Dr. Yohannes Gemechu Hailu, Postdoctoral Fellow at VIC, awarded the ECOR – FMD Award for 2024

Dr. Yohannes Gemechu Hailu, postdoctoral fellow at the Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, MGH and Harvard Medical School, was recently awarded the Fund for Medical Discovery (FMD) Fundamental Research Fellowship Award for 2024 from the MGH Executive Committee on Research (ECOR). Dr. Gemechu is developing therapeutic and prophylactic vaccines for infectious disease and infectious pathogen induced cancers, particularly of interest is the development of a self-assembling vaccine and lenalidomide combinatorial treatment for Human papillomavirus induced cancers.

The FMD Fundamental Research Fellowship Awards are for MD and PhD Research Fellows and Clinical Research Fellows who are in the training phase of their research at MGH.

Recent Literature Review from the Sîrbulescu Team: Intruders or protectors – the multifaceted role of B cells in CNS disorders

Under the guidance of Dr. Sîrbulescu, our team at VIC wrote an extensive literature review to integrate the expanding field of B cells and their immunological roles within the Central Nervous System (CNS). Throughout this process, we evaluated recent advancements in B cell-mediated immune interactions through the lens of chronic CNS diseases and acute CNS injury. From the early understanding of B cell infiltration and regulation to its role in diseases such as multiple sclerosis, and now the advancing work of traumatic brain injury and stroke, we have found that B cells are involved in many aspects of CNS immunology and function. We hope that by consolidating the literature into a unified picture, researchers can identify relationships and patterns that could lead to more knowledge in the field. Ultimately, we believe that B cells are a key component of discovering cell-based therapeutics and treatments to tackle CNS-related conditions.
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Matthew Murphy, recent graduate at Imperial College in London, spent the summer working in the lab at VIC.

“I am incredibly grateful for the time I was able to spend at the Vaccine and Immunotherapy Centre this summer. Under the amazing supervision of Dr. Ruxandra Sîrbulescu, I worked on several research projects that spanned the fields of neuroscience and immunology. My main project involved characterising the immune populations in the brains of patients with a rare neurodegenerative disease. From the beginning, I was given responsibility for the project and its outcomes, presenting results to peers and collaborators throughout. I had not expected such responsibility during my internship, but I stepped well outside my comfort zone and took the most of the opportunities presented to me. This experience would not have been the same without the team of senior and junior scientists that supported me from the start of my projects. By the end of my time at the VIC, I was incredibly sad to leave the research and my team behind, but I was so proud of the quantity and quality of work I had produced. The personal and professional growth cannot be described in words alone – it must be experienced unfiltered and in-person to fully comprehend. Without a shadow of a doubt, I encourage anyone who really loves biomedical research, and has the willingness to dedicate themselves to a fantastic research project, to apply for the Professor Dulcie Coleman Studentship. There is no better way to explore your research interests and gain an incomparable research experience than at the Vaccine and Immunotherapy Centre.” – Matthew Murphy

High school senior Benjamin Shaer reflects on his summer in the VIC lab.

This summer I had the privilege to work as a summer research student at the Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center (VIC) in Boston for eight weeks. Going in on the first day with no prior research experience I was unsure what the day would bring, but I soon found an environment filled with comradery, mentorship, and a pure passion for science. Through the weekly “Tea-Time” on Mondays and regular lab gatherings, I started to feel comfortable learning from the experiences of researchers and other students and seeking their guidance. Dr. Mark Poznansky, director of VIC, provided me with generous mentorship. We met frequently to delve into vital scientific principles, including objective result analysis, thorough documentation of lab activities, and the importance of avoiding assumptions.

Under the mentorship of Dr. Fatma Dogan, I worked on the Nanoplasmid Project. The project’s goal is to develop a novel, safe, and effective islet-targeted gene delivery system to restore and enhance immune protection of the pancreatic islets. I started my time at the lab shadowing Dr. Dogan and learning key laboratory and data analysis skills. Eventually, my work entailed performing transfections in cell culture and finding new ways to measure the transfection efficiency.

My experience this summer will forever stay with me as my first step into what I hope will be a long journey in the pursuit of science. This summer was an unforgettable adventure, and I will always remember the incredible people that were part of it. As my work was filled with early morning and late nights, I learned from the example of my colleagues that science isn’t simply a job; it’s a lifestyle. I look forward to continuing to work with these inspiring people on such vital research.

Nanna Sivamanoharan is an MD student at the University of Edinburgh Medical School who spent the summer working in the lab at VIC.

