change the way doctors diagnose bacterial infections. They are […]
Apr 5, 2016
A new paper represents the first characterization of the human virome in HIV infection was published in the March 9 issue of the scientific journal Cell Host & Microbe. This paper is a collaboration between the Ragon Institute Kwon Lab in collaboration with the Virgin Lab at the Washington University School of Medicine at St. […]
Mar 29, 2016
On March 15, the Ragon Institute was pleased to host four visitors from Mbarara University of Science & Technology (MUST) in Uganda in order to share knowledge about setting up world-class research on the African continent. Professor Celestino Obua, MD, PHD, Vice Chancellor of MUST was accompanied by Sam Maling, Dean of Faculty of […]
Mar 15, 2016
On February 22, Ragon Institute Director Dr. Bruce Walker presented the Bernard Fields Lecture at the 23rd annual Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI). Dr. Walker’s lecture, entitled T Cell Control of HIV: Implications for Vaccines and Cure, was given during the opening session of the CROI conference. The prestigious Bernard Fields […]
Mar 10, 2016 Awards
HIV Pathogenesis Programme (HPP) Masters student Funsho Ogunshol was recently awarded a Masters degree summa cum laude by the University of KwaZulu-Natal. Ogunshol was supervised by Ragon faculty member Dr. Zaza Ndhlovu. In recognition of this exceptional achievement, Ogunshol has also been awarded a full PhD scholarship by Sub-Saharan Africa Network for TB/HIV Research […]
Mar 7, 2016 Awards
Four Ragon Institute faculty members were recently named Thomson Reuters Highly Cited Researchers. These include: Ragon Institute Director Dr. Bruce Walker, Professor of Medicine, Harvard University; Dr. Todd Allen, Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Dr. Dan Barouch, Professor of Medicine, Harvard University; and Dr. Dennis Burton, Professor, Scripps Research Institute. In addition to the four Ragon faculty members, four Ragon […]
Jan 27, 2016
The Ragon Institute is pleased to announce that Dr. Facundo D. Batista has joined the faculty. Dr. Batista joins Ragon faculty members and collaborators in pursuit of the development of an effective HIV/AIDS vaccine. Dr. Batista is an internationally renowned expert in the fields of B cell activation, high-resolution imaging and in vivo microscopy. […]
Dec 30, 2015
Researchers from the Kwon Lab at the Ragon Institute have published findings which indicate that HIV acquisition is up to 3.5 times higher in South African women using injectable progestin-only contraceptives (IPCs). IPCs are the most common form of contraception used in sub-Saharan Africa and are common in some areas of high HIV incidence. […]
Dec 1, 2015 Ragon Culture
December 1 marks World AIDS Day. It is an opportunity for people worldwide to reflect upon the tremendous progress which has been made in the fight against HIV/AIDS and to be re-energized for the fight ahead. That is why it is appropriate that this year’s theme is: The Time to Act is Now […]
Nov 9, 2015
The expressed goal of the Ragon Insitute is lofty: to harness the immune system to prevent and cure human disease. But behind every principal investigator publishing a new finding is a team of support staff enabling their research. In the offices, administrative assistants, regulatory staff, and grant administrators manage the office, monitor funding, and ensure […]
Oct 6, 2015 Awards
Seventy-eight grants have been awarded to scientists proposing highly innovative approaches to major contemporary challenges in biomedical research, under the High-Risk, High-Reward Research program supported by the NIH Common Fund. Awards support exceptional investigators pursuing bold research projects that span the broad mission of the NIH, including developing methods for cells to synthesize their own […]
Jul 6, 2015
NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J., – July, 2, 2015 – Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) announced Thursday that scientists at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), Crucell Holland B.V, one of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson (Janssen), and several other collaborators today published results from a preclinical study of an HIV vaccine regimen used […]
Jun 29, 2015 Awards
The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) recently announced the first recipients of its two newly developed Avenir Award programs for HIV/AIDS and genetics research. The Avenir (meaning “future” in French) Awards support early stage investigators who propose highly innovative studies. The six scientists will each receive up to $300,000 per year for five years […]
Jun 11, 2015
Investigators from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and the Ragon Institute of Mass General, MIT, and Harvard have added another piece to the puzzle of how a small group of individuals known as elite controllers are able to control HIV infection without drug treatment. In their paper published in the open-access journal PLOS Pathogens, the research […]