The Kwon Lab
We seek to develop better ways to prevent and treat HIV infection by studying HIV in mucosal tissues.
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
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.
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
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.
Reading scientific papers is more fun as a group and with #massivebreakfast! #journalclub @_thefriendlytoast #kwonlab
Honored to share the stage with a wonderful group of experts to discuss the importance of the #vaginalmicrobiome in #womenshealth. Come join us online on December 3rd! See a preview: https://bit.ly/2Jk8VtA @ragoninstitute @harvardmed @massgeneral
#happybirthday to Matt, Meg, Crystal, Nomfu, Juliet, Candace, Upi, and Alice! Whew! #summerbabies #birthdaycatchup
Photos from The Kwon Lab's post
Umlazi, Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa
Thanks to the staff at the FRESH clinic in #umlazi #southafrica for another wonderful and productive visit by members of the #kwonlab! #durban #endhiv @ Umlazi, Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa
Photos from The Kwon Lab's post
Cambridge, Massachusetts
After a summer full of #earlymorning #running 🏃🏻🏃🏽♀️, congrats to Nomfu and Jo on burning up the Race4Research 5k today! #kwolab #runners @ Cambridge, Massachusetts
Photos from The Kwon Lab's post
Ragon Institute
#kwonlab happy hour on a beautiful #summerday! Ragon Institute Harvard Medical School Massachusetts General Hospital
Listen to Episode 2 of Lucy's "Kwon Lab Science from a 6th Grader" podcast. This month Lucy interviews Elizabeth Byrne- Rhodes Scholar, Harvard MD PhD student, and dog lover! Find out more by clicking the picture below. #kwonlab Massachusetts General Hospital Harvard Medical School Ragon Institute
Kwon Lab Retreat 2019 is in the books! We had a weekend full of sunshine, team building, and science in the woods of Maine. Feeling lucky to be surrounded by such an amazing scientific family ☀️🤸🏽♂️🏄🏾♀️⛰🧬🦠#kwonlabretreat #scienceinthesun @ Maine
It has been a wonderful privilege to be a part of the Ragon Institute since its inception 10 years ago and I look forward to contributing to this new phase, which has been enabled by the incredible generosity of Terry and Susan Ragon. I am excited by the amazing opportunities and humbled by the responsibility of realizing the goal of using science to improve human disease. Thank you Terry, Susan, Bruce, and Facundo for your leadership and vision.
Ragon Institute: Harnessing the Power of Human Immunity
A transformative gift from Phillip T. and Susan M. Ragon adds fresh momentum to the Ragon Institute's fight against HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases.
Check out episode 1 of our "Kwon Lab Science from a 6th Grader" podcast, featuring our summer media intern, Lucy! (click on the pic to play) #kwonlab Ragon Institute Massachusetts General Hospital Harvard Medical School
What a special night celebrating the @ragoninstitute 10th anniversary with the #kwonlab and #sting! And finally, a photo of me with my two lifelong scientific #mentors, Bruce Walker and Dan Littman! Also, I learned just how much #kwonlab likes to dance! #dancingmachine 💃 🤖
Congrats to Dr. David Gootenberg on his successful dissertation defense! #newdoc #poophats💩 #champagnesabering #kwonlab
Happy 25th birthday @ImmunityCP! We're honored to be able to share our views on all the wonderful things to come in the next quarter century of immunology!
#cellpress #Kwonlab #futurelook #ragoninstitute
#cellpress #Kwonlab #futurelook #ragoninstitute
The Next Quarter Century
Immunity celebrates its 25th anniversary at an exciting time in immunology, marked by the advent of new, door-opening approaches and a deeper understanding of the centrality of the immune system to both health and disease. We asked 25 investigators to look forward and share a vision of the next quar...
Studying HIV, the microbiome and immunology on International Day of Women in Science in the #kwonlab. #womeninscience @womenscienceday @unwomen #womeninstem #harvardmed #massgeneral #ragoninstitute
Congrats to Bjoern Corleis for his paper on lung T cells, HIV and TB!
HIV-1 and SIV Infection Are Associated with Early Loss of Lung Interstitial CD4+ T Cells and Dissemination of Pulmonary Tuberculosis
Corleis et al. show that lung parenchymal CD4+ T cells are permissive to HIV-1-dependent cell death. CD4+ T cell loss is highly significant in the interstitium but not the alveolar space, and loss of interstitial CD4+ T cells is associated with extrapulmonary dissemination of M. tuberculosis.
Congrats to our sister biotech spin out, Day Zero Diagnostics, on closing out their Series A fundraise!
Day Zero Diagnostics Closes $8.6M Series A to Rapidly Diagnose Infectious Diseases
CDC defined antibiotic resistance as "one of the biggest public health challenges of our time." Each year in the U.S., at least 2 million people get an antibiotic-resistant infection, and at least 23,000 people die.
