The Ragon PRISM Science Club is back for 2026!
PRISM (Program of Ragon and IMES in Science and Medicine) is our outreach program for high school students from underrepresented communities in the Greater Boston area
Head to the link here to learn more: https://ow.ly/e8hg50Yrr1Q
The publication introduces a statistical method that evaluates biologically linked outcomes jointly rather than relying on separate analyses that ignore their interdependence.
Read More: https://ow.ly/Fvbl50YqgBF
Now open: The Tecnológico de Monterrey and FEMSA Fellowships at the Ragon Institute! Postdoctoral researchers from Mexican institutes can join our labs in Cambridge, MA for up to three years.
Apply by March 31: https://ragoninstitute.org/tecnologico-de-monterrey-fellowship-at-the-ragon-institute/
“We believe this insight will be crucial for the development of future HIV therapies that employ combinations of antibodies that can exert orthogonal selective pressure on the virus."
Read More: https://ow.ly/8aoG50Yj0us
A multi-institutional study published in Science Immunology, led by the Batista Lab, demonstrates that a single immunization can rapidly generate antibodies capable of neutralizing a broad range of HIV strains.
Read more: https://ow.ly/JxaM50YhIBG
“We were able to identify cells in and around the germinal centers producing antibodies creating a hyperlocal feedback loop” first author Yu Yan said.
Read more: https://ow.ly/fs5950YfjM2
Ragon Scientific Director Facundo Batista, PhD, has been named the 2026 recipient of the AAI-BioLegend Herzenberg Award by the American Association of Immunologists (AAI). The award recognizes investigators who have made outstanding contributions to the field of B cell biology.
After two weeks across South Africa, our 'Evolution of an Epidemic' course has wrapped up. Our MIT and ALA students explored HIV research, visited rural communities, and experienced the Hluhluwe Game Reserve.
Thank you to this incredible cohort!
Welcome to Ragon, Eric Sun, PhD! A computational biologist from Stanford, Dr. Sun uses machine learning to study aging and the immune system.
Read our Q&A to learn about his research and what's ahead.
https://ow.ly/t1in50Y0X6x
Ragon faculty Sophia Liu of the Liu Lab has been awarded a grant through MLSC Bits to Bytes to build an immune response map for antigen prediction—colaborating with Armon Sharei and Ava Amini to develop tools for more effective vaccines and immunotherapies.
Read more: https://ow.ly/HFts50Y0cV7
The Ragon Institute and MIT have returned to South Africa for the 'Evolution of an Epidemic' course. 18 MIT students and 5 African Leadership Academy students are exploring public health and immunology across Johannesburg, Durban, and KwaZulu-Natal. Follow along for updates!
Meet Meg! From practicing medicine in Mongolia to a decade of immunology research in Japan, she now develops malaria vaccines in the Idris Lab—bringing resilience & a global perspective to life-saving science. 🌍
#RagonInstitute #WeAreRagon #WomeninSTEM #MalariaResearch
The Ragon Institute is pleased to announce that applications are now open for the 2026 PRISM High School Science Program!
Application deadline: January 18, 2026
Apply here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/YJ5KYX2
For questions, please contact ragonoutreach@mgh.harvard.edu.
As 2025 comes to a close, we're reflecting on a landmark year for the Ragon community.
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: ragoninstitute.org
A new study from the Ghebremichael Lab, 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.
Read More: https://ow.ly/htiI50XNjcz
Out today in @cp-cell.bsky.social! We studied how environmental stresses like high-fat diets today can prime tumorigenesis months to years in the future (1/n)
A new study led by the Shalek Lab and 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.
Read: https://ow.ly/p93n50XL9Jj
#Immunology #Cancer
Ragon founding director Bruce Walker, MD, opened the 2025 MassCPR Symposium on Nov. 19, bringing together researchers from academia, industry, and public health.
🎥 Watch the full symposium here: https://masscpr.hms.harvard.edu/symposia/masscpr-symposium-2025/
A new study from the Batista Lab, 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.
Read more: https://ow.ly/rijS50XKBWt
Meet Molly Bergeron, our Biosafety Officer! She helps researchers navigate complex protocols and loves solving problems.
Recently moved from Georgia to Boston, Molly enjoys knitting, fiber arts, and volunteering as a grave photographer through her love of genealogy.
#WeAreRagon
Welcome to Ragon, Eric Dang, PhD! A fungal immunologist from NIH, Dr. Dang studies how the fungi we breathe and eat influence our health.
Read our Q&A to learn about his work.
https://ow.ly/XLPN50XAUiq
Yesterday, Ragon and Tecnológico de Monterrey held our first joint symposium on metabolic health and immunity—one year after launching our partnership. Researchers shared work on HIV vaccines, TB, cardiac disease, and more. Thank you to all who participated!
#GlobalHealth #Partnership
On #WorldAIDSDay, we're sharing a breakthrough: our researchers identified why some people with HIV achieve remission after antibody treatment—a key step toward a functional cure. Published in Nature. Read more: https://ow.ly/96in50XAk0P
We are proud to share that the Ragon Institute's building at 600 Main Street has been recognized with a 2025 Architectural Record Award (Honorable Mention).
Read more about the award and design: https://payette.com/designalways/the-ragon-institute-honored-with-2025-architectural-record-award/
On Nov. 12, the Ragon welcomed signatories of the Giving Pledge for a learning session on how philanthropy can accelerate discovery in immunology. This video offers an overview of our work and its impact.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpF7kQVdk74
A large international collaboration from the Kwon and Xavier Labs shows that HIV infection and common ARV drugs change the gut microbiome in distinct, geography-dependent ways.
Read more: https://ow.ly/xnnZ50XjV1h
#Immunology #Microbiology #Collaboration #GlobalHealth #HIV
A new study co-led by the Batista Lab at the Ragon and Scripps/IAVI shows that a single mRNA-based vaccine mix can jump-start the early steps toward several promising HIV-fighting antibodies at the same time.
Read more: https://ow.ly/Sifj50XeYSl
#HIV #Collaboration #Vaccines
A JCI Insight study by the POSITIVES team and Barczak Lab tracked people with mild COVID-19 to see if Omicron subvariants change over time. Key features—viral level, peak timing, and duration of live virus shedding—remained similar across all variants.
Read More: https://ow.ly/soGF50XgpFP
We’re proud to share that our Scientific Director, Facundo Batista, PhD, has been elected to the National Academy of Medicine—one of the highest honors in health and medicine.
Congratulations Dr. Batista!
The Garcia-Beltran Lab at the Ragon has received an NIH HRHR award to propel a new project that retools NK cells to better locate, enter, and destroy solid tumors.
Read more: https://ow.ly/6PjJ50Xbcwk