My 12-week internship at the Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center (VIC) in partnership with Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) was a profound experience that reshaped my understanding of the dynamic intersection between research and clinical practice. The bright minds at the VIC played a vital role in shaping my professional growth, as well as my personal development. Professor Mark Poznansky, VIC director, exemplified leadership and dedication to advancing research. His open-door policy allowed interns like me to interact with top-notch researchers and clinicians. Dr. Patrick Reeves was not just a mentor but a guiding light throughout my internship. His expertise in immunology and his unwavering belief in my potential as a scientist motivated me to produce the best possible summer project for the lab. My project focused on the application of multiplex immune cytometry to mesothelioma samples, but it was the invaluable collaboration with clinicians and the insight into the transition between research and clinical care that made this journey truly exceptional. Weekly lab meetings and events made me feel welcome as well as safe to ask questions and discuss experimental findings and data analysis. Boston as a city, has a lot of tourist attractions, but my favourite time spent in Boston is having lunch with the other scientists by the Charlestown Navy yard waterfront. There was a bit of downtime during the data analysis of my project, which allowed me to travel out to Acadia National Park, Cape Cod and New York on three separate weekends. All in all, the internship has solidified my career goal to become a clinical researcher and I am truly grateful to Professor Mark and Dr. Patrick for giving me this incredible experience.

*Nanna and the team in the Reeves lab at the VIC polo event from July. She is pictured first on the right.

VIC Welcomes Summer Students for another Summer of Fruitful Research Work in the Lab

Greeted by both familiar and new faces, the summer students are back in the VIC lab ready to contribute to the exciting and ongoing research studies under the mentorship of VIC Principal Investigators and Senior Scientists. We are thrilled to support the learning and development of these young scientists over the course of the summer and after the end of their internships, as they pursue a future in science, be it in academia, industry, or in medicine.

So far, students have settled in the lab, familiarizing themselves with one another at the lab bench and while sipping tea and sharing biscuits at weekly afternoon tea and cake (pictured above). We look forward to their contributions to the research and development work at VIC.

Recent FASEB publication from the VIC team presents a review on a potential comprehensive definition of a target product profile for optimizing islet cell transplantation for treating and potentially curing type 1 diabetes

Despite optimal insulin replacement therapy, more than 40% of patients living with type 1 diabetes (T1D) experience severe hypoglycemic reactions and many others experience complications of their disease like vascular and renal damage. These patients require less burdensome and potentially curative approaches for their T1D, most notably including islet cell transplantation (ICT). Previous clinical testing proved the novel therapy successful in initial establishment of insulin independence but low islet viability, functionality, and localized immune protection limits ICT currently as a therapeutic for T1D. In order to address these limitations, Dr. Fatma Dogan and her team at VIC present a review on potential solutions that challenge ICT and promising combinatorial approaches that can optimize this therapeutic approach while clearly targeting the desired clinical outcomes.
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Recent Publication in the Journal of Inflammation from Dr. Ruxandra Sîrbulescu

In a recent publication, Dr. Ruxandra Sîrbulescu and her team at VIC investigate the mechanisms that underlie the neuroprotective effects of a novel cell-based treatment that uses B cells to reduce the detrimental impact of inflammation after brain injury. The authors map the local cellular responses in the injured tissue along a 2-month timeline, and describe some of the key ways by which the applied therapeutic B cells communicate with and regulate the responses of inflammatory cells in their vicinity. The study indicates that B cells applied directly into the injured tissue regulate the actions of other immune cells, including monocytes and macrophages that infiltrate from the blood, resulting in less damage to the nervous tissue. The presence of therapeutically administered B cells also reduced the long-term activation of microglia, resident immune cells of the brain. Together, these findings support B cells as powerful regulatory cells with potential for further development as an effective cell therapy for treating traumatic brain injuries in the future.
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Congratulations to Dr. Ruxandra F. Sîrbulescu for her Promotion to Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School

Congratulations to Dr. Ruxandra F. Sîrbulescu, Principal Investigator at VIC, for her promotion to Assistant Professor in Neurology at Harvard Medical School! Dr. Sîrbulescu and her team at VIC focus on understanding mechanisms of neuroinflammation and cell-based immunomodulation in the context of acute and chronic brain injury and neurodegenerative diseases. In a recent article published in the Journal of Neuroinflammation, Dr. Sîrbulescu and her team investigate mechanisms of immunomodulation in the context of traumatic brain injury using local therapeutic application of B cells, and demonstrate that in the appropriate setting, these immune cells can act as powerful neuroprotective agents. Dr. Sîrbulescu’s innovative research has been recognized through multiple publications, media articles, patents, and distinctions, including the Dr. Melvin Field Innovation Award, and several Excellence in Innovation certificates from Partners Healthcare, as well as funding support from the National Institutes of Health.

Recent Research Publication from VIC’s Dr. Jeffrey Gelfand

Jeffrey Gelfand M.D., principal investigator at VIC, recently published research results that show menadione (Vitamin K3) acting as a photosensitizer that increases the effectiveness of antimicrobial blue light therapy, specifically enhancing the microbicidal effectiveness of the light therapy, in treatment of biofilm infections. Findings indicate the modality as a potential alternative to antibiotic therapy, with the possibility of avoiding further development of antimicrobial resistant bacteria in biofilm infections.
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