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Published:31 de March de 2026

RETORNA March activities

March has been an exciting and productive month for the RETORNA consortium, marked by new alliances, impactful activities, and important steps forward in our mission to advance RNA‑based therapies for retinal diseases. Across Europe, our partners have continued to strengthen scientific collaboration, foster training opportunities, and engage with key stakeholders in the retinal research community.
Check below our latest activities:)

Yao’s first 2 years of PhD at Radboudumc

On the 1st of March 2026 Yao (DC2) oficially ended her first 2 years of PhD and entered the 3rd one. While for RETORNA this is the last year, her supervisor Dr. Zohreh Hosseinzadeh and Radboudumc will garantee Yao an extra year of PhD.

Here below her thoughts: ”

These two years have been full of challenges and adventures. Sometimes, the more data I collected, the more confused I became. At the same time, the data has often made me even more enthusiastic about science. Despite the challenges, I still truly enjoy exploring questions and discovering new insights through research. Look forward to year three!”

Public Speaking Workshop for Researchers

Claire DC7 recently took part in the Public Speaking Workshop for Researchers, organised by the  Marie-Curie Alumni Association Ireland Chapter and the UCC Research Office.

The event took place on the 12th of March 2026 at UCC and enabled early-career researchers to communicate their work to an audience that included people from different fields and receive constructive feedback.

It was a great opportunity for Claire to  be trained on communication skills as well as to directly put in practice the knowledge acquired by presenting RETORNA and her project to the rest of the participants.

RETORNA is becoming bigger

A new associated partner joined the RETORNA Consortium this month. We are glad to introduce you all Retina International!

Retina International is a leading global patient‑led organization dedicated to improving the lives of individuals affected by retinal degenerative diseases through research advocacy, education, and international collaboration.
With a network spanning more than 40 patient-led groups worldwide, it plays a key role in promoting equitable access to emerging therapies and fostering cross‑sector dialogue between patients, clinicians, researchers, and policymakers.
Its commitment to accelerating innovation in retinal health aligns strongly with the mission of the RETORNA consortium. In March 2026, Retina International joined the consortium as an associated partner, strengthening the project with its unique patient‑centric perspective and international outreach capabilities that will be fundamental for future secondments.
This partnership represents an important step toward ensuring that future RNA-based retinal therapies address real patient needs and achieve meaningful impact.

 

Secondments updates

Enola DC4 is at our associated partner Arthex Biotech, getting emerged in the industry experience while Claire has started her secondment at the new associated partner Retina International. Good luck to both of you!!!! Learn as much as possible and make networking!:)

 

Better than your PI

DC8 Ceren Şahin from Universidad de Alicante, doctoral candidate within the RETORNA network, has built BetterThanYourPI (betterthanyourpi.com), a free, no-judgment online forum where life science students troubleshoot lab experiments together. Covering topics from PCR and cloning to CRISPR and flow cytometry, the platform fills a real gap in researcher support by connecting students across institutions in real time. It is free for everyone and open to the wider scientific community.

Check more about it and give your contribution on www.betterthanyourpi.com.

3R Land Conference

The 3R LÄND Conference 2026 was the second edition of an international event dedicated to advancing non‑animal methods (NAMs) in biomedical and pharmaceutical research. It took place from March 24 to 26, 2026 at Tübingen University in Germany.

The conference brought together researchers, innovators, students, and decision-makers to explore cutting-edge alternatives to animal testing. Our DC3 Nathalie from Tubingen University attended as well and presented her poster “Establishment of an ex vivo NaIO3-induced retinal degeneration model to study AMD”.

 

The overall objective was to foster collaboration, share scientific advances, and accelerate the transition towards the future of biomedical & pharmaceutical research using modern, ethical, and human‑relevant models.

Central themes included recent innovations in organoid systems, organ‑on‑chip technologies, and in silico computational models, which together are shaping more human‑relevant research approaches. The conference also highlighted the application of NAMs in personalized medicine, emphasizing how these advanced models can support individualized therapeutic strategies. Another major focus was the growing use of NAMs in industrial research and toxicology, where they offer safer, more predictive alternatives to traditional animal testing. Additionally, the event explored how NAMs are transforming basic biomedical research and underscored the importance of training and education to equip the next generation of scientists with the skills needed in this rapidly evolving field.
To know more check the website of the event here.

Greetings,

RETORNA team

Favicon RETORNA. Icono de un ojo

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