Kick-off meeting EFFecT
November 8th, 2025
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Earlier this week, our consortium came together for the kick-off meeting of EFFecT, followed by a training school for the doctoral candidates.
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EFFecT brings together leading institutions and industry partners to train the next generation of scientists. The program aims to provide 12 predoctoral researchers with the skills and knowledge required to advance antisense nucleic acid therapeutics.
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A big thank you to all our doctoral candidates, beneficiaries, associated partners and external advisory board, for their contributions and enthusiasm during the meeting - this marks the beginning of an impactful journey ahead!
Our final DC has started!
November 7th, 2025
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We are happy to welcome our final DC, Maria Querol!
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Maria joined us on November 1st as DC9 at ISIT, under the supervision of Dr. Hélène Tran. Her research will focus on understanding how sequences and/or modified chemistries can impact their potency, uptake, biodistribution, safety and elimination half-life with a particular focus on the cerebellum.
Beyond the lab, she loves reading, going to the theatre, concerts, and musicals, discovering new TV series, and spending time on creative crafts.
Welcome to the team, Maria - and congratulations to all as we officially have all our doctoral candidates on board!
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A new DC has joined EFFecT!
November 6th, 2025
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Let's give a big welcome to Pilar Maestre!
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Pilar started on October 30th as DC5 at UVSQ, under the supervision of Dr. Aurélie Goyenvalle. Her research will focus on the characterization of ASO-intracellular protein partners to increase the therapeutic index of antisense oligonucleotides, with the aim of advancing the efficacy of RNA-based therapies for neuromuscular diseases.
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When she is not in the lab, she enjoys travelling and exploring new cultures, particularly through their cuisine. She is also passionate about outdoor sports and recently took up surfing.
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Welcome to the team!
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Welcome János!
November 1st, 2025
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We're excited to welcome János Farkas to EFFecT!
Janos started on October 13th as DC8 at UT, under the supervision of Prof. Michela Denti. His research will focus on developing ASO- and chimeric U snRNA-based therapies for regulating mRNA splicing in Frontotemporal Dementia and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.
When he is not in the lab, he enjoys bouldering, and on weekend, you will usually find him hiking or rock climbing.
Welcome to the team!
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Let's meet our newest DC!
October 28th, 2025
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We are happy to welcome Víctor as a new DC!
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Víctor started on October 13 as DC3 at ICETA, under the supervision of Dr. Sandra Alves. His research will focus on preclinical validation of antisense oligonucleotides (ASO)-based therapies as a novel approach for treating Mucopolysaccharidosis III, targeting genes involved in the heparan sulfate biosynthetic pathway.
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Beyond the lab, he loves going to the gym and seeking out different experiences.
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We're exited to have you on board!
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Welcome, Jamie!
October 21st, 2025
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Another DC has joined the team!
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Jamie started on October 16 as DC7 at LUMC, under the supervision of Dr. Ronald Buijsen. His research will focus on developing allele-specific antisense oligonucleotides to treat trinucleotide repeat expansion neurodegenerative disorders.
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Outside the lab, Jamie is a huge sports enthusiast, especially when it comes to NBA, cricket and rugby. He’s also looking forward to exploring Europe and soak up the food and history on offer.
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Welcome, Jamie!
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EFFecT at OTS 2025
October 19th 2025
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The annual meeting of the Oligonucleotide Therapeutics Society (OTS) is currently taking place in Budapest from 19th to 22nd of October.
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EFFecT is represented by 10 Beneficiaries, 1 Associated Partner, 1 member of the Scientific Advisory Board and 1 Doctoral Candidate, as depicted in the picture taken on the stage during one of the breaks on the first day.
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This year, Aurélie Goyenvalle is the keynote speaker during the NextGen Session, and Rob Collin will present at the preclinical session. Alex Garanto, Virginia Goyenvalle and Shalini Andersson are chairing several sessions, while Anabelle Biscans is involved in the organization of the mentorship program.
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In two weeks we are meeting again to kick-off the consortium!
Welcome, Martina!
October 9th 2025
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Introducing Martina Cadeddu as our new DC!
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Martina started on October 1st as DC11 at UGent, under the supervision of Dr. Frauke Coppieters. Her research focuses on developing and evaluating antisense oligonucleotides therapeutics to slow or halt the progression of rare inherited retinal diseases.
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In her free time, she enjoys travelling, cooking, reading, listening to music and gaming.
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Welcome to the team, Martina!
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Welcome to the team!
October 7th 2025
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We're delighted to introduce Tahia Taufiq, our newest DC!
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Tahia joined us on October 1st as Associated DC1 at UCL, under the supervision of Prof. Haiyan Zhou. Her research will focus on enhancing the delivery of antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) to skeletal muscle by conjugating them to peptides identified through cell-surface proteomics and phage display.
