Àngels López

Researchers at IBEC reveal in a Nature Communications paper some surprising mechanics that drive epithelial gap closure in the absence of underlying layers

In a collaboration with their colleagues at the Mechanobiology Institute in Singapore, IBEC researchers have demonstrated that a kind of ‘tug-of-war’ takes place after our skin or other epithelial layer is damaged, particularly in cases where the tissue is chronicly or deeply injured.

Researchers in Barcelona discover more potential candidates on the route to tailored, photo-switchable therapies by disproving design limitation

Last year, scientists at the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), IRB Barcelona and the UB announced that they had achieved photo-switchable, or light-regulated, molecules to control protein-protein interactions – key determinants in biological processes, and therefore highly promising therapeutic targets – in a remote and non-invasive way.

A group at IBEC has identified a important factor in E. coli infection, opening the way to developing targeted drugs against the potentially deadly condition.

Most E. coli bacterial strains occur naturally in the human gut and pose no harm to health, except for the one particular serotype that always hits the news, O157:H7, which can cause food poisoning and can become life-threatening in certain patients.

– The EU-funded MySpine project completes its goal of developing prognosis technology for spinal problems

– Consortium now looking for a transfer opportunity to bring its technology into the healthcare system

Even though lower back pain and spinal disorders are the leading cause of disability in western countries, their treatment still leaves a lot to be desired.