Accelerated Development

The Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center (VIC) at Massachusetts General Hospital has a straightforward goal: It aims to speed up the development of new vaccines and treatments capable of combating cancer, diabetes and deadly infectious diseases. But for director and founder, Mark Poznansky, MD, PhD, and the researchers involved, that mission requires a level of nerve and determination that defies simple explanation.

A New Vision for Intensive Care

Every day in the intensive care units (ICUs) at Massachusetts General Hospital, life hangs in the balance. Patients are tethered to machines. The machines breathe for them, pace their hearts and sift waste from their bodies. Tubes deliver nutrition and supply antibiotics.

The Roots of Critical Care

During surgical procedures in the first half of the 1800s, patients yelled and moaned in excruciating pain as they watched surgeons remove tumors from their bodies and take saws to their limbs. The sounds of pain were terrible and heartbreaking.

Conquering Diabetes with Sweet Success

By the time David Damiano was 13 months old, he was hooked up to his first insulin pump. Now, 10 years later, the four-ounce device has only rarely left his side, continuously pumping insulin to his body through a thin, plastic tube inserted just under the skin on his abdomen. Without uninterrupted access to the insulin in his pump, David cannot survive.

One Woman’s Journey for a Compassionate Physician Leads Her to Mass General

At 27 years old, Peggy Guthart Strauss was newly married and loved her job at a publishing house in New York City. Life should have been fun and easy. But often, she didn’t have enough energy to make it through the work day.

Rumors circulated at the office. Peggy’s boss thought she partied too much. The truth: Peggy was worn out. Her immune system seemed off. Six weeks before her wedding, Peggy had developed mononucleosis. The unusual aches and pains continued long after the wedding festivities had moved to photo albums.