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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 […]

T cells Against the Variants

Jul 2, 2021

by: Rachel Leeson   Key Takeaways   • Using a method developed for HIV, researchers have identified stable T cell vaccine targets in SARS-CoV-2. • These stable targets, known as highly networked epitopes, are highly likely to be stable in different variants of the virus. • The results provide a path forward for a broadly […]

Single-Shot COVID-19 Vaccine Generates Robust Immune Responses Against COVID-19 Variants

Jun 11, 2021

By: Beth Israel Deaconess Health Center, used with permission. Image credit: NIAID In the three months since Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine received emergency use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, more than 10 million Americans have received the vaccine, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The single-shot viral vector […]

New Research Shows Vaccine Protection Against Zika Virus

Jun 4, 2021

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 […]

Engineered to Fight: Dual CAR T cells show promise against HIV

Jun 3, 2021 Features

A recent study published in the journal Nature Medicine, led by researchers Todd Allen, PhD, a professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Group Leader at the Ragon Institute of Mass General, MIT, and Harvard, and Jim Riley, PhD, a professor of Microbiology in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, […]

Studies show early detection, prompt ARV treatment provide hope for the elimination of HIV

May 19, 2021

Pregnant women show robust immune response to COVID vaccines, pass antibodies to newborns. In the largest study of its kind to date, researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and the Ragon Institute of Mass General, MIT, and Harvard have found the new mRNA COVID-?? vaccines to be highly effective in producing antibodies […]

To B or Not To B: Determining The Fate of a B Cell

May 7, 2021

by: Rachel Leeson. Image Credit: Blausen.com staff (2014). “Medical gallery of Blausen Medical 2014”. WikiJournal of Medicine 1 (2). DOI:10.15347/wjm/2014.010. ISSN 2002-4436   Ragon scientists discover epigenetic changes unique to B cells and B cell subtypes.    Antibodies are a vital part of our immune system, but they don’t just appear when they’re needed. They […]