The Kwon Lab
We seek to develop better ways to prevent and treat HIV infection by studying HIV in mucosal tissues.
Excited to share our work out at Cell showing how key differences in vaginal bacterial fatty acid metabolism may be leveraged to alter the vaginal #microbiome to improve #womenshealth outcomes globally. Grateful for the wonderful team Meilin Zhu, Seth Bloom, Ragon Institute, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, the committed staff and participants at the FRESH clinic, and our funders
Gates Foundation
Gates Foundation
Vaginal Lactobacillus fatty acid response mechanisms reveal a metabolite-targeted strategy for bacterial vaginosis treatment
Vaginal microbiota dominance by Lactobacillus iners is associated with recurrence of bacterial vaginosis (BV), a widely prevalent syndrome, whereas microbiota dominance by other Lactobacillus species is more protective. Unsaturated long-chain fatty acids like oleic acid can simultaneously inhibit L....
Congrats to our very own Upasana Das Adhikari for this well deserved recognition!
The Ragon Institute is proud to recognize Upasana Das Adhikari, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow in the Kwon Lab, who has been awarded the prestigious K99 Pathway to Independence Award by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This highly competitive award identifies trainees with strong potential to become independent scientists and supports them through this critical transition.
Das Adhikari joined the Kwon Lab as a postdoctoral fellow in July 2019. Before moving to Boston, she was a Signgene Fellow working on a collaborative project between the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Max Delbruck Centre of Molecular Medicine in Berlin. During her PhD, she studied gut epithelial stem cell regeneration, focusing on the crosstalk between reserve and active stem cells.
Her fascination with the interactions between the epithelium, gut associated lymphoid tissue, and the microbiome led her to the lab of Ragon faculty member Doug Kwon, MD. PhD, where she now investigates the imbalance of these interactions during HIV disease progression.
The NIH K99 Pathway to Independence Award provides Das Adhikari with up to two years of mentored support followed by up to three years of independent support. This award is designed to help postdoctoral researchers transition to academic positions, facilitating their development into independent researchers.
Das Adhikari’s award recognizes her exceptional potential and provides her with the resources to further her innovative research. This support will enable her to continue her critical work in understanding the interactions within the gut during HIV progression and contribute to the development of new strategies to combat HIV and other gut inflammatory diseases.
Congratulations, Dr. Adhikari!
Das Adhikari joined the Kwon Lab as a postdoctoral fellow in July 2019. Before moving to Boston, she was a Signgene Fellow working on a collaborative project between the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Max Delbruck Centre of Molecular Medicine in Berlin. During her PhD, she studied gut epithelial stem cell regeneration, focusing on the crosstalk between reserve and active stem cells.
Her fascination with the interactions between the epithelium, gut associated lymphoid tissue, and the microbiome led her to the lab of Ragon faculty member Doug Kwon, MD. PhD, where she now investigates the imbalance of these interactions during HIV disease progression.
The NIH K99 Pathway to Independence Award provides Das Adhikari with up to two years of mentored support followed by up to three years of independent support. This award is designed to help postdoctoral researchers transition to academic positions, facilitating their development into independent researchers.
Das Adhikari’s award recognizes her exceptional potential and provides her with the resources to further her innovative research. This support will enable her to continue her critical work in understanding the interactions within the gut during HIV progression and contribute to the development of new strategies to combat HIV and other gut inflammatory diseases.
Congratulations, Dr. Adhikari!
It’s been such an amazing privilege to share in Meilin’s journey towards this day. Congratulations on successfully defending your doctoral dissertation, Dr. Zhu!
How do you #dresslikeawoman? Here, we dress like researchers! In celebration of International Day of Women and Girls in Science, a few pictures of some of our outstanding women scientists! 👩🔬 🧬🥼🧪#womeninscience
And the award for scariest Halloween office decorations and spookiest (and most brilliant) scientific group goes to…. #kwonlab! 🎃
Bill Gates thanks for highlighting the work of Meilin Zhu, who is developing solutions to leverage #vaginalmicrobiota to improve women’s health globally. Wonderful work Meilin Zhu !
