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Published:7 de August de 2026
Summer news

Summer news

Enola’s latest updates

Between one experiment and another, our PhD students try to also take advantage of training and networking opportunities that the RETORNA project is promoting and supporting, activities such as the ones Enola participated in in June:

Retina in a Dish:

Retina in a Dish: Methods & Applications in Life Sciences is a FEBS Advanced Lecture Course that took place in Kuopio, Finland (8-12 June 2026). The course focuses on the use of the retina as an ex vivo model system, teaching researchers how to work with retinal cultures and living retinal tissue outside the organism.

The five-day programme combines lectures, tutorials, and practical demonstrations on topics such as retinal dissection, organotypic culture techniques, imaging, and electrophysiology, while also offering training in scientific publishing, grant writing, and career development. It is primarily aimed at PhD students, postdoctoral researchers, and early-career scientists working in vision science and related fields.
Enola came back completely in love with this training, giving her another push forward in research. Read her testimony here.

REDES-INNOVAESTIC 2026 at Universidad de Alicante

Members of the RETORNA consortium participated in REDES-INNOVAESTIC 2026, held on 4-5 June 2026 at the University of Alicante (Spain). The conference brought together educators and researchers to discuss the ongoing transformation of university teaching and learning.

We are pleased to highlight the contribution of Enola DC4 who participated as co-author of two posters presented during the event, together with her PI Dr. Natalia Martinez Gil:

  • Acompañamiento en la transición laboral de los estudiantes: navegando entre experiencias para alcanzar el éxito (Supporting Students’ Transition into the Workforce: Navigating Experiences to Achieve Success
  • Evaluación de la eficacia del aprendizaje activo en el laboratorio de Biología mediante ejercicios prácticos y dibujos científicos en el Grado de Óptica y Optometría (Evaluating the Effectiveness of Active Learning in the Biology Laboratory through Practical Exercises and Scientific Drawing in the Bachelor’s Degree in Optics and Optometry

These contributions reflect RETORNA’s commitment not only to excellence in research, but also to innovation in education, student development, and the adoption of effective teaching methodologies. Participation in REDES-INNOVAESTIC 2026 provided an excellent opportunity to exchange experiences and explore new approaches to enhancing higher education.

 

PD-BEA Seminario

Following a short rest, Enola took the stage again, presenting her research to an audience of around 40 attendees, including second and third-year PhD candidates and principal investigators from the University of Alicante. This type of presentation is a common requirement in doctoral programmes, providing an opportunity to assess research progress while helping early-career researchers gain confidence in presenting their work to a broader scientific audience.

First first-author publication accepted

And last but certainly not least, we are delighted to celebrate a major achievement from our RETORNA doctoral candidates: Enola’s first first-author scientific paper has been accepted and published in Cell Death Discovery, part of the prestigious Nature Portfolio!

The article, entitled “Age- and Sex-Dependent Retinal Degeneration in Peripherin-2 Mutant Mice, a Model of Central Areolar Choroidal Dystrophy“, is now available online, providing early access to the study’s findings while the final edited version is being prepared by the journal.

This publication represents an important milestone in Enola’s doctoral journey and highlights the high-quality research being carried out within the RETORNA project.

We are really proud to share this achievement with our community and eager to see the final published version.

Once the fully edited article becomes available, we will feature it in the Publications section of the RETORNA website and deposit it in the RETORNA Zenodo Community to ensure broad accessibility and dissemination of the research results.

 

Congratulations to Enola and all co-authors on this excellent accomplishment! 🎉👏

 

Claire and Maria Eduarda focus on secondments and dissemination activities

Claire and Maria Eduarda successfully completed their secondments just before heading to the RETORNA Summer School and Annual Meeting in Tübingen, Germany. It has been a busy and productive period for both PhD students, leaving little time for breaks!

Claire spent 3 months with Retina International, a global patient-led organization dedicated to representing and advocating for people living with inherited retinal diseases and other retinal conditions.

Beyond its advocacy work, Retina International actively contributes to research initiatives and collaborates with scientists, healthcare professionals, policymakers, and public institutions worldwide to ensure that patients’ perspectives are reflected in research and healthcare decision-making.
During her secondment, Claire had the opportunity to gain valuable insight into patient engagement, advocacy strategies, and the role that patient organizations play in shaping research and policy.

 

In addition, Claire attended the Health Economics Association of Ireland (HEAI) conference together with her co-PI, Dr. Ann Kirby. The event took place on June 12th 2026 at the School of Business, National College of Ireland, in Dublin.

 

The event brought together professionals involved in health economics, health policy, and healthcare decision-making across Ireland such as academic researchers and government analysts, health policymakers, healthcare industry representatives, patient advocates and clinician representatives.
The conference aims to facilitate the presentation of new research, stimulate discussion on current health economic and policy issues, and strengthen collaboration among stakeholders.

The event provided Claire with the opportunity to present her poster “Patient preferences for retinal gene therapy: A discrete choice experiment in Germany, Ireland and Spain” while engaging with experts in health technology assessment, economic evaluation, health policy, and healthcare financing.

The event also allowed her to expand her professional network and establish connections with fellow researchers and patient representatives working in related fields.

Maria Eduarda spent two months in Tübingen, where she returned for the second time during her PhD. Read about her first German experience here.

She began her secondment in May, building on the collaborations and knowledge gained during her previous stay. During these two months, she successfully completed a series of laboratory experiments, concluding her work just in time for the start of the RETORNA Summer School and Annual Meeting.
In addition to her research activities, Maria Eduarda had the opportunity to present her work to researchers at the Institute for Ophthalmic Research on two occasions: at the beginning of her stay, where she introduced her secondment objectives, outlining the research plan and expected outcomes and at the end of the secondment, where she presented the results achieved and discussed the progress made during her 2 months secondment.
These presentations were an important part of her training experience and we thank Dr. Sven Schnichels for organizing them and supporting Maria Eduarda during her stay. Regularly presenting research findings helps young scientists gain confidence in their projects, refine their scientific communication skills, and learn how to address challenging questions from expert audiences. Such opportunities are invaluable for developing both professional confidence and the ability to effectively communicate complex research to the scientific community.
In line with the Green Charter principles, project activities were carefully coordinated to optimise travel efficiency and minimise environmental impact. Maria Eduarda’s secondment in Tübingen was scheduled immediately before the RETORNA Summer School and Annual Meeting, allowing her to participate in all activities during a single extended stay. By combining these commitments into one trip, the project avoided additional flights and accommodation requirements, thereby reducing the environmental footprint associated with project mobility while ensuring her full participation in training, networking, and scientific exchange activities.

 

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