2025 Awards

“I am grateful to the ISSCD for this opportunity. The M-in-M program will allow me to gain experience with a variety of techniques that are not used in Dr. Chirdo’s laboratory, where I am currently based and it will provide me with the chance to connect with experts and fellow students in the field of celiac disease research, fostering collaborations and promoting networking and knowledge exchange.”

Mentor:

• Dr Ainara Castellanos-Rubio, the University of Basque Country, Spain

“I am deeply honored and grateful to the International Society for the Study of Celiac Disease (ISSCD) for awarding me an M-in-M grant. As a recent graduate, this prestigious recognition is particularly significant in helping me navigate the early stages of my career and orient myself within the field of gastroenterology. The support from the ISSCD provides me with a unique opportunity to further my professional development, attending key conferences and learning directly from leading experts in the field. Therefore, I am thrilled to take full advantage of this opportunity. Thank you again for your trust and support!”

Mentor:

• Professor David Sanders, The University of Sheffield, Royal Hallamshire Hospital, England

“I am very excited and honored to receive this grant award. I would like to express my heartiest thanks to the ISSCD and Takeda for providing me with the opportunity to continue my research work related to celiac disease. It will also lead me to expand my research horizon. This program will provide a global platform for me to understand the work culture and ethics overseas. Under the supervision of Professor Daniel Agardh and his team (Dr Carin Margaretha Andren Aronsson, and Dr Alexander Lind) at the Celiac Disease and Diabetes Unit at Lund University, Sweden, this collaboration aims to provide an opportunity to learn, understand and discuss the high priority research problems in celiac disease and other associated autoimmune diseases. This international interaction will help me to embark and strengthen my research career within a global professional network and help me to collaborate with experts who have provided major contributions to the celiac disease research field.”

Mentors:

• Professor Daniel Agardh, Department of Clinical Sciences, Celiac Disease and Diabetes Unit, Lund University, Skane University Hospital, Sweden
• Dr Carin Aronsson, Department of Clinical Sciences, Celiac Disease and Diabetes Unit, Lund University, Skane University Hospital, Sweden
• Dr Alexander Lin, Department of Clinical Sciences, Celiac Disease and Diabetes Unit, Lund University, Skane University Hospital, Sweden

“I am deeply grateful to the ISSCD for this M-in-M grant. The experience with Dr Verdú, Dr Caminero and their teams will be very important for my development as a biologist. I hope that this opportunity will enable me to serve to strengthen the field of celiac disease research in Argentina and Latin America.”

Mentors:

• Professor Elena Verdu, Farncombe Family Digestive Health Research Institute, McMaster University, Canada
• Professor Alberto Caminero, Farncombe Family Digestive Health Research Institute, McMaster University, Canada

“I’m very honored and excited to receive the ISSCD M-in-M grant. The grant will make it possible for me to visit Professor Størdal’s research group at University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital. Professor Størdal is a highly esteemed researcher in celiac disease, and the opportunity to learn from him will be highly valuable for my development as a researcher, as it allows me to expand my knowledge, and gain new insights in celiac disease by bridging knowledge between research groups and countries. Furthermore, the mentorship will be an important step in establishing international bonds and collaborations in the celiac disease community. I look very much forward to this chapter. Thank you so much ISSCD!”

Mentor:

• Professor Ketil Stordal, University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital, Norway

“I’d like to thank the ISSCD and Takeda for this invaluable opportunity to receive mentorship from Dr Michael FitzPatrick and Dr Agne Antanaviciute. Under the guidance of these two experts, this program will allow me to develop the bioinformatic skills required to analyse complex spatial transcriptomic data to provide novel insights into the immune response occurring within hours of gluten consumption in people with celiac disease. This opportunity will not only contribute to our understanding of acute gluten immunity and potential therapeutic targets, but it will also foster an important collaboration between our research labs in Melbourne and Oxford and support future combined efforts to advance the field of celiac disease research.”

Mentors:

• Dr Michael FitzPatrick, The University of Oxford, England
• Dr Agne Antanaviciute, The University of Oxford, England

“I feel honored to have received this award from the ISSCD. As a young researcher the M-in-M program gives an invaluable support in the evolution as a researcher. The award will support me to continue my international collaboration with Jocelyn Silvester.”

Mentor:

Jocelyn Silvester, Harvard Medical School, USA

“I am extremely grateful to the ISSCD for selecting me for the M-in-M programme. This grant will help me to ease the path toward achieving my goals as a gastroenterology resident at the University Hospital in Padua and researcher. Under the guidance of Professor Sanders in Sheffield, I look forward to developing new skills in clinical practice and research techniques in celiac disease. I am committed to upholding the values and expectations associated with this award.”

