🌟RETORNA Consortium is celebrating its first 2 years!!!
On February 1st 2023, the RETORNA project embarked on a challenging research mission in the field of retinal diseases.
As we celebrate the project’s two-years anniversary, it’s a perfect time to reflect on the remarkable journey and achievements that have marked this period. From groundbreaking research to impactful public engagement, the RETORNA project has made significant strides in its objective to combat retinal diseases and improve the lives of those affected.
In this article we want to highlight the key milestones and events that have defined the project’s first two years, showcasing the dedication and innovation of the team behind it:
- the Kick off meeting took place in Valencia – March 2023
- 1o Doctoral Candidates have been selected: check their profile on our dedicated section
- the mid term check meeting took place online – March 2024
- the introductory meeting took place in Potsdam, Germany – April 2024
- the annual meeting and summer school took place in Valencia, Spain – May 2024
- our DCs have presented their work in more than 20 posters in national (Dutch Ophthalmology PhD Students Conference, SEHIT 2024) and international events (ARVO 2024, Proretina Meeting 2024, Retina International World Congress 2024, EuroQSAR24, ISPOR Europe 2024)
- Arthex Biotech, Fondazione TELETHON, University of Tübingen – EKUT hosted our Doctoral Candidates for their first secondments
- University of Colorado – Sue Anschutz-Rodgers Eye Center joined our Consortium as associated partner
- Leiden University Medical Center – LUMC is at the moment hosting Nathalie-DC3 for her secondment
- already 9 out of 10 PhD students reached their 1st year in the Consortium
- 6 research deliverables (from Work Package 1, 2 and 3) have been submitted
- 10 management deliverables (WP6 and WP7) have been submitted
🌟 Nathalie at LUMC
The new 2025 couldn’t begin more professional for our DC3 – Nathalie. She decided to jump right into her first long secondment by joining prof. Jan Wijnholds’ laboratory already from the first days of January 2025.
She will be staying there for 2 months, improving her laboratory skills and techniques thanks to the expertise of prof. Wijnholds on aptamers and the Tornado system, among others.
🌟 1 year PhD for Chiara
On the 23rd of January 2024 Chiara started oficially her experience as DC10 in the RETORNA programme under the supervision of prof. Javier Sancho Pelluz and co-supervised by prof. Maria Oltra Sanchis. Originally from Rome, Italy, Chiara was searching for a more international experience when she decided to apply for the RETORNA programme.
She reflected on these last 12 months and this is what she thinks about it:
🌟Online training session on Inherited Retinal Diseases
The Doctoral Candidates met again online for the second online training session. This session was organized by prof. Sandro Banfi, principal investigador at Fondazione Telethon and supervisor of Maria – DC9. The focus of these 2 hours training was “The molecular diagnosis of inherited retinal diseases“.
Prof. Sandro Banfi shared with the students his experience and knowledge in the field of inherited retinal diseases, focusing on retinisis pigmentosa but not only, analyzing topics such as sequencing and novel IRD genes.
This training is part of a series of online sessions initiated by the Consortium to address the needs expressed by the Doctoral Candidates during the first summer school and coherent with the training programme already decided in the Grant Agreement.
🌟Online session on empowering careers
On the 31st of January 2025 Marie Curie Alumni Association organized an online webinar in which Dr. Serdar Durdagi, PI in the RETORNA project and formed MSCA fellow offered his personal experience, providing valuable insights and tips to support PhD students’ journey! 💼
During the session, Prof. Dr. Serdar Durdağı shared how the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions MSCA fellowship has influenced his career. He also offered advice on overcoming challenges and enhancing collaborations while pursuing new career paths.
🗓️ Date: January 31st, 2025
⏰ Time: 15:00-16:00 CET
Registration link: https://lnkd.in/e-YNDhkU
Greetings,
RETORNA team