The SECRET project - Exploring the therapeutic potential of perinatal cell SECRETomes – is an innovative doctoral network under the Horizon Europe programme - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action. This interdisciplinary project, which sees the synergistic convergence of various disciplines in the field of life sciences -cellular and molecular biology, tissue engineering, biocompatible materials science, and the development of advanced experimental preclinical models - aims to characterize and define innovative placenta cell-derived formulations that have a high therapeutic potential for the treatment of inflammatory onset diseases in the cardiac and neurological fields. This significant funding will enable the recruitment of 10 talented doctoral candidates in the next months, who will become the driving force behind this pioneering project.

The project is coordinated by Professor Ornella Parolini at Università Cattolica Sacro Cuore (UCSC) of Rome, and Centro di Ricerca E. Menni at Fondazione Poliambulanza, will host several PhD students during the 4-year project.

Other national and international contributors to the Doctoral Candidates training programme are academic excellences such as Università di Genova, Universitaetsklinikum Essen, Universiteit Antwerpen (Belgium), Universidade do Minho (Portugal),  Academisch Medisch Centrum Bij De Universiteit Van Amsterdam (The Netherlands), Università degli Studi “Gabriele D’Annunzio” di Chieti-Pescara (Italy), research institutes such as Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale (Switzerland), and Small-medium enterprises like Mimetas BV (The Netherlands) and Innovation Acta S.r.l (Italy).