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

01/22/2026

Our MIT and African Leadership Academy students have continued their journey through South Africa as the 'Evolution of an Epidemic' course brought them to the coastal city of Durban.
In the heart of KwaZulu-Natal province, students had the opportunity to meet with clinicians, researchers, and patients at the frontlines of HIV research and care. Highlights included:

— A visit to the African Health Research Institute (AHRI), featuring a lecture by renowned epidemiologist Quarraisha Abdool Karim on her 30-year journey in preventing HIV infection in women, followed by an interview with Quarraisha and Ragon founding director Bruce Walker.

— An immersive day with traditional healers through the ITEACH program, experiencing their culture and learning how their certification in HIV testing has made a lasting impact in their communities.

— A meaningful exploration of FRESH, from welcome song circles to intimate home visits with participants and their families—seeing firsthand the real impact of FRESH's social upliftment program on the local community.

— A private screening of the acclaimed South African film "Yesterday," followed by a conversation with its leading actress, Leleti Khumalo.

— A meeting with US Consulate General Rebecca Gonzales at her Durban residence.

— Continued lectures from faculty covering topics including mucosal immunology, s*x differences in immune response, and influenza.

Next up: the final leg of the course takes students to the AHRI Somkhele research site, the BabyCure program, and two nights in the Hluhluwe Game Reserve!

01/20/2026

Ragon Institute researcher Sophia Liu, PhD, has been awarded $749,760 through the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center Bits to Bytes program for her project, "Building an Immune Response Map for Antigen Prediction."

The project aims to create a quantitative dataset capturing how the immune system responds to antigens in tissues. By generating and analyzing large datasets using AI and machine learning, Liu and her team will develop tools to measure and predict how immune cells interact with antigens—a critical foundation for designing more effective vaccines and immunotherapies.

Liu's project is strengthened by collaborations with Armon Sharei, PhD, at Portal Bio and Ava Amini, PhD, at Microsoft Research, combining cutting-edge cell platforms and computational capabilities with deep expertise in immunology.

Read more: https://ragoninstitute.org/2026/01/ragon-institute-researcher-sophia-liu-awarded-750k-grant-from-massachusetts-life-sciences-center-to-build-immune-response-map-for-antigen-prediction/

01/15/2026

The Ragon Institute and MIT have returned to South Africa for the 'Evolution of an Epidemic' course, an immersive educational experience exploring public health and policy responses to emerging diseases through the lens of the AIDS pandemic, COVID-19, and other outbreaks.

Our students landed in Johannesburg yesterday for the beginning of their course. This year, 18 Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) students and 5 students from the African Leadership Academy are participating in two weeks of learning across Johannesburg, Durban, and rural regions of the KwaZulu-Natal Province.

The course is led by the Ragon's founding director, Bruce Walker, MD, and MGH's Howard Heller, MD, MPH, with Ragon faculty Krista D**g, MD; Doug Kwon, MD, PhD; and Thumbi Ndung'u, PhD also instructing throughout the trip.

In the Johannesburg leg of the trip this week, students will experience:

— Team building at the Walter Sisulu National Botanical Garden, where MIT and ALA students connect for the first time.
— A guest lecture by renowned AIDS activist Zackie Achmat, founder of the Treatment Action Campaign.
— A tour and roundtable discussion at Witkoppen Clinic, a non-profit providing comprehensive healthcare and social welfare services to low-income patients.
— Faculty lectures on HIV and AIDS fundamentals, immunology and vaccine development, the FRESH cohort and HIV cure research, science in Africa, and the global politics of AIDS policy.
— A visit to the powerful and educational Apartheid Museum.

Next stop: Durban, where students will visit the African Health Research Institute and our FRESH and ITEACH programs. Stay tuned for more updates in the weeks to come.

01/08/2026

An adventurer at heart, Meg Bayarsaikhan loves the outdoors—whether it’s camping in New Hampshire with her family, planning her next ski trip, or dreaming of future travels to explore new countries. Having lived in multiple countries across three continents, Meg has navigated different cultures, scientific environments, and ways of life—all while staying true to her passion for discovery.

Originally from Mongolia, Meg earned her medical degree and practiced as a physician before shifting her focus to research. She moved to Japan to pursue a PhD in immunology, spending 10 years immersed in both its scientific and social culture. Adjusting to Japan’s structured and formal social norms was a challenge as a non-native, but it shaped her adaptability. Her move to Boston a year and a half ago was another culture shift—this time, into a more outspoken, dynamic environment where she feels her open personality thrives.

In the scientific world, she’s noticed a similar contrast: research in Japan followed a more individual, hierarchical structure, while Boston fosters a highly collaborative, fast-moving community that she finds invigorating. Now a research scientist in the Idris Lab, Meg studies early immune responses to malaria infection. She is working to develop monoclonal antibodies against the disease and contribute to malaria vaccine advancements—a mission with the potential to impact millions of lives. She values the supportive and communicative environment of her lab and the flexibility that allows her to balance work and family.

Meg embraces every challenge with resilience and curiosity, applying her global perspective to both science and life.

01/06/2026

The Ragon Institute is pleased to announce that applications are now open for the 2026 PRISM High School Science Program!

PRISM is an 8-Saturday immersive science experience for high school students from Boston, Cambridge, and Massachusetts Gateway Cities. Sessions run March 7 – April 25, 2026 and include hands-on activities exploring cutting-edge topics such as brain/computer interfaces, gene editing, immunology, and machine learning.

Program highlights include lunch at every session and a $400 stipend for students who attend all eight sessions. The program is led by faculty and graduate students from the Ragon Institute, MIT Institute for Medical Engineering and Science, and HST.

