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Carla Arnau del Valle, Marie Curie Postdoctoral Researcher (MSCA-PF) at the InterUniversity Research Institute for Molecular Recognition and Technological Development (IDM) of the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV), has been selected to be part of the CAS Future Leaders™ 2025. This prestigious programme, organised by CAS, a division of the American Chemical Society (ACS), recognises 35 young chemical scientists from around the world who are conducting innovative, high-impact research in various areas of chemistry.

Since beginning her research career, Carla has focused on applying photobiology and photochemistry to women's health. Currently, as a Maria Sk?odowska-Curie researcher (MSCA-PF) at the UPV, she is working on developing fluorescent sensors to diagnose breast cancer.

Previously, during her PhD at the University of East Anglia (England), she worked on developing fluorescent sensors and nanomaterials for detecting overexpressed analytes in breast cancer. Later, as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Maryland (United States), she integrated photobiology and nanotechnology to design nanomedicines to treat ovarian cancer using photodynamic therapy. And, looking to the future, she plans to expand her research into diseases such as endometriosis, proposing innovative therapies in the absence of effective treatments.

"CAS Future Leaders is a very competitive international programme with a less than 4% selection rate. This makes the selection very rigorous, and I feel very proud to have been chosen among the 35 selected worldwide. I think what they value most is the quality of my research, the content of my personal summary and the scientific career I have built up to now. In addition, the recommendation letter from Prof. Ramón Martínez Máñez was also key in the evaluation, and I am very grateful for his support. All this helped my candidacy stand out in such a competitive process", says Carla Arnau del Valle.

Her latest advances in the early detection of breast cancer, protagonist in the USA.

The CAS Future Leaders programme includes an intensive week of face-to-face training at CAS headquarters in Columbus, Ohio. During that week, Carla will participate in leadership workshops, professional development sessions, mentoring with industry experts and scientific discussions with other researchers from around the world.

She will also attend the ACS Fall Meeting 2025 in Washington, D.C., one of the most prestigious chemistry conferences worldwide, which will be held from 17 to 21 August.

At this conference, Carla will present the latest progress on the project she is currently working on at the UPV, entitled NanoNIR. Her main objective is to develop innovative, effective and non-invasive tools for the early detection of breast cancer using nanotechnology and biomarkers. "This will significantly improve detection rates by offering more accurate diagnoses in the early stages of the disease, which is crucial for increasing the chances of successful treatment and survival for patients," says Carla.

In addition, the young Valencian researcher will share all her work as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Maryland, which includes her research into photodynamic therapy for the treatment of cancer.

This award also includes a cash prize of $1,000, free three-year membership of the American Chemical Society (ACS) and membership of the CAS Future Leaders community, "a community that has already welcomed us with great affection, conveying to us from the outset the magnitude of the experience that we are about to live. Besides, my profile will be featured in the Chemical & Engineering News journal. It is undoubtedly a great honour for me to have received this recognition and also a great incentive to continue on this research path that I am so passionate about,' concludes Carla Arnau.