SECRET is a Doctoral Network funded by the European Union Horizon Europe Programme. The SECRET Consortium is currently offering 2 full-time (100%) doctoral scholarships (locations Italy and Portugal) within the context of the recently approved Marie Sklodowska-Curie Action Doctoral Network (MSCA-DN). See individual project details, eligibility requirements and application process below.

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. 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.

Participating in SECRET offers doctoral candidates many unique opportunities, including:

• A project as Marie Skłodowska Curie trainee in one of the participating institutions with the objective of receiving a doctoral degree (PhD).
• State-of-the art, exciting research in an international consortium with highly integrated research projects.
• Expert training in basic and applied research, along with a thorough understanding of the various phases involved in transitioning from pre-clinical to clinical research.
• A research training period in another consortium member's lab lasting from a few weeks up to six months, performed for the most part in a different EU country than the country where most of the project will take place.
• Training in both academic and commercial research environments.
• Salary according to EU guidelines for Marie Skłodowska Curie trainees, including mobility payments and family allowances where applicable. 

DoC4 and DoC10 Individual Projects details (PDF link)

DoC4: Identify the most cardio-active secretome from perinatal cells for cardiac repair
Hosting Institution: Università degli Studi di Genova (UniGe), Italy
Research Group:  Department of Experimental Medicine (DIMES)
Supervisor BOLLINI, Sveva
Email address for the applications sveva.bollini@unige.it 

Subject area: Stem cell research and regenerative medicine; paracrine effects; endogenous mechanism of cardiac repair and regeneration. 

Hosting Institution: The University of Genova (UniGe), founded in 1933 with roots dating back to the 14th century, comprises 22 departments, 5 schools, 13 inter-university research centers, and 1 center of excellence. It offers a wide range of academic programs, including 132 Bachelor and Master courses, 28 PhD programs with 90 curricula, and various specialization schools and university masters. The Department of Experimental Medicine (DIMES) hosts three multidisciplinary PhD programs and collaborates with leading national research organizations like the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT) and the National Research Council (CNR).

Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) represents the foremost cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide, with steadily increasing incidence due to ageing population growth. Cardiac dysfunction leading to heart failure (HF) may arise from myocardial infarction (MI), inflammatory- and cancer-related cardiomyopathy. Despite pharmacological progress, effective cardiac repair represents an unmet clinical need, with heart transplantation the only option for end-stage HF. Translational research recently focused on analysing cell cross-talks within the myocardial microenvironment to enhance clinically relevant mechanisms of endogenous repair. Paracrine modulation of the injured heart has gained increasing attention as a candidate approach for quenching inflammation exacerbation, while preserving functional cardiomyocytes and limiting fibrosis. Human mesenchymal stromal cells (hMSC) actively release bioactive components in their secretome, as the whole of soluble factors secreted in the cell-conditioned medium (hMSC-CM) in vitro. Within the hMSC secretome, extracellular vesicles (EVs) have been identified as appealing candidate therapeutics, recapitulating most of the parental cell paracrine effects. While adult hMSC have shown an excellent safety profile in clinical assessments, human perinatal MSC stem cells and from extra- embryonic tissues (i.e. amniotic fluid) may offer significant advantage, being highly proliferative and developmentally more immature, thus suggesting a promising cardio-active secretome.

Project-specific selection criteria: Candidates should hold a Master’s degree (Master of Science or equivalent) in Biotechnology, Biochemistry, Biology, Pharmacy, (Bio)Medicine, Bio-engineering, or an equivalent biomedical discipline or will have obtained it by October 2025 at the latest.  Knowledge of progenitor and stem cell biology, including paracrine communication and extracellular vesicle modulation of target cells and a proven track record are required. The candidate should have a good knowledge and proven expertise of in vitro cell culture procedures and standards and be familiar with basic techniques (e.g. primary cell culture, cell viability assay, in vitro preclinical models of disease, standard biochemical assay, molecular biology and microscopy techniques. The Candidate should be familiar with functional analysis of mechanisms of cardiac repair and regeneration. Additionally, good knowledge of in vitro and in vivo preclinical models of myocardial injury/disease and practical experience in cardiovascular cell culture and separation and concentration of cell secretome formulations and extracellular vesicles (i.e. ultracentrifugation, size exclusion chromatography, etc) will be a plus. The Candidate should be highly motivated, flexible, with great team-work attitude and good English communication and writing skills.

