SECRET is a Doctoral Network funded by the European Union Horizon Europe Programme. The SECRET Consortium is a research network of leading European scientists from academia and industry, experts in human perinatal cells, extracellular vesicle biology, tissue engineering and biocompatible materials, to address key questions on SECRET through a coordinated, interdisciplinary effort in regenerative medicine. 

SECRET proposes 10 independent doctoral research projects with the ambition of providing its trainees with a comprehensive understanding of paracrine signalling mechanisms, cardiovascular repair, neuro-degenerative diseases, sophisticated modelling of disease and screening platforms, and biomaterials/tissue engineering. Through its research and training activities, the SECRET project will contribute to scientific advancement and innovation in Europe, ultimately leading to societal and economic benefits.

Below you can see a list of the titles, locations and supervision of the available projects. Visit the EURAXESS site for more information on the projects, as well as on the eligibility, application process, project-specific selection criteria, and job benefits.

DC1: Isolation and in vitro characterization of hAMSC and hUC/WJ-MSC-derived secretomes. DC2: Isolation and in vitro characterization of III trimester hAFSC-derived secretomes.

Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (UCSC), Italy – PAROLINI, Ornella

DC3: Establishment and optimization of the scaled production of therapeutic EVs.

Universitätsklinikum Essen (UKEssen), Germany – GIEBEL, Bernd

DC4: Identify the most cardio-active secretome from PCs to enhance cardiac repair.

Università degli Studi di Genova (UniGe), Italy – BOLLINI, Sveva

DC5: Development of an optimized human 3D organoid-on-plate microfluidic platform for disease modelling and screening

MIMETAS B.V (MIM), The Netherlands – LANZ, Henriëtte

DC6: Evaluate and unravel the neuroprotective features of perinatal cell-derived secretomes using hiPSC-derived brain organoids.

DC7: Evaluate and unravel the neuroprotective features of perinatal cell-derived secretomes in a mouse model of neuro-inflammation, -degeneration and -regeneration.

University of Antwerp (UA), Belgium – PONSAERTS, Peter

DC8: In vivo validation of three selected secretomes in a stroke mouse model.

Universitatsklinikum Essen (UKEssen), Germany – HERMANN, Dirk

DC9: Injectable supramolecular hydrogels and microfabricated patches for the controlled release of secretome/EV fractions for cardiac regeneration.

Universidade do Minho (UMINHO), Portugal – PIRES, Ricardo A. and REIS, Rui L.

DC10: Development of biomaterial-based vehicles for the delivery of secretome fractions to the CNS regions affected by MS and IS.

Universidade do Minho (UMINHO), Portugal – REIS, Rui L. and ARAÚJO, Ana R.

The application deadline is 16 Sep 2024. Please share this opportunity with your networks.

All images by SECRET.