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Outside the lab, she enjoys traveling, cooking and growing her own vegetables.
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We're excited to have you on board, Tahia!
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Welcome to our newest DC!
September 18th 2025
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A warm welcome to our newest DC, Rodanthi Voulgaraki!
Rodanthi joined us on September 1st as DC6 at AstraZeneca, under the supervision of Prof. Shalini Andersson and Dr. Annabelle Biscans. Her research will focus on the design and synthesis of lipid-conjugated siRNAs to achieve enhanced delivery to cardiac and muscle tissue.
We're delighted to have you join us, Rodanthi!
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A new DC has joined EFFecT!
September 12th 2025
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We are happy to welcome Filippo Furlan as a new DC at EFFecT!
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Filippo joined us on September 1st as DC1 at RUMC in the group of Dr. Alex Garanto. His research will focus on exploring the use of antisense oligonucleotides for different inherited metabolic diseases (IMDs).
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Welcome, Filippo!
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Welcome to our third DC!
September 11th 2025
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Please join us in welcoming Elena Covato as our third DC at EFFecT!
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Elena started on September 1st as DC4 at BHRI in the group of Prof. Virginia Arechavala-Gomeza. Her research will focus on developing novel oligonucleotide-based methods to advance therapies for neuromuscular diseases.
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In her free time she enjoys cooking pasta, experimenting with new recipes, and hiking.
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We're excited to have her on board!
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Let's meet our second DC!
September 4th 2025
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We’re delighted to welcome our second DC at EFFecT, Laura Pons Renau!
Laura joined us on September 1st as DC2 at UAM, in the group of Prof. Lourdes Ruiz Desviat. Her research will focus on correcting splicing defects in inherited metabolic diseases using splice-switching antisense oligonucleotides (SS-ASO).
Outside the lab, Laura is always up for discovering new places, books, and experiences.
Welcome, Laura!
First DC of EFFecT started!
August 15th 2025
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We’re excited to welcome the first DC, Alice Randon!
Alice joined EFFecT on August 1st as DC10 based at Astherna. Her research will focus on identifying antisense oligonucleotides to slow or halt the progression of age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
Beyond the lab, Alice enjoys staying active at the gym, traveling to new places, and experimenting in the kitchen with different recipes.
Welcome aboard, Alice!
All EFFecT DCs have been selected!
August 12th 2025
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All 12 DCs have been selected and will be starting between August and October!
EFFecT members at Synergistic Meeting on Oligonucleotide Therapeutics (SMOT) in Valencia (27 & 28 February)
March 1st 2025
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Six members of EFFecT participated in the Synergistic Meeting on Oligonucleotide Therapeutics (SMOT) in Vaencia (Spain) on February 27th and 28th (rare disease day). ​
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Our consortium members presented their own research, chaired sessions or pitched initiatives. Also EFFecT MSCA DN was officially presented.
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Remember, the application period for 12 fully funded PhD positions closes on March 15! The description of the different projects and profiles are provided in Euraxess.
EFFecT wishes you Happy Holidays!
December 23rd 2024
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EFFecT wishes you all a great Holiday Season and all the best wishes for 2025!​
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Our consortium will officially kick off on January 1st and between July and October all Doctoral Candidates (DC) will be hired.
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Description of the different projects and profiles are provided in Euraxess. Application is now open. Please make sure to read the instructions, as some partners require double application.
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Wishing you a healthy and successful 2025!
EFFecT announcement
December 3rd 2024
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First project descriptions are available in the PhD Project section. ​
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Description of the vacancies and profiles will be published soon in Euraxess. We will share the link on this website!
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Stay tuned!
EFFecT on the media
October 24th 2024
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News in English:
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https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101168372
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News in Dutch:
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https://www.lumc.nl/actueel/2024/prijzen-subsidies-en-benoemingen-2-oktober/
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News in Spanish:
https://www.uam.es/uam/noticias/red-effect-terapias-antisentido-2024
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News in French:
https://www.uvsq.fr/financement-europeen-pour-lequipe-daurelie-goyenvalle
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News in Italian:
https://www.quotidianosanita.it/provincia_autonoma_trento/articolo.php?articolo_id=125381
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Young Investigator Award for Hélène Tran
October 9th 2024
Hélène Tran has been awarded with the 2024 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. publishers Young Investigator Award during the Oligonucleotide Therapeutics Society Annual Meeting!
Congratulations Hélène!
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This prestigious award recognizes the contribution to the field of young investigators (up to 15 years post-PhD). More information about the award can be found here:
Young Investigator Award - Oligonucleotide Therapeutics Society
We are live!
October 8th 2024
The EFFecT website has been released! More information will be updated in the coming months!
Stay tuned!