Ragon Institute, 600 Main Street, Cambridge, MA (2026)

05/05/2026

Meet Rosie Garvey, Ragon Senior HR Coordinator!

Rosie just hit her four-year Ragon anniversary, and we're so glad she's here. When she's not running along the Charles or crushing local bar trivia outside of work, she's behind the scenes making sure the world's brightest scientists have everything they need to focus on the things that matter most—including a smooth path through the visa process. As Rosie puts it, there's nothing better than knowing she's helping keep the best researchers in the world here and feeling secure.

Thanks for everything you do, Rosie!

04/30/2026

New research from the Shalek Lab at the Ragon Institute as well as the Broad Institute, published in Science, reveals how a protein called LAT keeps T cell responses in balance.

LAT sits at the center of T cell activation, relaying signals from the T cell receptor into several pathways at once. Using a new screening approach that tested 132 versions of the protein, the team found that disrupting any single part of LAT weakens all of its downstream signals together, rather than affecting them one at a time. This balance may help T cells avoid the faulty responses linked to immune dysfunction.

The work also offers a general framework for studying disordered proteins, a large and understudied group that organizes complex activities throughout the cell.

Read more: https://ragoninstitute.org/2026/04/shalek-lab-study-reveals-how-a-key-t-cell-protein-keeps-immune-responses-in-balance/

04/28/2026

In a new Q&A, we spoke to our newest faculty member Dr. Caroline Sokol, MD, PhD, about what drew her to allergy and immunology, the unexpected moment that pivoted her research toward neuroscience, and what she hopes to accomplish in her new role

A physician-scientist specializing in allergy and immunology, Sokol studies how the immune system recognizes and responds to allergens, with a particular focus on the neuroimmune circuits that underlie allergic disease. She received her BA and MS from the University of Pennsylvania, completed her MD/PhD at Yale University under Ruslan Medzhitov, PhD, and did her clinical training in Internal Medicine and Allergy & Immunology at Mass General. She previously led her lab at Mass General in the Charlestown Navy Yard before bringing her research program to the Ragon.

Read the full Q&A at the link here: https://ragoninstitute.org/2026/04/an-interview-with-caroline-sokol-the-neuroimmune-allergy-researcher-joining-the-ragon-faculty/

04/22/2026

A small number of people living with HIV are able to durably suppress the virus after stopping antiretroviral therapy, a phenomenon that has long interested researchers searching for a functional cure. A new study from the Gaiha Lab at the Ragon Institute, published in Science Translational Medicine, helps explain why, and points to a specific type of immune cell that could be the key to designing better therapies.

“We are excited to show that people who naturally suppress HIV after stopping treatment are able to do so because of this highly expansive and potent CD8+ T cell response," said corresponding author Gaurav Gaiha, MD, DPhil. "The reduced level of variability in the viral reservoir of these individuals also plays a key role, which we believe further supports therapeutic strategies of rational CD8+ T cell-based immune targeting."

Read More: https://ragoninstitute.org/2026/04/gaiha-lab-identifies-t-cells-with-robust-expansion-capability-that-help-a-rare-group-of-people-naturally-control-hiv-after-treatment-interruption/

04/20/2026

A new study from the Dang Lab, published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, has found that the body's immune system inadvertently protects a dangerous fungus from being destroyed, helping to explain why certain infections linger in the lungs for years and can reactivate with life-threatening consequences.

Using advanced imaging and gene-mapping technology, the team studied the granulomas that form during dormant infection. They found that a specific branch of the immune response, called the type 2 response, was actively working against the body's ability to kill the fungus. Immune cells called Th2 cells were sending chemical signals that reprogrammed nearby defensive cells. These reprogrammed cells formed a visible ring around the core of the granuloma, essentially creating a barrier that shielded the pathogen.

Read more: https://ragoninstitute.org/2026/04/dang-lab-study-shows-why-the-immune-system-fails-to-eliminate-a-dangerous-fungal-pathogen/

04/16/2026

In honor of Earth Day next week, we're taking you inside the design of the Ragon Institute building — a space shaped by the principles of biophilic design.

Biophilic design is an approach to architecture that weaves the natural world into the built environment. That can mean the obvious such as living plants, water features, abundant daylight, and fresh air, but also subtler choices: organic patterns, natural materials, sightlines that draw the eye outward, and forms that echo shapes found in nature.

