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Posted by: The Sumaira Foundation in News & Announcements
December 1, 2021 — The Sumaira Foundation is proud to announce the grant recipients of TSF’s 2021 SPARK and Unicorn grants. Congratulations to our 5 recipients who each received $25,000 to initiate their research projects!
2021 Unicorn Grant recipient
Nusrat Ahsan, MD | Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles (Los Angeles, CA)
Aim 1 | To determine the presence of HLA association in pediatric onset MOG-AD, NMOSD and ADEM
Aim 2 | To determine HLA association’s role in relapse
2021 SPARK Grant recipient
May Han, MD | Stanford Medicine (Stanford, CA)
Aim 1 | Define the cellular immunopathogenesis of cognitive impairment in NMOSD
Aim 2 | Define the molecular immunopathogenesis of cognitive impairment in NMOSD
Aim 3 | Define how immune homeostasis reverses cognitive impairment in NMOSD
2021 SPARK Grant recipient
Farrah Mateen, MD, PhD | Massachusetts General Hospital (Boston, MA)
Aim 1 | To depict the impact of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) on employment, job loss, and work hours in a multi-country prospective survey-based study of people living with NMOSD
2021 SPARK Grant recipient
Jamie McDonald, MD, MSc | Stanford Medicine (Stanford, CA)
Aim 1 | Develop longitudinal database and biorepository for MOG-AD patients at the Stanford Neuroimmunology Center, including multi-center collaboration. Demographic, clinical outcomes, biochemical (including MOG-IgG serial titers, presence of co-neuronal antibodies), neuroimaging and neuropsychological outcomes, when available
Aim 2 | To determine if MOG IgG positivity or titer predicts index event severity or relapse
Aim 3 | To correlate MOG IgG serostatus with serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) immune profiles to inform immunopathogenesis and treatment
2021 SPARK Grant recipient
Elias Sotirchos, MD | Johns Hopkins Medicine (Baltimore, MD)
Aim 1 | To compare retinal vascular plexus densities between eyes with a history of optic neuritis from people with NMOSD, MOG-AD, MS and controls
Aim 2 | To compare retinal vascular plexus densities between eyes without a history of optic neuritis from patients with NMOSD, MOG-AD, MS and controls
Aim 3 | To assess correlations of retinal vascular plexus densities with visual function in NMOSD, MOG-AD and MS eyes
