The Harvard Gazette – Viewing Ukraine’s war-torn health care through a personal lens

Physicians Polina Teslyar, Nelya Melnitchouk, Mark Poznansky, Serguei Melnitchouk, Dana Ronak and Rolin Kostya, and Gennadiy Fuzaylov speak with Harvard-affiliated doctors from Brigham and Women’s and MGH via Zoom to discuss the situation in Ukraine.

“Both Serguei Melnitchouk and his wife, Nelya, are surgeons, he at Massachusetts General Hospital and she at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Both are Harvard Medical School assistant professors, and both have families who are safe for now in small towns in Ukraine.

“We are constantly checking the news and trying to find ways to help,” said Nelya, who directs the Brigham’s colorectal surgery fellowship and is working with her husband on a series of medical aid projects for Ukraine. “Obviously, this whole war is very close to my heart.”

Read Article

Dr. Gennadiy Fuzaylov from HUG and through his organization, DCHC, has successfully assisted transporting afflicted children from the Ukraine to hospitals in the US.

“A Boston hospital specializing in pediatric burn victims says its treating two children recently flown from Ukraine with severe burns. Shriners Children’s Boston said Thursday that two children were transported by air ambulance, and arrived in Boston late Wednesday, each one accompanied by one of their parents. The hospital said it’s not able to share additional information regarding the children or their medical conditions at this time but will be holding a media briefing…”
Read Article

Boston burn doctors help save suffering Ukrainian children

“Two young children with severe burns, accompanied by a single parent each, fled by car from different regions of war-ravaged Ukraine toward the Polish border. From Poland, away from Russian bombs, they boarded a flight that is at least 10 hours long no matter if they flew from border cities like Lublin or Rzeszow or from the capital Warsaw, and landed sometime around midnight — late Wednesday or early Thursday — to be treated by burn specialists at Boston’s…”

Read Article

Saving lives, preserving Ukrainian health care to combat Putin’s ‘kill twice’ effect

Op-Ed in the Hill written by Drs’ Callahan, Poznansky and Serguei Melnitchouk with contributions from Drs’ Nelya Melnitchouk, Stakhovskyi and Hart on adapting, preserving and engineering the Ukraine health care system.

“Among the Russian Army’s many atrocities in its invasion of Ukraine, one stands out because of its ability to produce a continuum of pain and death: the targeting of Ukraine’s health care system, its medical professionals, and the patients under their care.

The damage by artillery and missile fire of Ukraine’s civilian health care system sets a benchmark for the violation of the rules of…”

Read Article

David Verrill Goodbye Event

VIC lab members enjoying a goodbye event for David Verrill, VIC lab manager, as he heads off to begin a PhD program at Northeastern University.

COVID Vaccines, Therapeutics, Variants, Long COVID, Ability To Tackle the Next Pandemic

Director of the Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center (VIC) at Massachusetts General Hospital, Dr. Mark Poznansky, joins Dr. Marc Siegel on Sirius XM Doctor Radio and discusses the latest information on vaccine development, current therapeutics, Long COVID, individual responsibility in preventing the spread of COVID, and the United States’ ability to tackle the next pandemic.
Listen Via Pandora

A new platform for immunotherapeutic RNA delivery to cancer cells

A study led by Dr. Minh Le investigates the potential in red blood cell extracellular vesicles (RBCEVs) to suppress cancer progression. The study recently demonstrated the capabilities of these nano-sized vesicles with successful delivery of immunotherapeutic RNA molecules to suppress cancer growth and metastasis in laboratory models. In addition, the study highlighted the advantages of the RBCEV platform, efficient delivery of therapeutics and potential for engineering specificity to target a variety of cancer types. The team continues its research in hopes to broaden the platform to more cancer types and benefit cancer patients.
View News Letter
View Research

Immune cell ‘Soldier’ identified as potential target for immunotherapy

A newly discovered immune cell “soldier” may be the next target for immunotherapy. Termed killer innate-like T cells, these cells are unlike the traditional targets of immunotherapies, that is they exhaust at a slower rate and penetrate more deeply into the tissue. Killer innate-like T cells can recognize unmutated antigens and are not dependent on antigen-presenting cells. Instead the cells are constantly primed, ready to attack cancerous cells. Researchers hope these T cells, as compared to conventional T cells, may help in eliciting immune response in patients unresponsive to immunotherapy treatment.
View News Letter
View Research

Dual-drug treatment offers promise for advanced melanoma patients

An immunotherapy study suggests hopeful results for advanced melanoma patients. The study indicated that relatlimab and nivolumab elicited beneficial responses in patients with late-stage melanoma. Specifically, the phase 2-3 trial indicated that combination therapy extended progression free-survival despite an individual’s prognostic indicators. Through using both antibodies to inhibit two immune checkpoint pathways, greater immune response was stimulated against cancer cells. Continued research is centered on the effects of combination therapy for patients in different stages of melanoma progression.
View News Letter
View Research