Immune and molecular biomarkers in a clinical trial of probiotic therapy in multiple sclerosis: a translational approach

VHIR is seeking an outstanding and highly motivated postdoctoral researcher to apply for a Marie Sklodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship and join the Clinical Neuroimmunology Research Group.

Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions – Postdoctoral Fellowships (MSCA-PF)

The Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowships (MSCA-PF) are part of the Horizon Europe programme and support postdoctoral researchers in developing an original research and innovation project through international mobility.

The programme aims to strengthen researchers’ careers through excellent science, international collaboration and interdisciplinary experience, while fostering integration in both academic and non-academic environments. The MSCA-PF call is highly competitive and represents an excellent opportunity to attract international talent and support researchers in consolidating their scientific careers through an ambitious mobility-based fellowship.

The 2026 call closes on 09/09/2026 (17:00 Brussels time). For candidates applying to a European Postdoctoral Fellowship, the fellowship duration is from 12 to 24 months.

Full eligibility details: MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2026

Background

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory and neurodegenerative disease of the central nervous system, characterised by demyelination and immune dysregulation. Emerging evidence highlights the role of gut microbiota as a key environmental factor influencing MS pathogenesis, through its interaction with the immune system. Dysbiosis has been consistently described in MS patients and is associated with pro-inflammatory immune responses.

Preclinical studies, including those performed by our group, demonstrate that probiotic administration can modulate immune responses, reduce neuroinflammation, and improve disease severity in experimental models.

However, the mechanisms underlying these effects in humans remain insufficiently understood, particularly at the level of immunological and molecular biomarkers, which are critical for translating microbiota-based interventions into clinical practice.

Objective

The overall aim of this project is to characterise the immunological and molecular mechanisms underlying the therapeutic effects of probiotic administration in patients with MS.

Specific objectives include:

• To assess the impact of probiotic treatment on immune cell subsets.
• To quantify changes in serum biomarkers associated with neurodegeneration and inflammation.
• To evaluate metabolic biomarkers (short-chain fatty acids) linked to microbiota activity.
• To characterise changes in gut microbiota composition and explore its association with immune and molecular responses to treatment.
• To integrate these data with clinical and imaging outcomes to identify biomarkers of treatment response.

Our Group

The researcher will join the Clinical Neuroimmunology Group at VHIR/Cemcat, led by Carmen Espejo Ruiz, an experienced investigator in MS pathogenesis, immunology, and biomarker discovery.

The group has strong expertise in:

• Experimental model of MS (experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis [EAE]).
• Translational immunology and biomarker identification.
• Clinical trials in MS, with access to large patient cohorts and biobanked samples.

The project benefits from a highly collaborative ecosystem including:

• Clinical Trials Unit at Cemcat.
• VHIR technological platforms (flow cytometry, SIMOA, statistics unit, biobank).
• External collaborations for microbiota sequencing and metabolomics.

Main responsibilities and duties:

The postdoctoral researcher will lead the laboratory-based biomarker characterisation within an ongoing randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial in MS.

The fellow will be responsible for:

• Immunophenotyping using multi-parameter flow cytometry.
• Quantification of molecular biomarkers (SIMOA, ELLA).
• Integration and interpretation of biomarker data.

Microbiota analysis will be performed through external collaboration, allowing the fellow to focus on high-impact translational immunology and biomarker discovery.

The project is embedded in a multidisciplinary environment combining clinical neurology, immunology, and advanced biomarker platforms at VHIR.