2026 MSIF McDonald Fellowship recipients announced

Dr Reza Naeimi and Dr Rene Carvajal, the recipients of the MSIF McDonald Fellowships 2026.

The MSIF-ECTRIMS McDonald Fellowship has been awarded to Dr Reza Naeimi from Iran. He will be conducting a two-year project with Dr Jason Plemel at the University of Alberta, Canada, on ‘From Silent Injury to Therapy: snRNA-seq of mDAWM Reveals Microglial States That Predict Repair Failure in MS’.

The MSIF-FranceSEP McDonald Fellowship has been awarded to Dr René Carvajal from Colombia. He will be conducting his two-year project with Professor Tomas Kalincik at the The Royal Melbourne Hospital, Australia, on ‘Assessing the Benefit of Anti-CD20 Therapies in Non-Active Progressive MS: An Emulated Trial Using Real-World Data’.

What are the MSIF McDonald Fellowships?

The McDonald Fellowship is a two-year fellowship that enables early-career researchers from low- and middle-income countries to work in or with a research institution outside their own country. The fellows learn new research skills and techniques, develop cross-country collaborations, and develop expertise that can support ongoing research and care in low resource settings.

MSIF-ECTRIMS McDonald Fellowship – Dr Reza Naeimi

In MS, damage to nerves starts before any lesions show up on an MRI scan – this hidden injury can only be seen under the microscope. In these ‘silent zones’, tiny immune cells called microglia start gathering before visible damage appears. Dr Reza Naeimi’s research aims to investigate what these microglia are doing, and if they can predict which silent zones will turn into permanent lesions.

This is important, because if we could develop tests that spot these early warning signs, then we could intervene before damage and disability occurs. And we might also be able to design new medicines that affect the microglia’s behaviour, protecting the nerves and preventing the earliest progression. Ultimately, Dr Naeimi hopes to work out how to stop MS in its tracks or prevent it altogether.

This Fellowship is sponsored by our partner, the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS).

MSIF-FranceSEP McDonald Fellowship – Dr René Carvajal

Many people with progressive MS around the world use ‘anti-CD20’ disease-modifying (examples are ocrelizumab or rituximab). These treatments reduce levels of certain immune cells that cause inflammation, but they can also increase the risk of infections. Studies show that these drugs mainly help people who still have signs of inflammation, or ‘active’ MS. We don’t yet know if the benefits outweigh the risks for people with non-active progressive MS.

To investigate this, Dr René Carvajal will use data from MSBase, the largest international MS registry, which collects information from thousands of people with MS around the world. By using advanced statistical methods, he will analyse these real-world data to find out whether people with non-active progressive MS who receive anti-CD20 therapies do better, worse, or the same as those who are not treated.

Understanding how treatments work in different types of MS will help doctors and patients make more informed decisions, and guide more effective and affordable care for people with progressive MS, especially in countries where access to treatments is limited.

This Fellowship is sponsored by our partner France Sclerose En Plaques (FRANCESEP).

Our Sponsors

The McDonald fellowships are made possible by the support of our sponsors, FranceSEP and ECTRIMS. We are extremely grateful to them for their continued partnership.

The next round of McDonald Fellowships will open for applications in July 2026. Learn more about the McDonald Fellowships here.