The Kwon Lab

A new study co-authored by Ragon faculty members Doug Kwon, MD, PhD, and Thumbi Ndung'u, PhD, in collaboration with UCSF and UKZN offers promising insights for reducing HIV risk among young women in Africa.

Researchers tested LACTIN-V, a vaginal probiotic product containing Lactobacillus crispatus, known to create a protective vaginal environment associated with lower HIV susceptibility.

In a randomized trial among South African women at high HIV risk, those treated with LACTIN-V developed healthier vaginal microbiomes compared to the placebo group. Importantly, the probiotic prevented an increase in HIV-targeted cells in the cervix—potentially reducing vulnerability to infection. These positive results represent a significant step forward, especially since prior vaginal probiotics tested in Africa have had limited success.

Published last week in Lancet Microbe, this research paves the way for larger studies and offers hope for improved HIV prevention methods for women worldwide.

Read more: https://ragoninstitute.org/2025/04/new-study-offers-hope-in-reducing-hiv-risk-for-young-women-in-south-africa/

#HIVResearch #WomensHealth #RagonInstitute

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!