Date: November 26, 2012 By:
Ragon Institute Fellow, Maria Jose Buzon, PhD, was one of 20 young investigators selected to present their research at the 2012 National CFAR Scientific Symposium entitled “CFAR and HIV Therapy at 25: Seeking an End to AIDS” held in San Francisco November 7-9, 2012.
Symposium organizers designed the program with an eye on featuring the most outstanding early career investigators from all sectors of HIV research from around the country. This new approach allowed CFARs to celebrate their best young investigators and gave this next generation of most promising young HIV scientists a chance to meet one another and to network with more senior investigators.
The keynote presentation was delivered by Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, Director of NIAID, and then followed by 15-minute presentations by each of the 20 nominated CFAR young investigators. Dr. Buzon’s presentation entitled “T memory stem cells: a long-term reservoir for HIV-1” was selected to be featured on the program.
“Maria is truly an outstanding young investigator and most deserving of this honor.” observed Dr. Xu Yu, Ragon Institute Associate Professor and Dr. Buzon’s mentor. “She presented a collaborative study with the ID Division at MGH, which may have important implications for HIV eradication strategies. We are very happy for Maria to receive this level of national recognition.”
Their findings, to be published in Cell next month, reveal how the virus manipulates immune system processes to avoid destruction by natural killer (NK) cells, a type of white blood cell that is crucial for fighting viral infections.
The lab of the Ragon Institute faculty member Hernandez Moura Silva, PhD, recently published a review in Science Immunology regarding resident tissue macrophages (RTMs), shedding light on their multifaceted roles in organ health.
After three years off due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ragon-MIT course HST.434 returned this January to provide 24 students a once in a lifetime learning experience