Congratulations to David Alagpulinsa

Congratulations to David Alagpulinsa, Senior Scientist at VIC, on being named to Cell Mentor’s list of 1,000 Inspiring Black Scientists in America. This is a well deserved honor to a hard-working and innovative scientist.

“Six MGHers have been named to Cell Mentor’s list of 1,000 Inspiring Black Scientists in America. They are: David Alagpulinsa, PhD, research fellow in the Infectious Disease Unit; Emery N. Brown, MD, PhD, director of the Neuroscience Statistic Research Laboratory in the Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine; Sherri-Ann Burnett-Bowie, MD, MPH, associate director of the MGH Center for Diversity and Inclusion; Jonathan Jackson, PhD, founder and executive director of the Community Access, Recruitment & Engagement (CARE); Victoria Parker, PhD, research fellow in Radiology; and Camille Powe, MD, endocrinologist and co-director of the MGH Diabetes in Pregnancy Program. This list was created to compel and imbue the next generation of Black scientists and other minoritized individuals to enhance and empower our culture’s dignity.”

1,000 inspiring Black scientists in America

Dr. Poznansky on Sirius XM Canada Talks

The Biden administration is already quickly working on a vaccine strategy for distribution in the United States. Mass General Hospital’s Dr. Mark Poznansky spoke with @SXMCanadaTalks host Matt Gurney about what the timelines could look like. Dr. Poznansky says he’s optimistic and that while “it’s never fast enough given the pandemic curve we’re on at the moment, at least it’s happening step-by-step.

Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center MGH 2020 Holiday Newsletter

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Dear Family and Friends of VIC,

This has been a difficult year. With your help VIC has risen to the challenge by pivoting to address COVID-19 while continuing uninterrupted by the pandemic to develop new vaccines and immunotherapies for cancer, infectious and immune mediated diseases.

Several of our key achievements in 2020 are outlined below but please read the attached for more detail on VIC scientists’ exciting research

  • Rapidly modified our existing vaccine development platform to design and begin testing of a new vaccine for COVID-19, focused on inducing a strong T cell response. While we hope that large scale vaccine efforts are successful, evidence shows this approach will produce longer lasting protection
  • Established new collaborative work with biotech companies to develop powerful new tools for COVID-19 testing
  • Received rapid FDA approval for first in human testing of our novel B cell immunotherapy for the treatment of a patient with ALS
  • Developed a new treatment for type 1 diabetes and demonstrated proof of principle in mouse model of the disease

We would like to thank all family and friends of VIC, old and new, including Analog Devices, UniFirst and New England Biolabs, who made donations this year and helped make the impossible possible. You all helped bring VIC successfully and impactfully through this very challenging year. We are grateful for your continued support into 2021.

A Very Happy Thanksgiving to All from,
Dr. Mark Poznansky, Dr. Ann Sluder & the VIC team

Philanthropic support is critical to VIC’s success

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Remote Student Internship experiences at VIC during the unprecedented summer of 2020

