Sarah Moreira, Author at Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia

August 15, 2025

Human embryo implantation recorded in real time for the first time

Researchers at the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) have recorded human embryo implantation in real time for the first time, using an innovative system developed in the laboratory that simulates the outer layers of the uterus in 3D. Implantation failure is one of the main causes of infertility, accounting for 60% of miscarriages. The work, published in the journal Science Advances, may help to better understand the mechanisms underlying the implantation process, improving fertility rates and optimising assisted reproduction processes.

August 8, 2025

IBEC and Antoni Muntadas featured in the ‘Invisible Animals’ exhibition at the Natural Science Museum of Barcelona

The Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) attended the opening of the exhibition, which highlights extinct fauna that remains present in the collective imagination. The exhibition includes a section dedicated to the Tasmanian tiger featuring a piece by Antoni Muntadas, on which IBEC collaborated with Benedetta Bolognesi, a principal investigator at the institute.

July 30, 2025

Fibrosens Project receives funds from AFM-Telethon to develop sensor devices for muscular dystrophy

IBEC researchers Chiara Ninfali (left) and Juanma Fernández (right).

IBEC researcher Juanma Fernández recently has received funding from the French AFM-Telethon to carry out the project “Monitoring of fibrotic processes in 3D skeletal muscle co-cultures for Muscular Dystrophies using plasmonic biosensors”. The objective is to develop multiplexing sensor devices to achieve online, real-time sensing capability to monitor fibrosis markers and evaluate drug response in muscular dystrophy in vitro models.

July 25, 2025

Scientists create an artificial cell capable of navigating its environment using chemistry alone

Researchers at the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) have created the world’s simplest artificial cell capable of chemical navigation, migrating toward specific substances like living cells do. This breakthrough, published in Science Advances, demonstrates how microscopic bubbles, called vesicles, can be programmed to follow chemical trails. This breakthrough reveals the bare essentials needed to make synthetic life move with purpose. Decoding how vesicles navigate reveals how cells communicate and transport cargo, and provides a blueprint for engineering targeted drug delivery systems

July 25, 2025

IBEC and ICS sign framework agreement to promote biomedical research and clinical transfer

The Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) and the Catalan Health Institute (ICS) have signed a framework collaboration agreement to promote joint research, innovation and technology transfer activities in the field of bioengineering for health applications.

July 25, 2025July 22, 2025

Seven additional IBEC labs achieve top-level in My Green Lab certification

Seven more research groups at the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) have been certified by My Green Lab, reaching the highest rating, the Green Level, for sustainable laboratory practices. With these additions, IBEC core facilities and 70% of the Institute’s laboratories are now certified.

July 21, 2025July 17, 2025

IBEC promotes research evaluation reform by hosting a conference on the CoARA principles

The Barcelona Science Park hosted today’s conference, “Reforming research evaluation to promote scientific quality and impact: Experiences and trends within the framework of the Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA)”. The event was organised by the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), the CERCA Institution and the University of Carthage, and was co-funded by the CoARA coalition and the European Union.

July 15, 2025

IBEC and the Hospital del Mar formalise a new collaboration

The first collaboration day between the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) and the Hospital del Mar Research Institute was held today at the Barcelona Biomedical Research Park (PRBB). The meeting provided an opportunity to share research projects, identify areas for collaboration and formalise a strategic alliance through the signing of a collaboration agreement between IBEC, the Hospital del Mar and the Hospital del Mar Research Institute.

July 14, 2025

Two IBEC projects receive ERC funding to advance bioinks for 3D printing and cancer therapies

Manuel Salmeron and Xavier Rovira, who are both principal investigators at IBEC, have each been awarded an ERC Proof of Concept Grant. These prestigious grants are awarded by the European Research Council to explore the commercial and social potential of research projects carried out at European institutions. Salmeron’s project, FACTORINK, focuses on designing functional bioinks with biological activity for printing artificial tissues. Meanwhile, Rovira’s project seeks to develop the EVOaware platform, which is designed to address tumour resistance to therapies and accelerate the discovery and development of new cancer treatments.

July 7, 2025

IBEC hosts the 5th Annual Meeting of the ISMRM Iberian Chapter

Barcelona hosted the 5th Annual Meeting of the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (ISMRM) Iberian Chapter on 3 and 4 July, organised this year in collaboration with the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC). The event brought together almost one hundred professionals from the field of magnetic resonance imaging to discuss the latest scientific, clinical, and computational advances.