Center for Computational and Integrative Biology
Our Mission
Faculty in the Center for Computational and Integrative Biology (CCIB) apply interdisciplinary approaches and new technologies to answer enduring biological questions and provide insights into human disease. Novel chemical, genomics and computational tools are developed to probe signaling pathways, identify mediators of host-microbe interactions, and design therapeutic disease interventions.
Center investigators also conduct translational research to explore the potential utility of early-stage drug candidates in phase 1 studies carried out in small populations of individuals with the target disease indication.
The CCIB provides support for investigators at Mass General Hospital and across the greater Boston area through a core that provides a wide range of high-quality, cutting-edge services in the areas of molecular biology, genomics and laboratory automation, and access to advanced instrumentation, methodologies and expertise.
News and Events
Research · CCIB and Gene Lay Institute
Understanding colorectal cancer across the age spectrum
Porter et al., Nature Medicine, 2026, Fig. 2f.
A large collaboration spanning CCIB, the Gene Lay Institute, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and the Broad Institute analyzed more than 850,000 cells from 189 colorectal tumors across the age spectrum. The Nature Medicine study identifies age-associated differences in tumor composition and gene activity, providing a foundation for investigating early-onset colorectal cancer.
Read the story →Read paper (PDF)Event · December 16, 2026
Aging & Immunity Workshop
The Gene Lay Institute hosts a workshop on Immunometabolism and Immune Resilience in Healthy Aging, featuring Katya Vinogradova, Sarkis K. Mazmanian, Katrin Andreasson, and Vishwa Deep Dixit.
9:00 a.m.–12:10 p.m.
JBM Conference Center, 3rd Floor Rotunda
77 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston
Abstracts due November 30. Open to the public; registration required.
Register for the workshop →
Recognition · Smillie lab
Ohad Lewin-Epstein receives Rainin Visionary Scientist Award
Ohad Lewin-Epstein, a postdoctoral fellow in the Smillie lab, has received the Rainin Foundation’s Visionary Scientist Award. The award supports his research on microbial adaptations in inflammatory bowel disease.
About the award →Research · Colonna lab
Understanding the brain’s vascular defenses
A study from Marco Colonna and colleagues in Cell identifies cMAF as a key regulator of brain perivascular macrophages and their role in supporting cerebrovascular function. The findings also point to a protective role for this pathway in Alzheimer’s disease.
Read the study →
People
Lucas Meirelles joins CCIB
Lucas Meirelles joins CCIB and the Center for Integrated Solutions for Infectious Diseases (CISID) as an Assistant Professor. His laboratory studies lung pathogens and their role in long-term respiratory infections.
Meet the Meirelles lab →More news (3 older stories)
Recognition · Strecker lab
Jonathan Strecker receives NIH New Innovator Award
Jonathan Strecker has received the 2025 NIH Director’s New Innovator Award (DP2) to support the discovery and characterization of programmable biological systems.
Explore the project →Perspective · Xavier lab
Beyond correlation: toward causal AI in human disease
Ashenberg and Xavier discuss how integrating deep learning with mechanistic and causal models, informed by interventional data, could help uncover disease mechanisms and guide therapeutic development.
Read the commentary →Research · Xavier lab
Connecting the gut microbiome, inflammation, and depression
A collaboration between CCIB and the HMS Blavatnik Institute revealed that Morganella morganii may contribute to depression by incorporating an environmental contaminant into a molecule that triggers inflammation.
Read the HMS story →Publications
Brain perivascular macrophages regulate endothelial cell function via a cMAF-dependent transcriptional program in mouse and human. Cell. 2026;189(22):7013-7033.e12
Klebsiella Brain Abscess and Evolution of Heterovirulence in the Urinary Tract. N Engl J Med. 2026;395(4):408-410
Prokaryotic Schlafen proteins cleave tRNAs during type III CRISPR immunity. Nat Commun. 2026;17(1):ePub
LINGO4 coordinates ILC3-intrinsic IL-22 production and microbiota-mediated ILC3 homeostasis. J Exp Med. 2026;223(6):ePub
Immunity in Alzheimer's disease: From mechanisms to therapies. mmunity. 2026;59(3):524-541
Targeting amyloid-β pathology by chimeric antigen receptor astrocyte (CAR-A) therapy. Science. 2026;391(6789):eads3972
Divergent ILC3 responses to PDGF-D control mucosal immunity. Sci Immunol. 2026;11(116):eaea6848
RORγt+ dendritic cells are a distinct lymphoid-derived lineage. Sci Immunol. 2026;11(116):eaed7439
Human genetics guides the discovery of CARD9 inhibitors with anti-inflammatory activity. Cell. 2026;189(5):1356-1370.e26
Bidirectional CRISPR screens decode a GLIS3-dependent fibrotic cell circuit. Nature. 2026;650(8103):997-1006
