Ragon Institute
Jan 9, 2024 Features
Bats can be terrifying — from their fantastical association with vampires to their less fantastical, very real propensity for spreading rabies. These winged mammals have provoked fear in many people no matter how cute they are (to some!). But they might also be the key to solving some of the biggest mysteries in virology and […]
Dec 13, 2023 Features
Dr. Ghebremichael’s course provides a unique learning opportunity for students and a way to develop the field of biostatistics in their own communities Naledi Tapologo is a research assistant from Botswana with dreams of a long career in medical research. She said she thanked God when she saw an email in her inbox recently. That […]
Nov 27, 2023 Features
Last month, the Ragon was honored to welcome Azza Idris, MD, PhD, as our newest faculty member. She holds a dual appointment between the Ragon and the Pediatric Infectious Diseases and Global Health Divisions at Mass General for Children (MGfC). A renowned researcher in malaria, Dr. Idris has worked for institutions such as the NIH […]
Oct 27, 2023 Features
Both awards recognized his lifelong commitment to HIV research and his leadership in this field on the African continent Ragon associate member Thumbi Ndung’u, PhD, was recently awarded the 2023 Leadership Award in Public Health Practice by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health as well as the K.T. Jeang Retrovirology Prize from a […]
Sep 22, 2023 Features
The multinational research group collected samples to understand the immune systems of bats. High up in the mountains of Kenya are the lush Taita Hills — a vibrant and beautiful rainforest that seems entirely detached from the dry savannah common in the rest of the country. It is roughly halfway between the two largest cities […]
Sep 1, 2023 Features
With the launch of the Liu Lab today, the Ragon welcomes its newest Early Independence Fellow — Sophia Liu, PhD, and her team will spend the next five years building tools to study cell interactions in order to further our understanding of, and find ways to improve, the human immune system. The Institute is honored […]
Aug 14, 2023 Features
Botswana trial shows potential of bNAbs as a new avenue for treatment. Two faculty members from the Ragon Institute took part in a clinical trial in Botswana that found a potential alternative treatment to antiretroviral therapy for children with HIV — an important step in the fight to eliminate the virus. Mathias Lichterfeld, MD, PhD, […]
Aug 8, 2023 Features
The Ragon Institute is thrilled to announce the receipt of a generous gift from the Giuliani Foundation to establish the Giammaria and Sabrina Giuliani Endowed Faculty Support Fund — a permanent endowment that will support Ragon faculty who are pursuing research in human health and the immune system. The Giulianis’ exceptional contribution will fuel our […]
Jul 12, 2023 Awards
Dr. Gaurav Gaiha, MD, DPhil, has been awarded a prestigious Avant-Garde Award for HIV and Substance Use Disorder Research from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This award is part of the NIH Director’s Pioneer Award mechanism which supports individual scientists of exceptional creativity who propose […]
Apr 19, 2023 Features
amfAR grantees Drs. Xu Yu and Mathias Lichterfeld discuss their differing approaches to curing HIV With a shared passion for science, this husband-wife team—he from Germany, she from China—are a prolific couple in the field of HIV cure research, regularly publishing in leading peer-reviewed journals. Dr. Xu Yu is an Associate Professor of Medicine at […]
Mar 17, 2023
On January 19, 2023, faculty and staff of the Ragon Institute of Mass General, MIT, and Harvard gathered in Kendall Square, Cambridge to celebrate a significant milestone — the “topping off” of their new building. The team watched as the highest beam was lifted into place, signifying the completion of the structural phase of the project — […]
Mar 2, 2023
How can we increase the visibility of young African scientists, make research less siloed, and encourage the exchange of ideas? That’s what Ragon investigator Zaza Ndhlovu, PhD, set out to solve by organizing Immuno-Zambia 2022. The Ragon Institute was founded on the principle of collaboration. In that spirit, Ndhlovu convened rising stars in African immunology […]
Feb 10, 2023
According to the National Science Foundation, Black women represent only 1.8% of all science and engineering employees in the United States. We’re observing Black History Month at the Ragon Institute by fostering learning about existing disparities while celebrating and recognizing the contributions of Black people to scientific progress. Our interactive poster display, 30 Black American […]
Feb 9, 2023
Collaborate. Research. Cure. These three words embody the spirit of what we represent at the Ragon Institute of Mass General, MIT, and Harvard. We’re proud to announce our new logo — and tagline — as part of an institute-wide rebrand ahead of the opening of our new building next year! Our updated visual identity combines […]
Jan 19, 2023
Antiretroviral drugs have transformed the treatment of HIV/AIDS, extending the lives of patients and rendering a once deadly disease into a chronic, manageable condition. But currently available treatment does not cure HIV infection – instead, the virus persists lifelong, and antiviral treatment needs to be taken indefinitely to suppress the virus. HIV-1 reservoir cells – […]
Jan 6, 2023 Awards
Congratulations to Dan Barouch, MD, PhD, one of this year’s recipients of the King Faisal Prize! Barouch, a founding member and steering committee member of the Ragon Institute of Mass General, MIT, and Harvard, was jointly awarded the 2023 King Faisal Prize for Medicine with vaccinologist Sarah Gilbert, PhD, of the University of Oxford. The King […]