The IPOPI Jose Drabwell Research Grant Programme Winners

,

The IPOPI Jose Drabwell Research Grant Programme is an initiative aimed at promoting scientific and clinical research in the field of primary immunodeficiencies.

The second grant call in 2025, supported by Grifols and Kedrion, ran from April to August, inviting applicants from around the world to seize the opportunity to fuel innovation in the field with patient-centred and knowledge-generating projects.

IPOPI is pleased to announce the winners of the IPOPI Jose Drabwell Research Grant Programme 2025, who will benefit from funding for 2 years to carry out the following projects:

 

  • Nguyen Thi Thanh Hiep

Affiliation: University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Project Title: Evaluation of the diagnostic value and the correlation between TREC, KREC concentrations and lymphocyte counts in pediatric patients suspected of inborn errors of immunity

📌 This project evaluates whether measuring TREC and KREC levels can serve as cost-effective tools to support early screening and diagnosis of inborn errors of immunity in Vietnamese pediatric patients.

 

  • Dr Zuzana Parackova

Affiliation: Department of Immunology, Faculty Hospital in Motol and 2nd Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic

Project Title: METSTAT: Metformin as a Novel Immunomodulator in STAT1 Gain-of-Function Interferonopathy

💊 This project will test whether the widely used drug metformin can be repurposed to safely improve immune function and quality of life in patients with the rare disorder STAT1 gain-of-function.

 

  • Dr Helen L. Leavis

Affiliation: University Medical Center Utrecht, Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology and Center of Translational Immunology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands

Project Title: European multicenter diagnostic trial of CVID enteropathy

🔬 This project will establish a multicenter cohort of CVID patients to develop and validate diagnostic tools for CVID-associated enteropathy, aiming to improve early recognition and guide safer, more effective treatments.

 

  • Prof Nicolette Nabukeera-Barungi

Affiliation: Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, School of Medicine, College of Health Sciences, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda

Project Title: Improving Access to Quality Care for Inborn errors of immunity Using Low-Cost Techniques at Mulago National Referral Hospital, Uganda

🌍 This project in Uganda aims to improve early detection and care for children with inborn errors of immunity by implementing screening techniques, training healthcare workers and caregivers, and collecting baseline prevalence data through a national referral hospital study.

 

We wish the winners the best of luck and success on these projects and would like to thank everyone who applied.

 

/by