Valentin Thron, PhD student in the Wagner Lab, participated in the BAXERNA Conference “Next-generation mRNA vaccines against complex pathogens: From antigen selection to clinical translation” in Leuven, Belgium, on March 25–26, 2026. The conference brought together researchers to discuss current developments in next-generation mRNA vaccine technologies, from antigen selection to the translation of novel approaches into clinical applications.

As part of the scientific program, Valentin Thron presented his poster “No Universal IRES: Coding Sequence–Specific Control of Circular RNA Translation.”His research focuses on the mechanisms that regulate protein expression from circular RNAs (circRNAs). In particular, his work investigates how the pairing of internal ribosome entry sites (IRESs) with different coding sequences (CDSs) affects translation and which RNA features determine protein expression outcomes.

The conference provided an opportunity to gain new perspectives on emerging mRNA-LNP technologies and to exchange ideas with researchers working in the field. For Valentin Thron, it also offered the opportunity to present parts of his PhD research on circular mRNAs to an international scientific audience and to discuss his findings with fellow researchers.

Presenting a poster at an international conference allows early-career researchers to receive feedback on their work, discuss scientific questions with experts in related fields, and build connections within the research community. Such exchanges are particularly valuable in the rapidly developing field of RNA technologies.