Àngels López, Author at Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia

November 27, 2017October 27, 2017

IBEC investigators show that physical forces activate genes involved in cancer

In their effort to shed light on the role that physical forces play in the body, Pere Roca-Cusachs’ group at IBEC has shown how these forces ‘switch on’ the expression of genes that may result in cancer.

Cells apply mechanical forces to their surrounding tissue, and this mechanical effect is crucial for tissue function. In diseases such as cancer or liver and lung fibrosis, tissue rigidity and mechanical forces increase, promoting the progression of the disease.

October 27, 2017October 26, 2017

IBEC group leader opens Premis ceremony

IBEC group leader Elena Martínez gave the opening speech at Tuesday’s Premis Extraordinaris de Batxillerat 2016-2017 ceremony at the Palau de la Generalitat de Catalunya.

IBEC regularly hosts young winners of the prestigious award, which is the government’s recognition of excellence for students completing their baccalaureate studies in the two years before university. To qualify, candidates need their total mark for the entire baccalaureate to equal or be more than 8,75.

As well as being something to put on their CV, the award offers exemption from university fees for the first year, a free course at an official language school, the possibility to participate in the National Baccalaureate Awards, and a stay in a research institution related to the student’s field of interest.

March 18, 2019October 25, 2017

“Differential Electrochemical Conductance Imaging at the Nanoscale”

A paper by Pau Gorostiza’s group published last month in Small is a “Paper of the Month” in Biofisica magazine, the online magazine of the Sociedad de Biofísica de España.

December 1, 2017October 23, 2017

R&D Engineers in neuroscience

Application Deadline: 27/11/2017
Ref:RD-PV

The specs group at the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) is seeking to hire highly skilled Research and Development Engineers (R&D Engineers) to support the research team and contribute to the development of highly innovative neuroscience-based tools and applications.

November 16, 2017October 23, 2017

IT Technician

Application Deadline: 12/11/2017
Ref: IT-JB

The Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) is looking for an IT Technician for the Information Technology Unit with the main function of maintaining and optimizing the Information Systems of the institute, giving support to research groups by suggesting the software and hardware needed. He/she will support users in the fields of computation, telecommunication and network and ensure the integrity of the information stored in the different systems.

October 23, 2017October 19, 2017

SOMMa launches in Madrid

Directors and representatives of Spain’s 25 Severo Ochoa centres – including IBEC’s Josep Samitier – and 16 María de Maeztu units gathered in Madrid yesterday to launch SOMMa, an alliance aimed at raising the national and international profile of science in Spain.

Secretary of State for R&D+I Carmen Vela chaired the kick-off meeting, which defined the strategic and working plan for the coming months. Luis Serrano, director of Barcelona’s Centre for Genomic Regulation, will head the alliance over the next two years, while Teresa Garcia-Milà, director of the Barcelona Graduate School of Economics, will be its vice-president.

SOMMa will achieve its goal by promoting the exchange of knowledge, technology and best practices among its centres and units and with the international scientific community and other stakeholders, by cooperating with other research centres in Spain to strengthen the R&D+i system, and by being a voice in Spanish and European science policy.

October 26, 2017October 18, 2017

IBEC researchers uncover flaws in one of the most commonly used bacterial strain in laboratories

Eduard Torrents’ group at IBEC has published some important findings that could lead to a change in common experimental protocol.

Along with their collaborators at Hospital Universitari Vall d’Hebron and in the Department de Genètica i Microbiologia of the UAB, Eduard and PhD student Anna Crespo reveal in Scientific Reports today that the most-used laboratory strain of bacteria may not be the reliable reference tool for testing new antibiotic treatments that it was previously thought to be.

October 16, 2017

Visit of DGR staff to the PCB

This morning, about 35 members of staff from the Generalitat’s Direcció General de Recerca (DGR) came to the PCB to visit IBEC and the IRB, the two CERCA centres located there.

Director General of Research Francesc Subirada and Assistant Director General Iolanda Font de Rubinat and their colleagues – who work in finance, HR, IT and other administration roles – carry out visits like this every year to find out what goes on at the organizations that are members of CERCA, the Generalitat’s institution that supervises, supports and facilitates the activities of Catalonia’s research centres. In previous years they’ve also visited the PPRB and ICFO.

The joint program for the morning started with institutional talks by directors Josep Samitier (IBEC) and Joan Guinovart (IRB), pictured above, followed by a coffee break and then a tour of some of the labs and platforms of both the centres.

October 13, 2017

Microswimmers use ‘good’ bacteria to target harmful biofilms

A paper by IBEC’s Smart nano-bio-devices group addresses the problem of biofilms, the “microbe cities” that enhance cell-to-cell communication for bacteria, allowing infection to thrive and increasing the chances of evading the immune system. In the body, they can be found in a wide variety of microbial infections, such as in the lungs of cystic fibrosis or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients.

Biofilm colonies are usually resistant to antibiotics and require targeted methods of removal. One method uses nanoparticles as carriers for antibiotic delivery, where they randomly circulate in fluid until they make contact with the infected areas. These are not very effective, however, as they need to be able to get much closer to the biofilm.

October 10, 2017

Registration open for Bojos per la Ciència 2018

Registration for high school students is open until 23rd October for “Bojos per la Ciència” (Crazy about Science), the Fundació Catalunya-La Pedrera initiative that aims to encourage scientific vocation.

2018 will be the first year that IBEC takes part in the programme, first launched in 2013, which offers courses – held on a series of Saturdays throughout the year – to selected high school students who show aptitude in science.

The theoretical-practical sessions taught by researchers at the participating research centers, which include IRB, CREI, ICN2, ICIQ and more, cover topics such as biochemistry, biomedicine, economics, physics, food, mathematics, nature, new technologies and chemistry.