NEWS

Ragon Institute-led study identifies factors contributing to placental transfer of antibodies CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – One of the most successful interventions in reducing infectious disease worldwide, vaccination still has limited effectiveness in protecting one group of patients – newborn infants. Now a study based at the Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard has determined how […]

Two-day symposium brings together experts in the growing field of neuroimmunology On March 28th and 29th, 2019, the Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard hosted a Neuro-Immune Symposium with the goal of bringing together world-class experts in neuroimmunology and the related fields of neurobiology and immunology to share their cutting-edge research and discoveries, and […]

Ragon Institute study findings could pave the way to vaccine development CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Instituting combination antiretroviral (ART) treatment at the earliest stages of HIV infection may allow the generation of functional CD8 “killer” T cells and preservation of the CD4 helper T cells that are the virus’s primary target.  Investigators from the Ragon Institute […]

Tuberculosis (TB) is the leading infectious cause of death worldwide, and is caused by the slow growing bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). Because the time between infection and disease can be long – years or even decades – a major challenge for public health is knowing who is at risk for becoming ill so that they […]

Five Traditional Healers from KwaZulu-Natal – who are central to an innovative program run in partnership with a local South African NGO and the KZN Department of Health – traveled to Cambridge, Massachusetts, where they were hosted for five days and honored for their work by the prestigious Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard. […]

T-cell targeting of essential amino acids may underlie spontaneous HIV suppression, define path to a vaccine CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Investigators at the Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard have used a novel approach to identify specific amino acids in the protein structure of HIV that appear critical to the ability of the virus to […]

Largest gift in hospital history will bolster the Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard BOSTON – Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) announced it has received the largest gift in the hospital’s history – $200 million – to endow the Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard. This landmark contribution from philanthropists and longtime hospital supporters […]

We are thrilled to let you know that the MGH has received the largest philanthropic gift in its history – a $200 million contribution to support the Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard. This extraordinary gift comes from Phillip (Terry) and Susan Ragon, long-time supporters of the hospital, whose transformational contribution will ensure that […]

The availability of a variety of free, user-friendly statistical software packages has enabled many scientists to perform their own analyses and generate results without a formal knowledge of programming languages. This democratization of data science can be hugely important to researchers wishing to analyze and interpret their research data, but can be risky without sufficient […]

Sri Gowtham Thakku and Avilash Cramer | Harvard-MIT Health Sciences and Technology   This past January, we traveled to South Africa as part of the IAP class HST.434: Evolution of an Epidemic. The class, taught by Ragon Institute Director Dr. Bruce Walker and Dr. Howard Heller and offered to MIT undergraduates, examines the medical, scientific, […]

At the Ragon Institute, the communities and individuals affected by HIV and AIDS are the driving force behind the science. While much of our work focuses on the epicenter of the epidemic in Durban, South Africa, we know the importance of engaging communities in Boston as well. On Tuesday, November 20th, 2018 a team of […]

Ragon Institute initiative addresses socioeconomic factors affecting HIV risk in young women in South Africa A program established by investigators from the Ragon Institute of Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), MIT and Harvard is addressing the persistently elevated risk of HIV infection among young women in South Africa from two angles – first, investigating biological factors […]

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 […]

Bronwyn Gunn and Galit Alter | Ragon Institute of MGH, 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, and […]

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 […]