The MSIF Research Alumni Programme provides a dynamic link between recipients of MSIF’s research awards (Du Pré Grants and McDonald Fellowships, formerly known as Du Pré Fellowships) and MSIF. MSIF research award recipients will automatically become an alumnus on completion of their MSIF funded research.

MSIF aims to stimulate international collaborative MS research and engage the interest of young researchers and encourage them to remain involved in the MS field. The alumni programme aims to develop a lifelong relationship between alumni and MSIF, to promote scientific communication and to further develop a global MS research network.

2007

McDonald Fellowships

Pedro Angelo

Institute of origin: Universidade Federal de São Paolo
Country of origin: Brazil
Host Institute: Mayo Clinic, Rochester, USA
Project: The role of human kallikreins in MS / immunology
Host supervisor: Isobel Scarisbrick
Current role: McDonald Fellowship
Current Institute: Host Institute
See also 2007 McDonald Fellowship Recipients

Simona Budui

Institute of origin: V. Babes National Institute of Pathology, Bucharest
Country of origin: Romania
Host Institute: University of Verona, Verona, Italy
Project: Adipose-derived stem cell therapy in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) - an animal model of MS
Host supervisor: Gabriela Constantin
Current role: McDonald fellowship
Current Institute: Host Institute
See also 2007 McDonald Fellowship Recipients

Sara Litwak

Institute of origin: Institute of Reconstructive Neurobiology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
Country of origin: Argentina
Host Institute: Monash Immunology and Stem Cell laboratories (MISCL), Monash, Australia
Project: Role of microglial Nogo receptor in autoimmune-mediated demyelination
Host supervisor: Claude Bernard
Current role: McDonald fellowship
Current Institute: Host Institute
See also 2007 McDonald Fellowship Recipients

Kanitta Suwansrinon

Institute of origin: The King Chulalongkorn University Hospital, Bangkok
Country of origin: Thailand
Host Institute: Mayo Clinic, Rochester, USA
Project: Genetic Analysis of Spontaneous CNS repair
Host supervisor: Moses Rodriguez
Current role: McDonald fellowship
Current Institute: Host institute
See also 2007 McDonald Fellowship Recipients

Carmen Tur Gomez

Institute of origin: Clinical Neuroimmunology Unit, Vall d’Hebron University, Barcelona
Country of origin: Spain
Host Institute: Institute of Neurology, London, UK
Project: Non-conventional MRI techniques in primary progressive MS.
Host supervisor: Alan Thompson/Olga Ciccarelli
Current role: McDonald fellowship
Current Institute: Host institute
See also 2007 McDonald Fellowship Recipients

2007

Du Pré Grants

Stephan Bramow

Institute of origin: Danish Multiple Sclerosis Center
Country of origin: Denmark
Host Institute: Brain Research Center, Vienna, Austria
Project: Pathology of progressive MS
Host supervisor: Hans Lassmann
Current role: Du Pré grant
Current Institute: Host Institute
Relevant Publications: Paper in press
See also 2007 Du Pré Grant Recipients

Nilufer Kale

Institute of origin: Okmeydani Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul
Country of origin: Turkey
Host Institute: Mayo Clinic, Rochester, USA
Project: MS Neuropathology, neuroimmunology
Host supervisor: Claudia Lucchinetti
Current role: Du Pré grant
Current Institute: Host Institute
See also 2007 Du Pré Grant Recipients

Maria Katsara

Institute of origin: University of Patras
Country of origin: Greece
Host Institute: Burnet Institute incorporating Austin Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia
Project: Development of a vaccine against MS. Immune responses of linear and cyclic analogues of myelin sheath emulsified in CFA or conjugated to reduced mannan in animal models for MS.
Host supervisor: Vasso Apostolopoulos
Current role: Defended PhD thesis, March 2008
Current Institute: Department of Chemistry, University of Patras, Greece
Relevant Publications: Several papers submitted.
See also 2007 Du Pré Grant Recipients

Ya ou Liu

Institute of origin: Xuanwu hospital, Capital medical university
Country of origin: China
Host Institute: Howard Florey Institute, Melbourne, Australia
Project: Testing new therapies in EAE and Cuprizone model of MS
Host supervisor: Gary F Egan; Trevor Kilpatrick
Current role: Testing a new therapy in both EAE and cuprizone model of MS and preparing to create a collaboration with the Howard Florey Institute.
Current Institute: Host institute
See also 2007 Du Pré Grant Recipients

Jennifer Somerfield

Institute of origin: Auckland Hospital, Auckland
Country of origin: New Zealand
Host Institute: Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Cambridge University, Cambridge, UK
Project: Phase 3 trials of Campath-1H
Host supervisor: A Compston, A Coles
Current role: Du Pré grant
Current Institute: Host institute
See also 2007 Du Pré Grant Recipients

