7th IRTG2251 Retreat in Dresden: Three Days of Research, Exchange, and Inspiration

From September 29^th to October 1^st, 2025, the 7th IRTG2251 Retreat took place at the MITS – Center for Metabolic-Immunological Diseases and Therapy Technologies in Dresden. The event brought together doctoral researchers, supervisors, and international guests to discuss current research topics and spark new ideas for future projects.

The retreat began with an opening session and an update on IRTG2251, followed by several presentation sessions focusing on:

• Beta cells in health and diabetes
• Stem cells & stress adaptation in endocrine systems
• Comorbidities in metabolic diseases

In total, more than 25 doctoral researchers presented their projects and received valuable feedback from peers and PIs.

Programme highlights included:

• the keynote lecture by Prof. Graham Lord (KCL Senior Vice-President Health & Life Sciences) on „Advancing Immune-Based Therapies for Precision Medicine and Disease Modulation“
• the introduction of the new IRTG initiative „Advanced Therapies in Metabolic Disease”(Rocio Sancho – IRTG KCL spokesperson and Nikolay Ninov – IRTG PI TUD)
• the interactive networking session Coffee & Connections, which fostered exchange between students and PIs
• a joint social evening at Lohrmann’s Brew

The retreat concluded with a full-day workshop on leadership and communication skills, specifically designed to strengthen leadership and feedback competencies of young scientists.

We sincerely thank all participants for their dedication and the lively discussions. Once again, the retreat demonstrated the importance of interdisciplinary exchange for advancing research.

The meeting also impressively highlighted the strength of the transCampus network: the close collaboration between the participating institutes, universities, and international partners not only creates new scientific synergies but also shows how cross-border cooperation sustainably drives excellent research forward.