Dr. Simone Detassis

Today’s RNA Society spotlight shines on Dr. Simone Detassis, a biologist captivated by the "endless possibilities" of RNA research. Currently a postdoctoral researcher under Professor Michela A. Denti at the University of Trento, Italy, Simone's passion for developing innovative RNA-centric technologies has driven his career at the intersection of academia and industry. During his PhD in Biomolecular Sciences at the University of Trento, Simone participated in several exciting international secondments, including four months at DestiNA Genomica in Spain, two months with GeneXplain in Germany, and four months at the Federal University of Santa Catarina in Brazil. Following his PhD and prior to returning to Professor Denti’s lab as a postdoc, Simone worked at the Italian company OPTOI, which specializes in optical sensors for biomedical applications. This role offered him further opportunities for European travel, with time spent in Netherlands, Spain and France.

Simone is excited about discovering “innovative assays for nucleic acid detection, especially for short sequences of RNA”. He wishes to aid diagnostics and find a method of identifying small RNA sequences like miRNAs in biofluids without time-consuming and costly RNA extraction and PCR amplification steps. He mentions the “need to focus on sensitivity and specificity, as well as ease of use and clinical utility” and finds it “really exciting to project something new, letting our brains run wild [with] new ideas finding solutions for existing challenges”. Not surprisingly, one of Simone’s favorite articles in the RNA Journal is “Potential applications of microRNA profiling to forensic investigation” by Claire L. Glynn where his favorite RNA molecule miRNA is used to aid the justice system.

It was Simone’s Masters-level internship at the RNA Biology and Biotechnology lab of Prof. Michela A. Denti that drew him to his current position between academia and industry. “That internship led me to connect with DestiNA Genomica (a Spanish company), the other piece of an amazing puzzle for detecting miRNAs in biofluids. They patented an innovative assay for nucleic acid detection without RNA extraction and PCR amplification. I did an Erasmus internship in Granada at DestiNA and after that I applied for a PhD position at the Denti lab to continue this collaboration and this project. Wonderful years, traveling across all of Europe and Brazil, too. After the PhD I have been hired by OPTOI. In all these years we tested, we worked in advancing the field of nucleic acid detection. It is truly exciting to know that one day maybe, my (our) work could become a product and that other people might use”.

I love what I call the “science of the invisible”. We cannot touch or see molecules, and yet they create life as we know it. They do not think or have motivations or feelings, and yet they create (by just “convenient” interactions) life, thoughts, emotions.

Not surprisingly, biology has always been the guiding force of Simone’s career. He elaborates: “When [it] was the time to decide [on] university, I was not so convinced about any specific type of career. However, biology has been always a driver and biotechnology seemed [like] a good fit as I love what I call the “science of the invisible”. We cannot touch or see molecules, and yet they create life as we know it. They do not think or have motivations or feelings, and yet they create (by just “convenient” interactions) life, thoughts, emotion”.

Throughout his career, Simone has drawn inspiration from numerous individuals within his academic and industrial circles, with several mentors continuing to support him to this day. “From each of them I try to learn as much as I can, inspired by their personal and professional stories, attitudes, and ways of thinking. I would say that scientific inspiration was given to me via a team effort”. Simone also emphasizes the importance of family in his career: “From them, I get life inspiration and true modeling. I have been very lucky [as] I could learn a lot of useful things for my day-to-day job. How to thrive in difficulties (most experiments don’t work), sacrifice (no shortcuts in science), respect (networking and multicultural experiences), to challenge myself (go out of the comfort zone), ethics (don’t cheat in lab work), [as well as] work-life balance”.

Simone is actively involved in various scientific outreach activities like giving high school biology lectures and sharing his findings during researchers' nights. He co-organizes the Trento RNA Salon, sponsored by the RNA Society.  On the latter, he elaborates: “The best part is networking. Science is always fun to learn, but knowing new people, their stories, how they get to their professional level and how they pursue their research is very exciting. Science is a team effort and networking is a crucial part of it. Indeed, organizing and hosting seminars for external speakers outside our department area is the best activity”. In addition, Simone collaborated with Open Wet Labs (O.W.L.), a nonprofit organization dedicated to sharing scientific information at both local and national levels. Through O.W.L., Simone contributed to the organization's blog in the local newspaper "l’Adige," where he discussed "scientific news promoting an easy way to communicate and teach simple concepts of biology."

Finding equilibrium between academia and industry has been the greatest challenge in Simone’s career. “Both [academia and industry] advance science, but the final goals are obviously very different. Finding a way to work in collaboration between the two entities is not always easy and sometimes it can get hard to move on. For me, it was the people that made the difference. Each stakeholder involved was willing to make compromises and find the right middle ground to cooperate and advance together”. Simone has two pieces of advice to the next generation of scientists facing their own career difficulties: “(1) Be open-minded and always be willing to go against your current beliefs. In my opinion, there’s nothing worse than prejudice, fanaticism and arrogance in science. Always be receptive to the ideas of other people, from interns to field-gurus. (2) Go out of your comfort zone. This might put you in an uncomfortable position, embarrassed or stressed, however, it is the only way to learn and to try new experiences that may be useful one day”.

Simone can be reached on X @simone_detassis or via LinkedIN (https://www.linkedin.com/in/simone-detassis/).