Application deadline: January 18, 2026
Apply here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/YJ5KYX2

For questions, please contact ragonoutreach@mgh.harvard.edu.

12/31/2025

As 2025 comes to a close, we're reflecting on a landmark year for the Ragon community. From helping launch an HIV vaccine clinical trial in Africa to pioneering AI tools for vaccine development, publishing groundbreaking research, and celebrating our first full year at 600 Main Street, we continued to push the boundaries of immunology and global health.

We're proud to celebrate the discoveries, partnerships, and people that made it possible, and look forward to what's ahead in 2026.

Learn more about the Ragon at our website: ragoninstitute.org

12/23/2025

A new study from the Ghebremichael Lab at the Ragon Institute, published in the Journal of Applied Statistics, introduces a statistical framework that enables researchers to properly evaluate the diagnostic performance of biomarkers measured repeatedly over time.

To illustrate the framework, the team applied it to longitudinal CD4+ T cell measurements from HIV-infected children receiving antiretroviral therapy, assessing immune recovery over time and evaluating whether tuberculosis co-infection influences biomarker performance. While this application demonstrates the method's utility in infectious disease research, the framework is broadly applicable to any longitudinal biomarker study.

The work highlights the importance of using statistical methods that properly account for the repeated-measures structure of longitudinal data, offering researchers a rigorous new tool for diagnostic assessment in long-term clinical studies.

Read More: https://ragoninstitute.org/2025/12/ghebremichael-lab-develops-statistical-framework-for-evaluating-longitudinal-biomarkers-in-clinical-studies/

12/22/2025

A new study led by the Shalek Lab at the Ragon Institute, published in Cell, shows that liver cells facing prolonged metabolic stress—like that seen in steatotic liver disease—activate cancer-associated programs long before any tumors appear. Beyond genetic mutations, these early cellular changes may also explain why some patients progress to liver cancer.

Read More: https://ragoninstitute.org/2025/12/shalek-lab-study-reveals-how-liver-cells-under-chronic-stress-prime-themselves-for-cancer-years-before-tumors-form/

12/19/2025

Ragon Institute founding director Bruce Walker, MD, opened the 2025 MassCPR Symposium on Nov. 19, bringing together researchers from academia, industry, and public health to explore how pharma-academic partnerships drive breakthroughs in outbreak preparedness.

The program featured keynotes from Pfizer and Sanofi leaders alongside cutting-edge research on H5N1 avian flu vaccines, respiratory virus responses in children, coronavirus packaging, and tools for detecting emerging henipaviruses.

Ragon faculty member Gaurav Gaiha, MD, DPhil, moderated the sessions, which showcased work from across the Massachusetts research community.

🎥 Watch the full symposium here: https://masscpr.hms.harvard.edu/symposia/masscpr-symposium-2025/

12/17/2025

A new study from the Batista Lab at the Ragon Institute, published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, reveals that B cells depend on a cellular cleanup process to successfully transform into the plasma cells that produce protective antibodies.

When B cells encounter a pathogen, they must rapidly shift their metabolism, which includes increasing their number of mitochondria. However, when these activated B cells differentiate into plasma cells, these excessive mitochondria must be cleared. The Batista Lab found that a protein called FIP200—known for its role in autophagy, the cell's recycling system—is essential for this process.

Read more: https://ragoninstitute.org/2025/12/batista-lab-study-shows-b-cells-must-clear-damaged-mitochondria-by-autophagy-to-produce-antibodies/

12/11/2025

Meet Molly Bergeron, our Biosafety Officer! Molly works behind the scenes to ensure that scientists and researchers follow proper protocols and understand complex biosafety regulations. Her job requires a lot of problem solving, but she loves a challenge and thrives at bridging the gap between regulators and scientists. She doesn’t just enforce rules – she works to make compliance easier, so researchers can focus on their work while knowing they’re in a safe environment. You will often hear her saying, “It depends…” because in biosafety, the answers are not always straightforward and finding the right solution requires thoughtful analysis and collaboration.
She tries to treat everyone with grace, knowing that she is just “one small part of someone else’s day.” Especially in her regulatory role, where she must enforce rules, Molly strives to approach everyone with compassion and understanding. She admits that she needs to work on giving herself some of this compassion, as her analytical mind can sometimes be self-critical. She reminds herself that it’s okay not to have all the answers right away and that everyone’s journey is different.
Having recently moved from Georgia to Boston with her husband and their dog, Arlo, Molly and her family are still adjusting to the New England weather. Thankfully, many of Molly’s hobbies, like knitting, crocheting, and fiber arts, keep her warm during these colder months. She is looking forward to warmer weather so she can enjoy volunteering as a grave photographer, a hobby that ties into her love of genealogy.
For Molly, strolling through graveyards and discovering weathered tombstones isn’t eerie—it’s an invitation to step into the past. She enjoys uncovering the history of those who have come before her and spends too much time wondering what their lives might have been like. To her, genealogical research is like a frame around a picture of history, each detail adding depth and meaning, helping to connect the past with the present. By studying her own family tree, Molly can see how more than just DNA links her to her ancestors, revealing deeper connections across generations.

12/09/2025

Meet Eric Dang, PhD, the newest addition to the Ragon Institute faculty.

A fungal immunologist joining us from NIH, Dr. Dang studies how the billions of fungi we inhale and ingest every day shape our immune systems and overall health.

In this Q&A, he shares his journey from collegiate lacrosse player to leading researcher, why fungal infections are an underrecognized global health threat, and what drew him to Ragon's cross-disciplinary approach.

Read more here: https://ragoninstitute.org/2025/12/an-interview-with-eric-dang-phd-the-newest-ragon-faculty-member-exploring-how-everyday-fungi-shape-human-health/

📸: Dr. Dang and members of his lab

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