🌟RETORNA starts preparing the periodic report!
February and March are busy months for the consortium! After the first 2 years beneficiaries must provide a periodic report detailing RETORNA’s activities and achievements over the past period.
Even if the periodic report is our main priority right now, our partners have been involved in many more activities throughout February. Below here is a list of these activities.
🌟1 year PhD for Ioannis
On the 5th of February 2024 Ioannis started oficially his experience as DC5 at prof. Serdar Durdagi’s lab at BAU, Istanbul. Originally from Greece, his new home is in Istanbul and his new colleagues are supporting him not only in his project research, but also in learning Turkish as well as discovering new typical places that this vibrant city has to offer.
“A year since this journey began, a year rich in new ideas, new people, new places. Life lately balances between biophysical simulations and the contrasts of the most vibrant city I’ve ever been to.
🌟 Secondments
- DC3 – Nathalie finished her second month of secondment at B6 – LUMC.
- DC2 – Yao spent one entire month in Istanbul at prof. Serdar Durdagi’s lab. It was a really intensive month that ended with a presentation, during the weekly Journal club, in front of a quite big public made of PhD students, postdocs and other professors.
- Before the end of the month, on th 27th of February more exactly, Ceren – DC8 flew to Leiden for her first long secondment. There she met Nathalie and Vaishnavi…quite a big RETORNA reunion!
🌟 Publications
A new article from Universidad Católica de Valencia team has been published in February 2025. The article “miR-205-5p Modulates High Glucose-Induced VEGFA Levels in Diabetic Mice and ARPE-19 Cells” has been published in MDPI – Antioxidants and it is freely available also in our publications section.
🌟 Research deliverables
While working on individual research and periodic report, the continuous reporting is also been updated! At the end of February beneficiary Radboudumc and Universidad de Alicante submitted 2 research deliverables, keeping up with the timeline decided in the Grant Agreement.
🌟Online training session on transversal skills: stress management
On the 6th of February 2025 DCs started with the first online session focusing on the topic of stress response and how to deal with it.
We believe that research training should be complemented by sessions that allow DCs to focus on personal development. These sessions will help them become more self-aware of their strengths and areas for improvement. In the long run, we are confident that these sessions will enhance the PhD experience for DCs.
This cycle started with stress management as this was identified by the DCs as one of the most relevant topics to deal with regarding their studies. The session was designed for self-awareness through group interaction, and each participant was encouraged to share about their personal experiences, so the others can also feel connected and understood with the experiences at hand.
Focus was put on the relationship we have with stress, in regards to our perception of it, and how this influences entirely the way we “dance” with it and make steps accordingly. The students shared their experiences and it was a very enriching discussion with honesty and practicality in terms of decision making.
🌟 The coordinator presented RETORNA at CV+i Health Days in Valencia
CV+i Health Day 2025 took place in Valencia on February 11th, 2025. The event brought together healthcare professionals, researchers, and industry leaders to discuss the latest advancements and innovations in the health sector. It featured keynote speeches, panel discussions, and networking opportunities, providing a platform for sharing knowledge and fostering collaborations to improve healthcare outcomes.
Researchers and companies from all over the region joint and presented their research project that day. Professors from UCV were also invited. Among them, prof. Javier Sancho presented RETORNA during the sesion on “Projects Leading Innovation in Diagnosis and Advanced Therapies”. It was an incredible opportunity to meet other researchers and companies and have a better understanding of the actual research panoramic in the region, as well as creating networking.
🌟Online webinar on IRD organized by Begisare
On the 27th of February 2025 Retina Euskadi Begisare organized a webinar on the IRD topic, inviting also prof. Nicolás Cuenca.
The event was a debate opportunity in which could be analyzed the research and options of innovation therapies that can be developed in the context of the inherited retinal diseases (IRD).
More information about the event can be found here.
Greetings,
RETORNA team