#RagonInstitute #reproductivehealth #kwonlab
#RagonInstitute #reproductivehealth #kwonlab
5 of the coolest innovations I saw in Senegal
I recently visited Dakar, Senegal, where I got to meet with amazing scientists working on the next big breakthrough. It was an inspiring trip.
@zhu_ology presenting her poster to @thisisbillgates discussing efforts to leverage the #vaginalmicrobiome to improve #womenshealth globally. #grandchallenges #gatesfoundation #ragoninstitute
Scientific teamwork at Its finest! 🔬🧪👨🔬 Presenting the Kwon Lab in action: where every 'body' contributes! 💪👩🔬 #ScienceSquadGoals #KwonLabAdventures #LabLife #badpuns
Happy 5-Year Kwon Lab Anniversary to Jiawu Xu! Thank you for all of your hard work and dedication to the lab, you hold the bar high with your admirable values and consistent work ethic. We appreciate all that you do and bring to this team. Here's to another 5 years!
Summer is officially here! School Lunch with the lab to start it off right 🥪☀️
On my way to the Human Microbiome Conference and had a delay in #frankfurt so grabbed a quick Bavarian dinner with my wife. German woman in the background did not seem happy with our picture taking #photobomb #grumpycat
This is what happens when you tell your #postdoc that he’s in charge while you’re going to an international conference. New path to 2x productivity! #whoworeitbetter #instantpromotion #helpinghand #twinning
Wonderful to run into our former (and always) Kwonnie @made.in.lizland while on the infectious disease service at @massgeneral hospital. She started as part of the lab when she was a freshman at Harvard, and now is a colleague on the floors! 🙂
The people and weather are always so warm- loved seeing the clinic staff and presenting our research findings to the participants in the FRESH (Females Rising through Education, Support and Health) cohort in Durban, South Africa!
Our lab got to add their very own signatures to the final beam for the brand-new Ragon Institute offices!
Delighted to share in the celebration of the marriage of our very own @leahfroehle, former lab tech and future physician! Congratulations to you and Yoel! And wonderful to have a mini #kwonlab reunion @_iam.jo_ @upasanadasadhikari @fatifly @blythegulley
Happy Halloween from the Kwon Lab! #pikachu #scaryjosh
Happy birthday to @upasanadasadhikari @brit_sci_guy and @Josh. Proving that you’re never too old for ice cream cake and party hats! 🥳🎂🎉
We had a busy week in Durban this August: running an R and microbiome data analysis workshop at UKZN, seeing our coworkers in Kwon Lab-South Africa, and kicking off a new clinical study at FRESH! It was great to hang out with friends new and old alike, and wonderful to be back to travel!
#DataDurban2022 #FRESHBabyU!
Krista Dong Sinaye Ngcapu UKZN
#DataDurban2022 #FRESHBabyU!
Krista Dong Sinaye Ngcapu UKZN
Wonderful to attend IDSOG 2022 this year with @vaginamicrobes @aaron.abai @tessbrunner23 @carolinemitchell258 and Seth Bloom. So much better being in person.
Once the paper is published, the final task is to open the champagne and thank all the wonderful contributors, especially those in #southafrica and in particular the staff and participants of the FRESH program @ragon_institute @massgeneral @NatureMicrobiol #vaginalmicrobiome
Researchers identify potential approaches to modify the vaginal microbiome
We have remained at the forefront of medicine by fostering a culture of collaboration, pushing the boundaries of medical research, educating the brightest medical minds and maintaining an unwavering commitment to the diverse communities we serve.
Congratulations to Seth Bloom and the whole team, including our many wonderful colloborators and especially the staff and participants of the FRESH program in #southafrica, on our recent publication in Nature Microbiology on leveraging L. iners biology to potentially improve women's health gobally. https://rdcu.be/cIase Ragon Institute Massachusetts General Hospital Harvard Medical School #hivprevention #vaginalmicrobiome
Beautifully written account of our very own Suuba Demby's early journey in science.