VIC has traditionally hosted many, mostly undergraduate but some high school, students each summer in order to uphold its mission to nurture and train the next generation of translational medical scientists. Students have come through connections with universities in the UK and abroad, from many institutions in the US and through the MGH Summer Research Trainee Program at the Center of Diversity and Inclusion. The summer of 2020 proved to be challenging for many reasons but, not least, because this was required to be a virtual experience. VIC was determined not to allow this restriction to diminish the commitment to, and the experience for, this year’s student cohort.
Katarina Ho from UCLA said, “I was so worried that I wouldn’t get the chance to work with all of the amazing scientists at VIC, but I am beyond grateful that VIC was able to take remote learning in stride and provide a remote internship”. And of the experience reflected that “I think the most important thing that I learned from my remote studentship at VIC was to expand my critical thinking. I think I was given more independence than a normal internship would normally allow and because of that I was able to troubleshoot by myself. I also now have a much stronger backbone in immunology, specifically vaccines and I also see how much work goes into preparing for the experiments rather than just having primers available to you and not thinking where they came from”.
Robby Shepard during his second summer internship from Colorado College stated that “My remote studentship at VIC allowed me to further develop my technological skills for data analysis, as well as develop a deeper understanding of how clinical research is conducted. The remote aspect of the studentship allowed me to foster confidence in my ability to analyze data and contribute to research as it was often done independently by the nature of remote work. In addition, by working on an ongoing research project, I was able to continue to grow my knowledge of immunology and vaccine development”
Rohan Prabhu from Boston University Academy commented that “The best thing I got out of my time at the lab is, without a doubt, the knowledge that resulted from surrounding myself with accomplished students and scientists. From advice about the MCATs to watching senior scientists gain acclaim and praise for publishing groundbreaking studies, everyone at VIC has been a role model in their endeavors. As a result, I am now much more driven and focused in my path to achieving my dream of a career in medicine”.
Anoushka Mahendra is at Buckingham Browne & Nicholls and plans to continue the experience of working with VIC during the school year. Of her experience she said that” One of the aspects of the VIC I have been lucky to experience is simply being able to surround myself, albeit virtually, with so many people who I view as role models…My experience here has come at a crucial time for me – I am heading into my senior year of high school, applying to universities, and deciding on programs and majors. I have been committed to studying medicine since primary school, but I am still figuring out what my interests are within the broad field of medicine. My work with Dr. Reeves at the VIC has cemented my passion for bioinformatics and immunology, and my conversations with Dr. Hart and interviewees continually inspire me to pursue clinical care.
Ella Gavin is a student at Noble & Greenough School and says that “Throughout my remote studentship at VIC, I worked with Dr. Patrick Reeves and his team, helping to develop the second vaccine construct. I spent the majority of my time on the data wrangling side of things”. “The remote studentship at VIC was overall an incredible experience, as I gained exposure to a number of topics in the medical research field. As time progressed, I developed a better understanding of immunology as a whole… And I even had the chance to practice preparing for and giving presentations. All of the experiences will be a huge help to me throughout my education, and later, career.”
Emily Hill from Emory & Henry was concerned about her summer internship plans and said that “The shutdowns starting in April definitely put a halt to my summer plans and a huge question mark over whether I would be able to participate in any kind of research. Thankfully enough, the individuals at VIC were on top of things, and I was lucky enough to participate in data analysis for the Sirbulescu lab this summer. Under Dr. Sirbulescu, I learned about the capabilities and inner workings of the technique of mass cytometry (CyTOF). I was able to help document a proper core panel for the technique as well as analyze some preliminary titration data for an experimental amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) treatment…. The remote research was honestly a great experience and I would not change anything about it”.

COVID-19 infections trouble ships as companies try pandemic cruising in Europe, Tahiti

Michael Callahan, MD, Director, Clinical Translation at VIC, was deployed to cruise ships to provide emergency medical help during the COVID-19 outbreak earlier in the year and is now assisting with advice on continuity of business. The cruise ship articles in the Miami Herald, of which this is the latest, prompted a WHO Working Group to reduce international spread to which Michael has been invited.

View Via Miami Herald

Congratulations to David Alagpulinsa, PhD, Research Fellow at VIC

Congratulations to David Alagpulinsa, PhD, Research Fellow at VIC, for the 2020 Physician/Scientist Development Award, sponsored by the MGH Executive Committee on Research.

David will be using the award to further his research into type 1 diabetes – “Harnessing CXCL12 signaling for immunoprotection, survival and regeneration of pancreatic islets in type 1 diabetes”.

“The MGH Center for Diversity and Inclusion has honored five MGHers with their annual faculty development awards. Katia Canenguez, PhD, EdM, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, received the 2020 Clinician-Teacher Development Award, sponsored by the MGPO. David Alagpulinsa, PhD, Infectious Disease Unit fellow; Ibiayi Dagogo-Jack, MD, Cancer Center physician; Christian Lino Cardenas, PharmD, MSc, PhD, Cardiovascular Research Center fellow; and Nneka Ufere, MD, Gastroenterology fellow, received 2020 Physician/Scientist Development Awards, sponsored by the MGH Executive Committee on Research.”

View MGH Awards and Honors

What you should know about the race for a COVID-19 vaccine, treatment, and testing

“Boston is playing a big role in the long-term fight against COVID-19. 

It is easy to take scientific progress for granted when the world is held hostage by a virus. While no one can guarantee we will develop a successful COVID-19 vaccine, the pace at which clinical research teams are working — and collaborating — is unprecedented.”

Recent Boston Globe Piece by: Jacqueline Lisk

View Boston Globe Article Here