Helping to teach computational approaches to scientists in sub-Saharan Africa along with a great crew, including Scott Handley Sophie Shaw Matthew Hayward Barry Hykes Jr. Chandni Desai Lindsay Droit and Candace Gregg. With special thanks to our funders- Ragon Institute, Harvard University CFAR, Caprisa, and SANTHE
Workshop on Microbiome and Transcriptome Analysis in Durban, South Africa
Workshop on the analysis of biological data for studies on the microbiome and host-gene expression. Film by Kira Dane and Katelyn Rebelo Sponsored by: Harvard…
Photos from The Kwon Lab's post
Cape Town, Western Cape
Great meeting with folks from the lab in #capetown at the Keystone meeting on the vaginal #microbiome! @ Cape Town, Western Cape
Happy holidays from the Kwon Lab tech team! (minus @mussietimo) We traded our pipette tips for frosting tips and discovered we should have stuck to the science all along 👩🏽🔬🔬🧫🦠🍪.
#doug #uses #too #many #hashtags
#techbabies #sprinklescience
https://www.instagram.com/p/BrD-eHDh8pd/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=1jp3frdddkuu0
#doug #uses #too #many #hashtags
#techbabies #sprinklescience
https://www.instagram.com/p/BrD-eHDh8pd/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=1jp3frdddkuu0
World AIDS Day. December 1, 2018
Dear all,
Today marks the 30th Worlds AIDS Day. Today especially it’s important to take a moment to reflect on the scale of this epidemic- the 70 million people who have been infected with HIV, the 37 million who continue to live with infection, and the 1.8 million who will become infected in the next year. Those numbers often feel too large to comprehend, so instead I hope you can connect to something more immediate- the patients you treat, the research participants you’ve encountered, friends, and family members. As you all know, although there has been tremendous progress in the fight against HIV, there is still so much left to be done. However, I believe that we, as a community, will be able to end the HIV pandemic within our lifetimes, and I feel privileged to have the opportunity to be part to these efforts. And I especially feel privileged to be undertaking this monumental task together with such a committed and talented group of people.
I hope this day will provide a moment for you to remember all those lost and the terrible grief that HIV has caused, but I also hope that you will be reminded about the importance of the work you all do and the possibility of creating a world without HIV.
Doug
Dear all,
Today marks the 30th Worlds AIDS Day. Today especially it’s important to take a moment to reflect on the scale of this epidemic- the 70 million people who have been infected with HIV, the 37 million who continue to live with infection, and the 1.8 million who will become infected in the next year. Those numbers often feel too large to comprehend, so instead I hope you can connect to something more immediate- the patients you treat, the research participants you’ve encountered, friends, and family members. As you all know, although there has been tremendous progress in the fight against HIV, there is still so much left to be done. However, I believe that we, as a community, will be able to end the HIV pandemic within our lifetimes, and I feel privileged to have the opportunity to be part to these efforts. And I especially feel privileged to be undertaking this monumental task together with such a committed and talented group of people.
I hope this day will provide a moment for you to remember all those lost and the terrible grief that HIV has caused, but I also hope that you will be reminded about the importance of the work you all do and the possibility of creating a world without HIV.
Doug
Finally visited the #mandela capture site on my last trip to #southafrica. #madiba #100yearsofmandela #kwonlab
Seth giving a talk and presenting his poster at the HIV R4P Meeting in beautiful #madrid! #hivprevention #sti #kwonlab
Photos from The Kwon Lab's post
Umlazi, Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa
A team visit to the FRESH clinic in #durban #southafrica! So much #gratitude to the wonderful staff and participants! #endaids #hivprevention #kwonlab
Congratulations to the 1st Durban Computational Workshop! Special thanks to the wonderful students, instructors and sponsors! @ragoninstitute @caprisa @harvardcfar, SANTHE #durban #ukzn #kwonlab @ Durban, KwaZulu-Natal
Join a chat with me, Krista Dong, Thumbi Ndung’u and Bruce Walker to discuss our study on HIV in young women in sub-Saharan Africa.
Learn more about our studies trying to stop HIV among young African women #endhiv #kwonlab #womenshealth
A FRESH approach: Combining basic science and social good
A program to study HIV infection is empowering African women.
Watch the great Bjorn swoop in with only moments to spare to blow out his #birthday #candles! #happybirthday @candaceautumn @ahamiltonlinder @bjorncorleis! 🎂#outofnowhere #birthdaycandles
Had an opportunity to speak to folks at ID Consultant about our work. Not sure I have a future in radio with my high pitched voice!
HIV Transmission and the Vaginal Microbiome | Infectious Diseases
Dr Doug Kwon from Harvard Medical School discusses his research on how the vaginal microbiome affects HIV transmission in women around the world.
Congrats to our two #kwonlab alumni Mara Farcasanu and Alexander Munoz for starting the journey to becoming future #HMS #doctors! #whitecoat #futuremd
Although she’s a #doctor now, she still wears #biking gear underneath her #harvard regalia. Congratulations, Xtal! #trueoriginal #kwonlab
