The Myositis Association Announces Inaugural Recipient of Meredith C. Thomas Memorial Fellowship

Angeles Galindo Feria, MD, PhD

The Myositis Association announces recipient of Meredith Thomas Fellowship grant to support research in antisynthetase syndrome and interstitial lung disease.

COLUMBIA, MD, UNITED STATES, September 30, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Myositis Association (TMA) is proud to announce the recipient of the Meredith C. Thomas Memorial Fellowship, a prestigious research grant awarded to support career development and groundbreaking research in antisynthetase syndrome-related interstitial lung disease (ILD).

This year’s fellowship, totaling $107,500, has been awarded to Angeles Galindo Feria, MD, PhD, a rheumatology specialist and postdoctoral researcher at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden. Dr. Galindo Feria’s project, titled “Clinical and Immunological Determinants of Interstitial Lung Disease in Antisynthetase Syndrome: Integrating Prognostic Markers with Autoreactive B and T Cell Profiling,” aims to uncover critical insights into the immune mechanisms driving lung damage in antisynthetase syndrome (ASyS).

Dr. Galindo Feria will conduct her research under the mentorship of Dr. Ingrid Lundberg, a globally recognized expert in idiopathic inflammatory myopathies.

"This fellowship is a transformative opportunity to change how we understand and manage lung complications in antisynthetase syndrome,” said Dr. Galindo Feria. “By profiling the immune cells that drive lung damage and developing simple saliva- and sputum-based tests, we aim to move beyond the current one-size-fits-all approach toward true precision medicine. Our goal is to predict which patients are at risk of severe, irreversible lung scarring—potentially with a test as simple as a sputum sample—so that earlier and more targeted interventions can be offered to those facing this challenging disease.”

The Meredith C. Thomas Memorial Fellowship was established by TMA and the Thomas family in honor of Meredith Thomas, who was diagnosed with antisynthetase syndrome and ILD and passed away at the age of 33 in November 2023. In her memory, her family launched the Meredith’s Legacy fundraiser to provide funds to support early-career researchers dedicated to improving care and outcomes for patients with ASyS and ILD.

ASyS is a rare autoimmune disease that affects both muscles and lungs. One of its most serious complications is ILD, which can lead to progressive lung damage and respiratory failure. Current treatments are often inadequate, and clinicians lack reliable tools to predict disease progression. Dr. Galindo Feria’s research seeks to address these gaps by studying how overactive immune cells—specifically T and B cells—contribute to lung injury and identifying biomarkers that can be detected through non-invasive methods such as saliva or mucus testing. By analyzing blood and lung samples, the project aims to develop predictive markers and monitoring tools that could transform how ASyS-related ILD is diagnosed and managed, ultimately improving quality of life for patients.

TMA fellowships are designed to support early-career physicians, scientists, and investigators who have a career interest in research and/or clinical practice focused on rare autoimmune disease; hold a terminal degree (MD, MD/PhD, PhD); and are enrolled in a formal fellowship program with a myositis experienced mentor.

About The Myositis Association:

The Myositis Association is the leading nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of individuals affected by myositis through education, support, advocacy, and research. TMA is committed to fostering a sense of community that empowers individuals to live their best life. Since 2002, TMA has awarded nearly $8.5 M in research grants to support basic, translational, and clinical studies across the spectrum of myositis diseases. These awards reflect TMA’s commitment to advancing scientific understanding and finding cures for these rare and complex conditions.

For more information about TMA’s research initiatives and the Meredith C. Thomas Memorial Fellowship, please visit www.myositis.org.

Linda Kobert
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