Gemechu lab: Therapeutic HPV Vaccine Shows Preclinical Promise Against HPV-Associated Cancers

Recent publication from Dr. Yohannes Gemechu Hailu and his research team published in Molecular Cancer Therapeutics highlights the development of an immunogenic therapeutic vaccine designed to stimulate antigen-specific immune responses against established HPV-driven malignancies. Unlike currently approved prophylactic HPV vaccines, this platform targets HPV E6 and E7 tumor antigens using a modular self-assembling vaccine approach. In preclinical models, the vaccine induced robust CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T-cell responses, increased cytotoxic immune-cell infiltration into tumors, delayed tumor progression, and improved survival, supporting further translational development as a potential treatment for HPV-associated cancers.

MGB press release: https://news.massgeneralbrigham.org/en/new-hpv-vaccine-shows-promise-for-treating-cancer


Publication: New Therapeutic Cancer Vaccine with Lenalidomide Induces Potent T-cell Immunity and Inhibits HPV E6/E7–Expressing Tumor Growth in Mice | Molecular Cancer Therapeutics | American Association for Cancer Research

VIC collaboration: Multimodal Imaging Tool May Reveal New Dimensions of Human Health

VIC Multimodal Imaging Tool

The VIC lab has developed a tool called MIAAIM (Multi-omics Image Alignment and Analysis by Information Manifolds) that integrates multiple sources of imaging data to generate a more comprehensive view of human health and disease. By combining complementary imaging modalities, this modular framework may help identify patterns and biomarkers that are not visible through a single data source alone. This type of multimodal analysis has the potential to strengthen disease characterization, improve risk stratification, and support more precise approaches to diagnosis, monitoring, and treatment decisions.
This effort is thanks to the collaboration of the Sîrbulescu, Poznansky, and Reeves lab teams, including Joshua Hess, PhD candidate at Cornell University, and Richard Dzeng, computational biologist, VIC and PhD candidate at Tufts University.

MGB press release: https://news.massgeneralbrigham.org/en/new-tool-combining-imaging-data-may-provide-health-insights


Publication: MIAAIM: Multi-omics image integration with dimensional reduction for tissue state mapping | PLOS Computational Biology

MGH Team Selected for ARPA-H Effort to Advance Made-to-Order Genetic Medicine Manufacturing

ARPA H

Massachusetts General Hospital is among the teams selected by the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) to help make personalized genetic medicine manufacturing possible. The initiative is aimed at accelerating the development of individualized genetic therapies by improving how these treatments are designed, produced, and delivered.

The multidisciplinary team includes MGBs Gene Cell and Therapy Institute, the Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, and other academic and industry partners who will combine expertise to support the development of a single-use, fluidics chip system capable of continuous manufacturing and quality-control testing. This approach allows for a compact and cost-effective pathway to creating genetic medicines, including RNA therapies and personalized cancer treatments, that can be manufactured quickly, reliably, and generate more accessible therapy for patients with cancer, rare genetic disorders and chronic diseases.

ARPA press release: ARPA-H selects teams to make made-to-order genetic medicine manufacturing possible

ARPA-H|
MGB press release: https://news.massgeneralbrigham.org/en/award-to-advance-on-demand-manufacturing-of-genetic-medicines

Visit to the British Consulate with VIC UK science students and post-doctoral fellow

Group of people

Pictured from left to right – Dr. Ghazel Mukhtar, MBBS, PhD candidate Imperial College London; Shuwen Liu, undergraduate student at Imperial College London; Lucas Lee, undergraduate student at Cambridge University, Clare College; David Clay, Consul General to New England; Dr. Mark Poznansky; Linda Hakajova, medical student at the University of Edinburgh; Dr. James Apsden, MBChB, post-doctoral fellow at VIC.

Thank you to the British Consulate for another wonderful visit with the Science and Technology team there. As done annually, the VIC UK summer students, here in Boston completing 12-week internships, enjoyed tea and light snacks whilst discussing their research interests and ongoing science projects at VIC. In addition, Dr. Ghazel Mukhtar, PhD candidate at Imperial College London and Dr. James Aspden, previous UK summer student now post-doctoral fellow at VIC, were also invited to join the visit! Both Dr. Mukhtar and Dr. Aspden will be in Boston for the next year and potentially longer.