To See, Study, and Serve
In 2021, Cell Press together with Cell Signaling Technology held the second installment of the Rising Black Scientist Award (RBSA) Essay Contest meant to support talented and motivated young Black scientists on their journey. Charleese Williams and Elle Lett won the 2021 RBSA undergraduate and post-...
Photos from The Kwon Lab's post
Ragon Institute
Happy Valentine’s Day from your favorite crew!
While we might not get to see our FRESH staff in #Durban #southafrica on a daily basis, they are the absolute backbone of our lab’s work. Our Cambridge team is incredibly grateful to work with the staff at FRESH. Hopefully we’ll all be reunited in person again soon!! Happy holidays from our team! https://bit.ly/3IUjn8x
The vaginal microbiome impacts so many important health outcomes for women, such as preterm birth, cervical dysplasia, and risk of sexually transmitted infections, including HIV. Think that it remains static over time? Check out our most recent paper examining the dynamic nature of the vaginal microbiome in women in sub-Saharan Africa and how this may impact important health outcomes: https://bit.ly/3xmMQRh #ragoninstiute #massgeneral #vaginalmicrobiome #womenshealth Alexander Munoz Matthew Hayward and Seth Bloom
A temporal model of cervicovaginal microbiota identifies targets to promote reproductive health
Munoz, et al. "Modelling the temporal dynamics of cervicovaginal microbiota identifies targets to promote reproductive health." Microbiome (2021)Read the art...
A spontaneous #kwonlab reunion on the wards at #nypresbyterian hospital #columbiamed for our alumni @jm_luevano and @jeff_paer. @alicehlinder, come out from your second year classes and let’s get a pick with the whole KL/Columbia crew! #diaspora #intern #gifellowship #medstudent
Photos from The Kwon Lab's post
Ragon Institute
Congrats to our lab alumni as they graduate from medical school and head off to rotations. We’re so proud of you and can’t wait to celebrate your future successes!
CONGRATS to Dr. Hussain (@vaginamicrobes) — Fatima was announced a 2021 Schmidt Science Fellow. She joins 27 other scientists from around the world in this year’s cohort, and is supported by the Schmidt Futures and Rhodes Trust @rhodestrust . We’re so proud of you!! 🥳🥳
Start of the first Lactobacillus crispatus vaginal probiotic trial in Africa! Wonderful to be working with a great group of collaborators: Krista Dong, Mary Dong, Thumbi Ndung’u, Craig R Cohen, and Anke Hemmerling
Read all about the LACTIN-V trial here: https://www.goodthingsguy.com/environment/could-a-common-bacteria-protect-women-in-south-africa-from-hiv/?fbclid=IwAR3dHUBn1G7eOvkfDijUkvb6VyYFQASsNYFPbN1lr8_ZJ7JZvxbFDAiq7KA
Read all about the LACTIN-V trial here: https://www.goodthingsguy.com/environment/could-a-common-bacteria-protect-women-in-south-africa-from-hiv/?fbclid=IwAR3dHUBn1G7eOvkfDijUkvb6VyYFQASsNYFPbN1lr8_ZJ7JZvxbFDAiq7KA
Photos from The Kwon Lab's post
Harvard College
We are SO proud of our dear @aaron.abai , who was tapped this week to join the @harvard Phi Beta Kappa chapter.
Aaron works in the lab under the guidance of Dr. Seth Bloom and has presented his research on Lactobacillus in the FGT at several conferences. He will be continuing his research in the lab this summer. Congratulations, Aaron— what a well-deserved honor! @ Harvard College
Aaron works in the lab under the guidance of Dr. Seth Bloom and has presented his research on Lactobacillus in the FGT at several conferences. He will be continuing his research in the lab this summer. Congratulations, Aaron— what a well-deserved honor! @ Harvard College
Happy #administrativeprofessionalsday to our very own @blythegulley!! We would be lost without you! Thank you for everything you do.
Congrats to Doug for being voted into the American Society for Clinical Investigation! What a well-deserved honor. We’re proud of you!
