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Posted by: The Sumaira Foundation in News & Announcements
On September 24, 2025, we welcomed 165 clinicians, researchers, patients, caregivers and industry partners from all over the world to TSF’s Research Update & Award Ceremony at Casa Llotja de Mar in Barcelona.
Our event was hosted on the first night of the 41st Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS) where 10,000 delegates from all over the world convened for research updates, networking, science, advocacy and more.
We are grateful to all who supported and attended our event. It is events like this that has enabled the Foundation to support over $1.2mn in research, fellowships, diagnostic efforts, medical conferences and journal publications since 2018.
The evening began with presentations on research initiatives led by, sponsored by or partnered with TSF:
Following the Research Update, guests made their way to the main hall for TSF’s Award Ceremony:
Prof. Bruno Stankoff (President of ECTRIMS) and Prof. Olga Ciccarelli (Vice President of ECTRIMS) opened the Award Ceremony with inspiring remarks highlighting ECTRIMS’s growth and expansion, and emphasizing the vital role of partnerships with patient advocacy organizations like TSF in advancing the understanding and treatment of rare demyelinating conditions.
We were by Prof. Romain Marignier (France) and Sami Fam (Alexion), who introduced the inaugural ECTRIMS-MEDEN Fellow, Dr. Antonia Lefter. Originally from Romania, Dr. Lefter will begin her two-year training at the University of Oxford in December 2025, under the mentorship of Prof. Jacqueline Palace. This NMOSD- and MOGAD-focused fellowship is co-sponsored by TSF and Alexion.
TSF’s 2025 Global Rare Trailblazer Award honored Prof. Vanda A. Lennon, Dorothy A. Adair Professor and Director of the Neuroimmunology Research Laboratory at the Mayo Clinic. Dr. Lennon is renowned for pioneering neuroimmunology research, uncovering autoantibodies like AQP4 and GFAP that attack the nervous system. Her work has transformed diagnosis and treatment of autoimmune neurological diseases, enabling earlier cancer detection and improved patient care.
Sponsors: Amgen, UCB and Alexion
In-kind Sponsors: Barcelona Convention Bureau, MCI Spain and BMotion
Vendors: Cal Blay, Beprint, Au nom de la Rose, La Marca, Skillsprod.TV, Sharingbox
