In the lab with Dr Agustín Pappolla

Dr Agustín Pappolla is an MS researcher from Argentina who has recently completed a two-year McDonald Fellowship under the supervision of Professor Jordi Río at the Centre d’Esclerosi Múltiple de Catalunya (CEMCAT) in Spain.

We reached out to Dr Pappolla, recipient of the 2022 MSIF-FRANCESEP McDonald Fellowship, to hear more about his research journey, the impact of his work, and how the fellowship has shaped his future plans.

Understanding treatment response in MS

During his fellowship, Dr Pappolla focused on blood-based biomarkers—specifically sNfL and sGFAP—that can help doctors better understand how people with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) respond to treatment.

‘These biomarkers reflect underlying disease activity and may give early warning signs if a treatment isn’t working as expected,’ he explains.

The findings that he aims to demonstrate through his ongoing work—currently still in progress—support the potential use of sNfL and sGFAP as reliable markers of therapeutic response in RRMS. He is pursuing this research initially as a single-centre study and, ideally, as a multicentre project to validate these results.

This could complement standard clinical and imaging assessments and pave the way for more personalised, cost-effective approaches to treatment monitoring—particularly in low- and middle-income countries, where healthcare resources are limited.

Why this matters for people with MS

In countries like Argentina, access to advanced MS therapies can be restricted. Detecting treatment failure early can help doctors switch to more effective therapies sooner, potentially preventing relapses and reducing long-term disability.

Dr Pappolla’s work also has benefits for MS clinics that don’t yet have access to biomarker testing.

‘By sharing data and insights from centres that do have this technology, we can still guide treatment decisions in lower-resource settings,’ he says. ‘In the future, access to these tools will likely become possible in such settings, and building these datasets now can serve as an initial bridge to develop these capabilities in less-developed latitudes.’

Building skills and collaborations for the future

Dr Pappolla describes the fellowship as transformative, giving him deeper insight into the biological effects of disease-modifying therapies and how to translate biomarker research into clinical tools that support treatment decision-making.

Working at CEMCAT provided a unique opportunity to take part in multidisciplinary clinical discussions and observe how therapeutic response monitoring can be enhanced using fluid biomarkers. ‘This is particularly valuable for countries where high-cost therapies are limited and need to be used as precisely and efficiently as possible,’ he explains.

The experience also allowed Dr. Pappolla to build lasting collaborations with his host institution and other leading European centres involved in biomarker research and MS care.

From Europe to Argentina 

After completing his investigations and returning to Argentina, Dr. Pappolla plans to continue these international collaborations through joint research projects, data sharing, and publications. He also aims to strengthen ties between European institutions and MS organisations in Argentina, promoting knowledge transfer and fostering local research that aligns with global standards. 

‘My goal is to bring back what I’ve learned to improve MS care through personalised therapy strategies and to help establish research initiatives that can make a real difference for people living with MS in low- and middle-income countries,’ he says. 

Recognising scientific achievement 

Dr. Pappolla’s work and expertise will be highlighted at ECTRIMS 2025, where he will present his research through two posters and a presentation, as well as chairing an educational session on challenges in treating MS. You find Agustín in the ECTRIMS Programme here.  

In June 2024, he also served as co-chair of the ECTRIMS Focused Workshop “Unravelling Treatment Response in Multiple Sclerosis”, held in Mallorca, where experts from ECTRIMS and the National MS Society in the US gathered to discuss therapeutic response in MS patients. 

His host supervisor, Professor Jordi Río, describes him as ‘a talented clinician-scientist with a deep scientific curiosity, clinical sensitivity, and a collaborative mindset.’ 

‘Agustín has made a valuable contribution to our team,’ says Professor Río. ‘We’re confident he will continue to build a strong career in MS research and care, and we look forward to future collaborations.’ 

About the McDonald Fellowships 

The McDonald Fellowship is a two-year fellowship that enables young researchers from low- and middle-income countries to work in a research institution outside their own country. Fellows gain new skills and techniques, with a view to returning to their own country to establish an MS research program and apply what they have learned.    

MSIF’s McDonald Fellowships are now open for application. Read more about the fellowships here.    

We are extremely grateful to our partner organisations ECTRIMS and FRANCESEP. Without their support, these awards would not be possible.