HDSA AWARDS THREE 2026 DONALD A. KING SUMMER RESEARCH FELLOWSHIPS
New York, NY (July 2, 2026) — The Huntington’s Disease Society of America (HDSA) is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2026 Donald A. King Summer Research Fellowships, a unique grant program to train the next-generation of scientists with research expertise in Huntington’s disease (HD). The three awardees are undergraduate students who will spend their summer working in the labs of established HD scientists.
The 2026 Donald A. King Summer Research Fellows are:
- Maxwell Ma, an undergraduate researcher at Columbia University Irving Medical Center working in the laboratory of Dr. Osama Al-Dalahmah, already brings an exceptional research track record to this project, including a first-author publication in Nature Communications. His work will investigate why a protective protein called metallothionein is reduced in the brain cells most affected by Huntington’s disease, using gene expression data from thousands of individual human brain cells to identify the molecular switches responsible for shutting it down, with the goal of finding targets suitable for future drug development.
- Ellie Sang, an undergraduate researcher at UC San Diego working with Dr. Sonia Vazquez Sanchez in the laboratory of Dr. Don Cleveland, will study the protein aggregates that form in the brain cells of people with Huntington’s disease, using human brain tissue to determine whether different forms and fragments of the huntingtin protein accumulate in different locations within cells and whether those aggregates are linked to signs of cellular stress. This work could help clarify which forms of huntingtin are most closely tied to neuronal damage, potentially guiding more targeted therapeutic development.
- Amol Gajendragadkar, an undergraduate researcher at the University of Washington working in the laboratory of Dr. David Shechner, will develop a new way to map the molecular neighborhood surrounding clumps of mutant HTT RNA inside brain cells. While most HD research has focused on the toxic huntingtin protein, growing evidence suggests that the RNA copy of the mutated gene can itself clump together inside neurons and disrupt their normal function. Amol will adapt a technology called O-MAP for use in mouse brain tissue, allowing him to identify which proteins are pulled into these RNA clumps and how that might contribute to cell damage in HD. This work could open up a new technical platform for studying RNA-driven disease mechanisms directly in brain tissue, including, eventually, in HD patient samples.
The Donald A. King Fellowships serve two critical purposes: to attract talented young scientists to Huntington’s disease research and to support innovative projects that advance understanding of HD biology. Huntington’s disease is a hereditary neurodegenerative disorder that affects approximately 41,000 Americans, with more than 200,000 at risk.
Applicants are evaluated by the quality of their personal academic achievements, mentoring plan, experimental design, and the feasibility of achieving their scientific goals in the short summer timeframe. This year, applications were reviewed by a panel of past and present HDSA Berman-Topper Family HD Career Development Fellows, a distinguished cohort of up-and-coming HD scientists who have received early career support from HDSA and the Berman and Topper families.
“This year’s fellows are asking fundamental questions about how HD unfolds at the level of individual cells, bringing creativity and scientific rigor to some of the field’s most important open questions,” said Dr. Tamara Maiuri, Associate Director of Research and Patient Engagement at HDSA. “The quality of this work is a real testament to the next generation of HD researchers.”
HDSA established the Donald A. King Summer Research Fellowship program in 2005 in honor of Donald A. King who passed away suddenly in 2004. Don was a tireless advocate for HD families and served as HDSA’s Chairman of the Board from 1999 to 2003. Click here to learn more about HDSA’s Donald A. King Summer Research Fellowship program.
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Huntington’s disease, or HD, is an inherited neurological disease that causes the progressive breakdown of nerve cells in the brain. HD affects movement, thinking, behavior, and mood. Over time, symptoms can interfere with a person’s ability to work, communicate, manage daily tasks, and care for themselves.
Each child of a parent with Huntington’s disease has a 50 percent chance of inheriting the gene that causes HD. Today, approximately 41,000 Americans are living with symptoms of HD, and more than 200,000 are at risk of developing the disease. There is currently no cure for Huntington’s disease, but promising advancements in research are being made.
Huntington’s disease does not affect just one person. It affects entire families across generations, often bringing complex emotional, financial, caregiving, and medical challenges. Because HD is progressive, families need support at every stage — from diagnosis and genetic testing decisions to caregiving, disability, long-term care, clinical trials, and end-of-life planning.
The Huntington’s Disease Society of America is the leading national nonprofit dedicated to improving the lives of everyone impacted by Huntington’s disease. HDSA provides help for today and hope for tomorrow through support, education, advocacy, specialized care, and research advancement. HDSA connects families to trusted resources so that no one has to face Huntington’s disease alone.
To learn more about Huntington’s disease and the work of the Huntington’s Disease Society of America, visit HDSA.org or call 1-800-345-HDSA.
