I am a third-year Ph.D. student in Biology at the University of Naples “Federico II”, in collaboration with the Institute of Biomolecular Chemistry (ICB-CNR, Padova) and the Institute of Crystallography of CNR (IC-CNR, Caserta), under the supervision of Prof. Angelo Fontana, Dr. Barbara Biondi, and Dr. Michele Saviano. My doctoral research focuses on the development of peptide–oligonucleotide systems for the therapeutic targeting of non-coding RNAs.

From January to April 2025, thanks to the support of the EPS Mobility Fellowship, I had the opportunity to carry out a research stay at the Laboratoire de Chimie Physique et Chimie du Vivant (CPCV), Sorbonne Université (Paris), under the supervision of Dr. Fabienne Burlina and Dr. Françoise Illien. Their group has strong expertise in cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) and intracellular delivery strategies, providing the ideal environment to advance my project on anti-miRNA peptide nucleic acids (PNAs).

During my stay, I focused on evaluating the cellular internalization and biological activity of pre- synthesized CPP–PNA conjugates targeting miRNA-221-5p, a microRNA known to be overexpressed in various cancers, including lung cancer.
Thanks to fluorescent labeling of the conjugates, I monitored cellular uptake via fluorescence microscopy and quantified internalization efficiency. In parallel, I evaluated the biological effects of the conjugates on cell proliferation using CCK-8 assays.

This experience broadened my scientific expertise in peptide chemistry, and cellular assays. Beyond the laboratory work, participating in group meetings and engaging in discussions within a stimulating international environment significantly enriched my scientific perspective and communication skills.

I would like to sincerely thank Dr. Fabienne Burlina and Dr. Françoise Illien for hosting me and for their continuous support, as well as the entire team at the CPCV laboratory for their warm welcome and collaboration. I am also very grateful to the European Peptide Society for this valuable opportunity, which I highly recommend to all young researchers working in peptide science.