From 2 to 4 July 2026, the University of Messina will host the International Conference on Precision Medicine and STRIKE Scientific Meeting, organized jointly by the University of Messina and COGENTECH, partner institutions of the STRIKE Marie Skłodowska-Curie Doctoral Network.
Bringing together researchers, clinicians, industry experts, and early-stage researchers from across Europe and beyond, the event will provide three days of scientific exchange, collaboration, and discussion on the achievements and future perspectives of the STRIKE project.
Serving both as the final consortium meeting of the project and as an international scientific conference, the event will focus on emerging approaches in precision medicine, nanotherapeutics, liquid biopsy, cancer diagnostics, and translational oncology. Beyond presenting the latest scientific results, the meeting will offer an opportunity to reflect on the progress achieved throughout the project, the collaborations established across the network, and the long-term impact of the research and training activities developed within this MSCA-DN framework.
The conference will open on 2 July with a keynote session entitled “STRIKE Project: Past, Present, and Future”, delivered by the project coordinator, Prof. Anna Piperno. The program will feature internationally recognized speakers addressing major challenges and innovations in oncology and biomedical research, including liquid biopsy technologies, immune reprogramming strategies, osteosarcoma therapeutics, drug delivery systems, and the growing impact of artificial intelligence on academic research and scholarly publishing. Invited speakers include Prof. Marco Alessandro Pierotti (COGENTECH, Italy), Prof. Dominique Heymann (Nantes Université, France), Prof. Magdalena Król (Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Poland), Prof. Federica Carnamucio (Virginia Commonwealth University, USA), and Dr Francesca Novara (Wiley, Germany).
Scientific sessions on 3 July will focus on translational and interdisciplinary approaches in nanomedicine and cancer therapy. Early-stage researchers from partner institutions across the STRIKE network will present their latest work on magnetic nanoplatforms, targeted drug delivery, osteosarcoma models, ferritin-mediated transport mechanisms, radiolabelling, and advanced molecular profiling techniques.
A central element of the conference is the active participation of STRIKE doctoral candidates and young researchers, whose presentations will showcase the scientific progress achieved during the project while highlighting the network’s international, interdisciplinary, and intersectoral environment. The event also reflects the strong collaborative dimension of the STRIKE consortium, which has connected universities, research institutes, clinical centers, and industry partners across Europe. Throughout the project, the network has promoted knowledge exchange across disciplines ranging from chemistry and materials science to oncology, imaging, molecular biology, and biomedical engineering.
Beyond the scientific program, the meeting in Messina marks an important milestone for the consortium as it concludes several years of joint research, researcher training, mobility, and international cooperation. The conference will conclude with a social event on 4 July, offering participants an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of the STRIKE network and strengthen connections for future collaborations beyond the lifetime of the project.
The full program includes keynote lectures, oral communications, networking sessions, and consortium discussions dedicated to future research directions and long-term scientific impact.