October – the awareness month
In our Consortium October is for sure one of the most special months of the year as it is oficially the blindness awareness month. A great number of initiatives and events is being organized all over the world, as well as awareness information on different challenges related to vision impairement that patients have to face every day.
Above this, our PIs and DCs have been quite busy this month, not only doing research, but also participating in national and international events, preparing presentations and dissemination and communication activities.
Check them all below:
1 year PhD
We start this rich list of events and activities with a celebration in our Consortium!
We are pleased to share with our readers that in October 2023 Claire (DC7) and Maria (DC9) were starting oficially their RETORNA experience!
Claire has been selected to work at University College Cork supervised by her prof. Aileen Murphy and Maria has been hired by Fondazione Telethon under the supervision of prof. Sandro Banfi. While Maria is working mainly in laboratory research, Claire has been hired to analyze the economic impact of the retinal diseases and treatments.
Open Science Day at Radboudumc
Our DC2 Yao and her supervisor prof. Zohreh Hosseinzadeh participated in the Open Science Day organized at Radboud University Medical Center. Through different interactive activities, they presented to the public their lab work, showing for example, some cell types that they are culturing now for retinal disease studies, as well as showing kids how to play with pipetting 😁.
Prof. Zohreh mentioned that ” had an amazing day filled with exciting and educational activities for all ages at the clinic—testing vision, playing discovery games without sight, making butter sandwiches with closed eyes, and even working with the microscopes to explore organoids and stem cells.
We are thrilled to have showcased our latest advancements in eye research. This inspiring event highlighted how our work, from fundamental science using stem cells to clinical applications, is making a real impact. ”
Also other research groups from Radboudumc participated in the activity with all sort of activities that have the aim to approach the general public to know the work of the researchers and get science closer to the people.
For more information on Open Science Day at Radboudumc please read here.
Nobel Prize – October 7th 2024
On the 7th of October 2024 the scientists Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun were informed by the Commission of the Nobel Prize that their work and studies on microRNAs has been recognized with a Nobel Prize under the category of Physiology or Medicine! It was a great moment of joy for all the researchers community and for the RETORNA Consortium even more, as out team works to understand the role of microRNAs in retinal degenerative diseases as well as explore the possibility of using them as therapeutic targets.
Read the press release here.
Celebrating World Sight Day and World White Can Day
Every year we are celebrating these 2 important dates so to increase awareness on blindness and visual impairment!
These two days are an opportunity to speak about the difficulties that patients encounter daily and to give them voice so the general public can become more aware and empathyze better with the patients and understand their condition.
Precious information on the use of safety cane is been shared during the World White Can Day, making general public understand that not only totally blind people use it, but also people with different percentage of visual lost and visual diseases, making it an important tool that offers independence to patients.
RETORNA at III International Congress Retina Murcia
On the 10th and 11th of October 2024 took place the III International Congress Retina Murcia, organized in Murcia, Spain by Retina Murcia and Farpe – our associated partner. David Sánchez González, president of FARPE, invited our coordinador prof. Javier Sancho Pelluz to present the RETORNA project and its results in the round table entitled “Collaborative research in the European Union”. Also PI Prof. Nicolás Cuenca participated in the round table on Hereditary Retinal Dystrophies.
The Congress was attended also by two of our DCs, Maria Eduarda and Chiara, that followed the sessions during the 2 days.
See the full programme of the 2 days congress here.
Prof. Sandro Banfi attending ISER Buenos Aires, Argentina
ISER stands for International Society for Eye Research. Started in 1968 as a group of 14 scientists interested in discussing and sharing results by establishing an international organization to support eye research, ISER has expanded throughout the years and nowadays includes more than 800 members, representing 30 countries, with the purpose of continuing to supports efforts of advancing international eye research.
Prof. Sandro Banfi from Fondazione Telethon participated at the conference organized from the 20th until the 24th of October, as well as in the leisure activities organized for the participants, such as whale watching.
Great to see how our RETORNA staff reaches all the corners of the world!
Greetings,
RETORNA team