#kwonlab #asci #infectiousdisease #ragoninstitute #yaydoug
#kwonlab #asci #infectiousdisease #ragoninstitute #yaydoug
Another new Kwon lab member!!
Please welcome Edith Clementine Corleis, born April 7th to Bjorn and Julie! (And birthday twin to Doug!) 🎉🎉🎉🍼💓💓
Please welcome Edith Clementine Corleis, born April 7th to Bjorn and Julie! (And birthday twin to Doug!) 🎉🎉🎉🍼💓💓
Photos from The Kwon Lab's post
Ragon Institute
Welcome to our newest (and cutest) Kwon Lab member, Casiana! Huge congratulations to Mara and Christopher. 💓💓 @ Ragon Institute
Happy (belated) Match Day to all our Kwon Lab Alumni matching today!! We’re so proud of you!
Jeff Paer (pictured): Columbia, Internal Medicine
Elizabeth Bryne: BWH/MGH, OB/GYN
Abby Schiff: BWH, Internal Medicine
David Gootenberg: Boston Children’s, Pediatrics
#matchday #kwonlab #ragoninstitute #proudteam
Jeff Paer (pictured): Columbia, Internal Medicine
Elizabeth Bryne: BWH/MGH, OB/GYN
Abby Schiff: BWH, Internal Medicine
David Gootenberg: Boston Children’s, Pediatrics
#matchday #kwonlab #ragoninstitute #proudteam
Photos from The Kwon Lab's post
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Happy Valentine’s from the Kwon Lab 💞💞 @ Cambridge, Massachusetts
Congrats to Fatima and David!!
Celebrating your marriage has been a bright spot in 2020 for all of us at the Kwon Lab. Here’s to a lifetime of happiness! #thehussainblanks
Celebrating your marriage has been a bright spot in 2020 for all of us at the Kwon Lab. Here’s to a lifetime of happiness! #thehussainblanks
Congrats to Upasana Das Adhikari on being named a finalist in the #MGH Research Image Awards!
#happyhalloween from the #kwonlab! Not sure what it means when you reach a point in your career when students start dressing up as you for #halloween! #onsies #twins
It's a close race in the MGH Image Contest- vote for Upasana's entry and get her over the top! #organoids #covidresearch #kwonlab #election2020
2020 MGRI Image Contest
Image title: Human 3-D Mini-colon
Name: Upasana Das Adhikari, PhD
PI: Douglas S Kwon, MD, PhD
Department: Ragon Institute of MGH, Harvard & MIT
This represents human tissue derived 3D mini-colon showing the proportion of differentiated (non-red) and progenitor proliferating cells (red), with their actin cytoskeletal organization (green). Similar to the human colon, this mini model also represents the lumen (hollow central part), where I microinject the microbial community from the same subject. The lumen is hollow and maintains itself in ways similarly to the human colon, which is ideal for establishing a human mini colon model by the introduction of microbial community.
Name: Upasana Das Adhikari, PhD
PI: Douglas S Kwon, MD, PhD
Department: Ragon Institute of MGH, Harvard & MIT
This represents human tissue derived 3D mini-colon showing the proportion of differentiated (non-red) and progenitor proliferating cells (red), with their actin cytoskeletal organization (green). Similar to the human colon, this mini model also represents the lumen (hollow central part), where I microinject the microbial community from the same subject. The lumen is hollow and maintains itself in ways similarly to the human colon, which is ideal for establishing a human mini colon model by the introduction of microbial community.
Do you have excellent organizational and communication skills? Looking to join a dynamic team of researchers? The Kwon Lab has an opening for a staff assistant, and we’d love to hear from you! kwonlab.org/career-opportunities/ #mgh #ragoninstitute #mit
Glad to be working with the Mitchell lab @MassGeneral Hospital on this important study to help improve #womenshealth
#Ragon Institute #vaginalhealth #microbiome
#Ragon Institute #vaginalhealth #microbiome
First Vaginal Bacteria Transplants In The US To Begin At Mass. General Hospital
Researchers in Boston are looking for a better treatment for Bacterial Vaginosis, a condition affecting one-third of women in the country.