Sarah Moreira 
A team of researchers led by IBEC and ICFO has developed and validated a novel photoelectrochemical electron spectroscopy technique to probe charge separation dynamics, a crucial step for photosynthesis, in photosynthetic complexes.
IBEC researcher Samuel Sánchez has received a Leonardo Grant from the BBVA Foundation. The funding will help him take his research a step further and use organic and biocompatible materials to develop his nanorobots, which will be used as drug carriers to treat bladder cancer.
A study led by the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) has studied the migratory movement of groups of cells using light control. The results show that there is no leader cell that directs the collective movement, as previously thought, but that all cells participate in the process. These findings are relevant to the design of treatments to stop tumour invasion or accelerate wound healing, physiological processes closely linked to cell migration.
IBEC Principal Investigator Irene Marco Rius has been selected for the European Research Council (ERC) Starting Grant call to carry out her project ‘LIFETIME’. The project focuses on the study of individual cancer metabolism, which is crucial for less invasive early diagnosis and personalised treatments.
IBEC will coordinate SPM4.0 and participate as a partner in ENTRY-DM, two of the projects selected in the 2023 call for PhD networks within the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA). Thanks to these two projects, IBEC will add three new PhD students to its staff.
As part of its commitment to promoting scientific careers, every summer IBEC welcomes students who want to enter the world of research and experience first-hand the work carried out in its laboratories. This year, 14 students spent time in 10 IBEC laboratories through programmes such as Youth and Science, Mad for Bioengineering and Batx2Lab, among others.
The IMAB project aims to involve the over-65s in learning about, understanding and expressing their opinions on the latest research in bioengineering for active ageing. The initiative has been carried out in collaboration with adult education centres, community centres, associations and university extension classes. The results will now be made available to the scientific community so that they can hear the public’s opinions and perspectives on these advances.
A team of researchers led by the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) has developed light-activated derivatives of the anti-epileptic drug carbamazepine to treat neuropathic pain. These compounds, which show analgesic effects when activated by light, can inhibit nerve signals locally and on demand. Photopharmacological treatments offer precise action at the site of application, thus reducing systemic side effects.
Samuel Sánchez, ICREA Research Professor at the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), will lead the OrthoBots project, which focuses on the treatment of joint diseases using nanorobots. To carry out the project, Sánchez has been awarded an ERC Proof of Concept Grant, a prestigious grant from the European Research Council.