Profile:

• You can relocate to Genova, Italy, by November 1st 2025.
• You can demonstrate excellent study results and you have great team-work attitude and communication skills.
• Your research qualities are in line with the faculty and university research policies.
• You are fluent in academic English (speaking and writing).
• You act with attention to quality, integrity, creativity and cooperation.
• The following expertise will be highly evaluated and appreciated:
  • rodent animal care/surgery and/or in vitro preclinical models of myocardial injury;
  • in vitro culture of human iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes, and/or in vitro cardiac organoid culture;
  • in vitro 3D culture of stem cells;
  • isolation of secretome fractions from human stem cells and human mesenchymal progenitor cells, including extracellular vesicles separation and concentration;

  • potency assays and functional analyses (transcriptomics, proteomics, imaging, cellular, molecular and biochemistry analysis).

     

DoC10: Development of biomaterial-based vehicles for the delivery of secretome fractions to the CNS regions affected by multiple sclerosis and ischemic stroke
Hosting Institution: Universidade do Minho (UMINHO), Portugal
Research Group:  Institute on Biomaterials, Biodegradables and Biomimetics
Supervisor REIS, Rui L. 
Email address for the applications: rgreis@i3bs.uminho.pt

Subject area:  biomedical engineering, biomaterials, drug delivery systems and regenerative medicine.

Hosting Institution: The University of Minho (UMinho), founded in 1973, consists of 12 schools and institutes. Within UMinho, the 3B’s Research Group operates under the Research Institute on Biomaterials, Biodegradables, and Biomimetics (I3Bs), focusing on biomaterials, tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, and stem cells. It is one of Europe’s most cited groups in these fields and collaborates closely with UMinho’s Medical School (ICVS) through the ICVS/3B’s Associate Laboratory, which is recognized by the Portuguese Government for its excellent scientific contributions to the (bio)medical field.

Background: Ischemic stroke (IS) and multiple sclerosis (MS) are both neurological conditions that result in significant damage to neural tissue. IS occurs due to an interruption in the brain's blood supply, leading to tissue damage, loss of neurological function, neuroinflammation, and neurodegeneration. In contrast, MS is an autoimmune disorder characterized by the progressive destruction of myelin sheaths around neurons, which impairs neural signalling and causes neuroinflammation. Despite their different underlying mechanisms, both conditions share common outcomes, including tissue damage, loss of neurological function, and neurodegeneration. This highlights the need for effective neural regeneration strategies. Importantly, biomaterials, mimicking the brain's extracellular matrix (ECM), offer a promising solution for supporting neural recovery post-stroke. Moreover, there are also evidence that perinatal cells’ secretome can be used as a regenerative strategy under this context. This project focuses on developing glycopeptide-based micelles and hydrogels that mimic neural ECM components like mimetics of hyaluronan and collagens. These biomaterials will be designed to cross the blood-brain barrier and release the secretome’s therapeutic proteins. Using micelles of short peptide/saccharide amphiphiles as a starting point, we will enhance their properties for targeting damaged tissue and releasing the secretome formulations. These systems will be validated in vitro and in vivo using models of MS and IS. This project aims to develop glycopeptide-based micelles with tuneable properties to target the damaged tissue and release secretome-based proteins inducing a functional recovery following neurological impairments.

Project-specific selection criteria: Candidates should hold a Master’s degree (Master of Science or equivalent) in Chemistry, Biochemistry, Biotechnology, Biomedical Sciences, Biomedical Engineering or related areas or will have obtained it by October 2025 at the latest. Knowledge in chemical synthesis is valorized, as well as experience in analytical techniques, such as, HPLC, NMR, and mass spectrometry. Additionally, it is also valorized practical experience in cell culture, including cytotoxicity assessment, protein/gene expression analysis, etc. Candidates should have the ability to work in a multidisciplinary team and present good communication skills.

Profile:

• You can relocate to Guimarães, Portugal by October 1st 2025.
• You can demonstrate excellent study results and you have great team-work attitude and communication skills.
• Your research qualities are in line with the faculty and university research policies.
• You are fluent in academic English (speaking and writing).
• You act with attention to quality, integrity, creativity and cooperation.
• The following expertise will be highly evaluated and appreciated:
  • Synthesis and processing of biomaterials;
  • Characterization of biomaterials, including the use of HPLC, NMR, mass spectrometry, DLS, rheology, absorption/fluorescence spectroscopy, etc.;
  • Cell culture (cytotoxicity assessment, protein/gene expression analysis, etc.).