Mentor:

• Professor David Sanders, The University of Sheffield, Royal Hallamshire Hospital, England

“I am incredibly grateful and excited for the opportunity provided by the Takeda and ISSCD M-in-M programme to be able to travel to work at Umeå Swedish Initiative for Research on Microdata in the Social and Medical Sciences (SIMSAM) lab. This experience will allow me to gain valuable expertise in the utilization of large national databases for population based research, with a focus on pediatric celiac disease. I look forward to investigating the impact of early childhood exposure to greenspace on the incidence of pediatric CeD, and fostering collaborative research partnership with Umea University”

Mentors:

• Dr Anna Myleus, Umea University, Sweden
• Dr Olof Sandstrom, Umea University, Sweden

“I would like to sincerely express my gratitude to the ISSCD for this esteemed award. It is a tremendous honor to be mentored by Prof. Jason Tye-Din and Dr. Robert Anderson. Their pioneering research in immunological responses and innovative diagnostic techniques for celiac disease has greatly influenced my approach and perspective in this field. I look forward to learning from them and applying their insights to develop and implement new, non-invasive diagnostic tools for celiac disease within my practice. This will enhance our ability to investigate critical aspects of gluten-related immune responses and associated symptoms. Moreover, this program will strengthen our collaborations, allowing us to work more effectively together to advance research and treatment options for celiac disease in the future.”

Mentors:

• Professor Jason Tye-Din, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research and the Royal Melbourne Hospital, Australia
• Dr Robert Anderson, Mackay Base Hospital, Australia

Mentors:

• Dr Annalisa Schiepatti, University of Pavia and Clinical Scientific Institutes of Maugeri, Italy
• Professor Federico Biagi, University of Pavia and Clinical Scientific Institute of Maugeri, Italy
• Professor Carolina Ciacci, University of Salermo School of Medical Science, Italy

“I’m thrilled to be a part of the M-in-M Program and work with Jason Tye-Din at the University of Melbourne, Australia. This experience is crucial for my personal and professional development, focusing on translational research in celiac disease. Thank you to the ISSCD and Takeda for this great opportunity!”

Mentors:

• Professor Jason Tye-Din, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research and the Royal Melbourne Hospital, Australia
• Dr Robert Anderson, Mackay Base Hospital, Australia

“I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the ISSCD for awarding me this research grant . This opportunity is a great honor and will significantly support the development of my academic and professional goals.”

Mentor:

• Professor Fabiana Zingone, Department of Surgery, Oncology and Gastroenterology, University of Padua, Italy

“Thanks to the generous support of the M-in-M Program and the expert guidance of Professor Elena Verdu at McMaster University, Canada, I will be able to further advance my research career in microbiome science within the context of celiac disease. I am incredibly excited for the opportunity to gain new perspectives, build international collaborations, and grow both personally and scientifically.”

Mentor:

• Professor Elena Verdu, Department of Medicine, McMaster University and McMaster Children’s Hospital, Canada

“I am profoundly grateful for this award, which enables me to undertake a two-month residency in Dr. Bana Jabri’s laboratory at Institut Imagine in Paris. This collaboration is crucial for generating spatial transcriptomic data that will unlock a new dimension of insight in my single cell study of celiac disease biopsies. Beyond enabling the science, the grant affirms my growth as an early career immunogenomicist and empowers me to share these discoveries with an international network of mentors and peers.”

Mentor:

• Dr Bana Jabri, Institut Imagine, Paris

“Collaboration is the key to any wonderful research. The Mentee in Mentorship program by the ISSCD is an excellent opportunity for a young celiac researchers to collaborate and learn from pioneers in the field. Such opportunities in the field of celiac disease ignite young minds like mine to delve into the science of celiac disease. My primary aim is patient care and to support the gluten free living of patients with celiac cisease. This program shall connect me with the leading celiac dietitian desearcher Anne Lee at the Celiac Center in Columbia University, where we shall develop nutrition educational materials and together work on developing International Guidelines for standardising nutrition therapy in celiac cisease. It is through the leadership and support of my supervisor Dr. Govind Makharia at All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi that I was inspired to apply for the program. I thank the ISSCD Board for considering my application and awarding me the prestigious grant.”

Mentor:

• Anne Lee, Celiac Center, Columbia University Medical Center, USA

“I am honored to be selected for the ISSCD Mentee in Mentorship (MinM) Programme. This award will allow me to further develop a specialized celiac disease unit in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and to collaborate closely with international leaders in the field. It represents a unique opportunity to strengthen research, education, and patient care for those affected by celiac disease in my country. I am deeply grateful to the ISSCD and Takeda Pharmaceuticals for making this possible.”

Mentor:

• Dr Maria Ines Pinto Sanchez, McMaster University, Canada