Looking Back on a thrilling Final Week of Melomanes in Strasbourg!

Looking Back on a Final Week of Melomanes in Strasbourg

After four years of collaboration, scientific discoveries, and doctoral training, the Melomanes project reached an important milestone with a memorable final week in Strasbourg, France, from 14 to 17 September 2026.

Bringing together doctoral researchers, consortium partners, and international experts, this final week was an opportunity to reflect on the project’s achievements, share scientific knowledge, and explore important challenges for the future of cancer research and treatment.

Three major events marked this special week:

• 14 September: Workshop on the Gender Dimension in Science
• 15–16 September: Final Melomanes consortium meeting
• 16–17 September: International Conference on Nanomedicine, Cancer Therapy, Safety Assessment & Sustainability, including an open panel discussion

Let’s look back at the highlights of each event!

1. Workshop on the Gender Dimension in Science

How can we better integrate the gender dimension into research projects? Why does representativeness matter in scientific research and policymaking? Who should determine when and how sex and gender should be considered in research design and data collection? And what successful initiatives can inspire researchers to put these principles into practice?

These questions were at the heart of our workshop on the gender dimension in science, which brought together experts from different disciplines to share their knowledge, experience, and perspectives.

Five speakers contributed to the discussions:

• Petra Debusscher (Ghent University, Belgium) – Fostering Gender Equality and Diversity in the Workplace: Gendering Research and Innovation
• Elizabeth Pollitzer (Portia, UK) – Gender Perspective in Research Projects
• Susanna Hofmann (University of Munich, Germany) – Cardiometabolic Diseases and Biological Sex: Time for Greater Precision
• Manuel Berdoy (University of Oxford, UK) – Two Is Better Than One: The Sex-Inclusive Research Framework in Animal Research
• Jacopo Sorani (EMPA, Switzerland) – Addressing Women’s Safety and Sex-Based Differences in Safe and Sustainable by Design

The presentations were followed by a panel discussion moderated by Valérie Caps, Serena Bernacchi, and Johanne Desbief. This provided an opportunity to explore the topics further, exchange views, and discuss how the gender dimension can be meaningfully integrated into research practices.

A sincere thank you to all the speakers for sharing their expertise and to everyone who participated in these enriching discussions. Special thanks to Cécilia Ménard-Moyon and Johanne Desbief for organising the workshop.

2. The Final Melomanes Consortium Meeting

The final consortium meeting, held on 15 and 16 September, brought the Melomanes partners together for one last opportunity to discuss the project’s scientific progress and reflect on the work accomplished over the past four years.

A highlight of the meeting was the opportunity to hear from our doctoral researchers once again. Their presentations showcased their research progress and provided a starting point for further scientific discussions as the project approached its conclusion.

Beyond the scientific programme, the meeting was also a chance to celebrate the collaboration and connections built throughout Melomanes. Partners enjoyed a dinner together at a traditional restaurant in Strasbourg’s city centre, while the doctoral researchers and Johanne took on an exciting escape-game challenge!

These shared moments were a fitting reminder that a successful doctoral network is about more than research alone: it is also about building a community, exchanging ideas, and creating lasting professional relationships.

3. International Conference on Nanomedicine, Cancer Therapy, Safety Assessment & Sustainability

The final two days of the week were dedicated to the International Conference on Nanomedicine, Cancer Therapy, Safety Assessment & Sustainability, held on 16 and 17 September.

The conference brought together six invited speakers, Melomanes doctoral researchers, and other participants for two days of scientific presentations, discussions, and poster exchanges. It offered our doctoral researchers a valuable opportunity to present their work to an international audience of experts and engage with researchers working across complementary fields.

Our six invited speakers shared their expertise on a wide range of topics:

• Dr Alberto Bianco (CNRS, Strasbourg, France) – Carbon nanomaterials, nanomedicine, nanomaterial safety, and biodegradability.
• Prof. Amaia Cipitria (Biogipuzkoa Health Research Institute, San Sebastián, Spain) – Biomaterials for tissue regeneration and disease modelling, cancer dormancy and bone metastasis, and bioengineering in clinical oncology.
• Prof. Iseult Lynch (University of Birmingham, UK) – Environmental interactions between nanoparticles and biological entities, and predictive models of nanomaterial toxicity.
• Dr Renate Baumgartner (Athena Institute, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, the Netherlands) – Inclusive AI development through participatory methods.
• Dr Daina Romeo (Roche, Zurich, Switzerland) – Risk governance frameworks for nanomaterials and life-cycle impact assessment of nanoparticles.
• Dr Stefaan Verbruggen (Queen Mary University of London, UK) – Predictive in vitro models of cancer metastasis, including organ-on-chip technologies.

The diversity of perspectives and expertise made the conference a valuable opportunity to explore the links between nanomedicine, cancer research, safety assessment, and sustainability.

The programme also included a poster session and presentations by the Melomanes doctoral researchers, celebrating their research achievements and the scientific contributions developed throughout the network.

Celebrating Four Years of Melomanes

What a wonderful way to bring the Melomanes project to a close!

This final week in Strasbourg was an opportunity not only to share scientific results, but also to celebrate the dedication of our doctoral researchers, the commitment of our partners, and the collaborative spirit that has driven the project over the past four years.

A huge thank you to all the invited speakers, participants, partners, and organisers, with special thanks to Cécilia Ménard-Moyon and Johanne Desbief for their work in bringing these events together.

And, above all, congratulations to all Melomanes doctoral researchers for their tremendous work and promising contributions to the field. We are incredibly proud of what has been achieved within the Melomanes consortium!

Although the project is reaching its conclusion, we hope that the collaborations, knowledge, and connections built along the way will continue to inspire future research and new scientific partnerships.