By Isabel Hart
Mass General Brigham, Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology all celebrated a joint milestone yesterday: Their collaborative research operation, the Ragon Institute, opened its new headquarters in Cambridge.
The new location at 600 Main St. in Kendall Square is less than a quarter-mile from the institute’s previous address at 400 Technology Square. The new site will provide for increased sustainability, and more space for research, officials said.
The 15-year-old institute was founded to bring scientific researchers from MGB, MIT and Harvard together to better understand the human immune system. It has six focus areas: HIV/AIDS, global infectious diseases, emerging infectious diseases, vaccine development, basic and applied immunology, and clinical studies.
The institute and the new construction were initiated with a donation from the Phillip T. and Susan M. Ragon Foundation, named after the InterSystems Corp. founder and his wife.
“The cross-disciplinary collaboration that is the hallmark of the Ragon Institute is advancing transformative research and breakthrough science that will impact human health on a global scale,” said Anne Klibanski, MGB president and CEO, in a statement.
MGB’s new patient-care complex will also be named after the Ragons.
The new Ragon Institute complex doubles the footprint to 323,000 square feet and is LEED Gold certified, according to MGB. A third of the space is reserved for public use and includes a green roof and other outdoor green spaces. The new building will also feature an in-house daycare, according to the institute’s website.
“Most importantly, we are excited by the work that will take place here and the global impact it will have on those who suffer from disease,” said the institute’s director Dr. Bruce Walker.