Janek Vilisaar

Institute of origin: University of Nottingham, Nottingham
Country of origin: Estonia
Host Institute: Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA
Project: Effects of IL-17 on human neurons and astrocytes
Host supervisor: Dennis Kolson
Current role: Du Pré grant
Current Institute: Host institute
See also 2007 Du Pré Grant Recipients

2006

Du Pré Grants

Raoul Oude Engberink

Institute of origin: University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands
Host Institute: Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, USA
Project: Cellular Imaging
Host supervisor: J.W.M. Bulte
Current role: Soon to defend PhD thesis
Current Institute: Host Institute
Relevant Publications: Manuscript in preparation
See also 2006 Du Pré Grant Recipients

Gabriele Piaton

Institute of origin: Institut National de la santé et de la recherche médicale INSERM, Paris, France
Host Institute: NYU Medical School, New York, USA
Project: demyelination/remyelination
Host supervisor: James Salzer
Current Institute: Institute of origin
Relevant Publications: Semaphorin 3A and 3F: key players in myelin repair in multiple sclerosis?
See also 2006 Du Pré Grant Recipients

Helen Tremlett

Institute of origin: University of British Columbia, Vancouver
Country of origin: UK
Host Institute: Menzies Research Institute, University of Tasmania, Australia
Project: MS epidemiology
Host supervisor: Anne-Louise Ponsonby
Current role: Assistant professor
Current Institute: Institute of origin
Relevant Publications: Adherence to the immunomodulatory drugs for multiple sclerosis: contrasting factors affect stopping drug and missing doses.
See also 2006 Du Pré Grant Recipients

Lisa van Baarsen

Institute of origin: VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam
Country of origin: Netherlands
Host Institute: Van Andel Research Institute, Michigan, USA
Project: Proteomics
Host supervisor: Brian B. Haab
Current role: Final year PhD to be followed by postdoc
Current Institute: Institute of origin
Relevant publications: Pharmacogenomics of interferon-beta therapy in multiple sclerosis: baseline IFN signature determines pharmacological differences between patients.
See also 2006 Du Pré Grant Recipients

2005

Du Pré Fellowship

Marcelo Matiello

Institute of origin: Universidade do Rio de Janeiro
Country of origin: Brazil
Host Institute: Mayo Clinic, Rochester, USA
Project: Genetics of Multiple Sclerosis and Neuromyelitis Optica
Host supervisor: Brian Weinshenker
Current role: Starting Senior Research fellowship programme
Current Institute: Host Institute
Relevant Publications: NMO-IgG predicts the outcome of recurrent optic neuritis.
Neuromyelitis optica: changing concepts.
See also 2005 Du Pré Fellowship Recipient

2000

Du Pré Grants

Olga Ciccarelli

Institute of origin: University of Rome, (La Sapienza)
Country of origin: Italy
Host institute: Institute of Neurology, London, UK
Project: MRI in MS
Host supervisor: D.H.Miller
Current role: Wellcome Advanced Fellow and Hon.Consultant Neurologist
Current Institute: Host Institute
Relevant publications: Investigation of MS normal-appearing brain using diffusion tensor MRI with clinical correlations.
Disability and lesion load in MS: a reassessment with MS functional composite score and 3D fast FLAIR.
See also 2000 Du Pré Grant Recipients

An Goris

Institute of origin: Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
Country of origin: Belgium
Host institute: Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast, UK
Project: Genetics of MS
Host supervisor: Prof. Koen Vandenbroeck
Current role: Researcher in MS
Current Institute: Institute of origin
Relevant Publications: Novel polymorphisms in the IL-10 related AK155 gene (chromosome 12q15).
Linkage disequilibrium analysis of chromosome 12q14-15 in multiple sclerosis: delineation of a 118-kb interval around interferon-gamma (IFNG) that is involved in male versus female differential susceptibility.
See also 2000 Du Pré Grant Recipients

1994

Du Pré Fellowship

Zsolt Illés

Country of origin: Hungary
Host institute: National Institute of Neurology and Psychiatry, Tokyo, Japan
Project: In vivo activation of myelin-specific T cells, NKT cells in demyelinating diseases
Host supervisor: Takeshi Tabira, Takashi Yamamura
Current role: Head of Neuroimmunology
Current Institute: Department of Neurology, University of Pécs, Hungary
Relevant publications: Identification of autoimmune T-cells among in vivo expanded CD25+ T-cells in multiple sclerosis.
Differential expression of NK T cell V alpha 24J alpha Q invariant TCR chain in the lesions of multiple sclerosis and chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy.

1985

Du Pré Fellowship

Samuel Komoly

Institute of origin: University of Budapest, Budapest
Country of origin: Hungary
Host institute: Inst of Psychiatry, UK
Project: Cuprizone induced demyelination
Host supervisor: Prof. P.L. Lantos
Current role: Professor and Chairman, Department of Neurology
Current Institute: Department of Neurology, University of Pécs, Hungary
Relevant publications: Decrease in oligodendrocyte carbonic anhydrase activity preceding myelin degeneration in cuprizone induced demyelination.