This section gatheres the latest activities, events and achievements related to the RETORNA project.
🌟 Publications
2026 continues bringing wonderful news! Over the past monts, two articles have been published.
What makes this especially exciting is that Claire has published as a first author! A fantastic achievement and a moment worth celebrating!
1. The economic impact of retinal diseases for which gene therapy is emerging: a systematic literature review
Authors: Claire Willmington, Ann Kirby & Aileen Murphy
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s13561-025-00707-7
2. miR‑205: A dual regulator of angiogenesis in health and disease (Review)
Authors: Maria Oltra, Miriam Martínez‑Santos, Maria Ybarra, Maria Pires, Chiara Ceresoni, Clara Gomis‑Coloma, Cristina Medina‑Trillo, Javier Sancho, Jorge Barcia.
https://www.spandidos-publications.com/10.3892/ijmm.2025.5722
🌟 Career planning initiatives
* Online training session with Arthex Biotech
On the 5th of February 2026 our associated partner Arthex Biotech hosted an online session on the creation and management of a spin off.
As the DCs enter their 3rd PhD year, it becomes especially important to explore different career paths and understand opportunities beyond academia.
During the session, Beatriz Llamusí Troisí, co-founder of the spin-off, shared her personal journey of creating and managing a successful biotech spin‑off. Through concrete examples from Arthex, she offered practical, honest advice for scientists considering entrepreneurship.
The invitation to the session was extended to all the beneficiaries’ staff that might have been interested as well as to the DCs of another MSCA DN ENTRY-DM.
More about it here.
* Claire received training within the Odyssey programme
In addition to the mentioned online training with our associated partner Arthex Biotech, Claire took part in the first session of the Odyssey Programme 2026 edition, an event that UCC has been organizing since 2018. The first session of the 2026 edition took place on the 18th and 19th of February 2026.
The main aim of the programme is to help early career researchers adopt an introspective approach and identify a career path that would best suit their aspirations as well as their unique set of skills. This was further supported by exercises, as well as engaging talks from the organisers and guest speakers who shared their unique insights.
The initiative received a high interest among young researchers. Claire was able to register to the first session, but other 3 sessions were opened due to the high number of requests.
* PIs from Universidad de Alicante organize the Atenea Days
The Atenea Days were held on the 5th and 6th of February at University of Alicante, Spain. This event offered students a series of talks and practical sessions focused on professional development and career paths in science, education, biotechnology, research, and communication. The event included personal career testimonies, workshops on leadership and teamwork, and opportunities for students to interact closely with professionals from academia, industry, and public research institutions.
Enola DC4 attended the full two-day event.
Lecture by Prof. Natalia Martínez Gil
🌟 Secondments
Ceren – DC8 completed her secondment at Bahcesehir University under the supervision of Dr. Prof. Serdar Durdagi and his team. The experience went very smooth and you can read all about it here.
Chiara – DC10, travelled back to Denver, USA for the second long secondment at the associated partner University of Colorado, Denver where she will spend around 6 months working with retinitis pigmentosa organoids.
🌟 Retinitis pigmentosa awareness month
February has been chosen as Retinitis Pigmentosa Awareness Month. The initiative aims to shed light on this group of inherited retinal conditions that progressively impair vision.
Throughout the month, patient organizations and research institutes run awareness campaigns, highlighting early symptoms—like night blindness and loss of peripheral vision—and emphasizing the importance of research and support services.
By engaging communities, sharing stories, and encouraging fundraising, February becomes an essential moment to advance understanding and accelerate progress toward future RP therapies.
DCs involved in RP research contributed by sharing insights from their research projects, like the ones below.
🌟 Catholic University of Valencia organizes the first “Late meeting”
On the last Thursday of January 2026 UCV held its first “Late meeting” – science for all, where four speakers presented their work and passion for science to both specialised and non‑specialised audiences.
The event, organized by the Research Vice-Rector, aims to offer and create a dynamic and accessible space where researchers, students, and collaborators can exchange ideas. Its informal format encourages interaction and brings science closer to the public.
The session’s informal format aims creating an open space where science can meet mainly unspecialized public who can discover the research that is being carried out in the various Faculties of UCV.
🌟 Chiara and Ioannis celebrate 2 years of RETORNA
Chiara and Ioannis have completed their first 2 years within the RETORNA project, entering into their 3rd and final year.
How was this second year compared to the first one? From what we could see, they seem much more confident with their research projects, better prepared to face challenges and more capable of find solutions and facing uncertainty. In short they now have a stronger control of their research. Congratulations to both!!! We are really proud of their progress!
🌟 Ceren shares her experience in searching for PhD positions
Read here Ceren’s reflections on her background, her journey in searching for PhD positions and the lessons she learned during the process.
Greetings,
RETORNA team