The architects at Payette designed our Cambridge home with these principles at its core, creating a place where scientists are surrounded by the natural world even on the most demanding research days. Decades of research show that biophilic environments deliver real, measurable benefits:

- Sharper cognitive function and focus
- Faster recovery from illness and surgery
- Healthier development in children
- Stronger sense of community and quality of life
- Reduced rates of health and social problems

Hear from the Payette team on how they brought this vision to life.

04/14/2026

This past weekend, Ragon Institute founding director Bruce Walker, MD, and core member Hernandez Moura Silva, PhD, joined the Brasil Project at Harvard & MIT for a panel titled "How Breakthroughs Happen: Lessons from HIV for Global Health," moderated by Juliano Ribeiro, a PhD Candidate in the Harvard-MIT Health Sciences and Technology Program.

Walker's decades of work on HIV, from elite controllers to longstanding partnerships in South Africa, has helped shape the global response to the epidemic. Moura Silva, an assistant professor of Biology at MIT and HHMI Freeman Hrabowski Scholar, brought a new generation of immunology research with deep roots in Brazil, where he earned his PhD before joining MIT and the Ragon.

Together, they reflected on what four decades of HIV science can teach us about how scientific breakthroughs actually happen, and what those lessons mean for the future of global health.

Learn more about the Brasil Project: brasil-project.com

04/09/2026

This week is Graduate Student Appreciation Week, and on Tuesday we celebrated with a brunch in honor of our Ragon Institute grad students.

With breakfast sandwiches, munchkins, and a mocktail mimosa bar, it was the perfect chance for our students to step away from the bench, connect with one another, and be celebrated for everything they bring to our community.

04/07/2026

Meet Ted Lawrence, one of our Plant Operators!

Ask Ted what his favorite thing about working at the Ragon is, and he'll tell you without hesitation: the people. After a quarter century in the field, he found himself in a position he never anticipated, and rather than take that lightly, he's used his depth of experience to help keep our Institute running and keep people laughing.

As a Ragon Plant Operator, Ted and his team are the unseen force behind the Ragon Institute. Day and night (literally) they're here. Plant Operators maintain the boilers and chillers, manage the equipment that keeps the lights on, and ensure the building stays safe and operational around the clock.The team is here 24/7—holidays and weekends included—quietly keeping everything running so that the science can happen.

When Ted steps away from the plant room, you'll find him outdoors hiking, camping, kayaking, or simply being out in nature. It's a fitting counterpart to a job that's all about staying vigilant so others can focus on what matters.

04/03/2026

We are pleased to welcome Jennie Ruelas Castillo and Jonathan Padilla Gómez as the inaugural FEMSA Fellows at the Ragon Institute. This fellowship, part of our partnership with Tecnológico de Monterrey and supported by FEMSA, allows postdoctoral researchers who have conducted studies in Mexico to pursue immunology research at the Ragon in Cambridge, MA.

Ruelas Castillo is a member of the Barczak Lab, where she focuses on tuberculosis immunology, while Padilla Gómez is part of the Bryson Lab, where he is studying how TB persists within human immune cells. Both bring deep expertise in microbiology and infectious disease research.

This partnership reflects our shared commitment to strengthening research ties between Mexico and the United States and building the next generation of leaders in global health.

Learn more here: https://ragoninstitute.org/tecnologico-de-monterrey-fellowship-at-the-ragon-institute/

04/01/2026

Last week we welcomed 9th grade students from the Cambridge Housing Authority to the Ragon for career conversations. Volunteers from across the institute sat down with students for informational interviews, sharing what they do, how they got here, and lessons learned along the way.

Thank you to the CHA team, our Office of Education & Outreach who organized this event, and all our volunteers for making this a great afternoon.

03/27/2026

A new study from the Kwon Lab at the Ragon Institute, published in Cell Host & Microbe, provides the most detailed picture yet of how a promising bacterial therapy works to prevent recurrent bacterial vaginosis (BV) and why it works better for some women than others.

BV is the most common vaginal condition worldwide, affecting more than 25% of reproductive-age women and disproportionately impacting women of lower socioeconomic status and members of racial and ethnic minority groups.

“This study’s results offer key insights for vaginal health,” says Seth Bloom, MD, PhD, the paper’s co-first author who began the research as a postdoctoral trainee in the Kwon Lab and has since established his own lab. “Our results offer a roadmap to guide development and use of LACTIN-V and similar live biotherapeutic products to improve the health of the millions of women worldwide who experience BV.”

Read More: https://ragoninstitute.org/2026/03/kwon-lab-study-reveals-how-a-live-bacterial-therapy-reshapes-the-vaginal-microbiome-and-identifies-predictors-of-treatment-success/

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