BioEngineering Hybrid Robotic Machines: from nanobots to 3D Bioprinted Robots Samuel Sánchez , IBEC The combination of biological components and artificial ones emerges into what we called hybrid machines/bots/robots. Here, I will present two types of hybrid systems that we are currently developing in our lab which span across different length scales, from a few ... Read more
Development of biomimetic models of intestinal tissue: guiding cellular self-organization through biofabrication techniques Elena Martínez , IBEC Epithelial tissues contain three-dimensional (3D) microstructures that guide cell self-organization at the tissue level. In the small intestine, crypts and finger-like villi microstructures improve its absorbance function, provides specific microenvironments and compartmentalizes cell types. Despite its physiological relevance, ... Read more
Multiscale approach to bioelectricity Gabriel Gomila , IBEC Understanding how electricity is generated and propagated in living systems is key to understand many physiological processes and to develop medical instruments for diagnosis, monitoring and therapy. In this seminar I will present the multiscale approach to bioelectricity developed in our research group at IBEC, which covers ... Read more
Bionics at the molecular level: copying Nature to control Nature Giuseppe Battaglia , IBEC A very established approach in medicine involves the replacement of organs or other malfunctioning body parts by synthetic versions, engineered to mimic (or even augment it, if you allow the sci-fi digression) the original function. Bionics is a very established medical ... Read more
Deep mutagenesis to understand Protein Phase Transitions Benedetta Bolognesi , IBEC Specific insoluble protein aggregates are the hallmarks of many neurodegenerative diseases. Whether the protein aggregates themselves or other forms of the proteins are toxic to cells is still unclear in many of these diseases. This lack of understanding of the causes of cellular toxicity is ... Read more
Sensing the matrix: transducing mechanical signals from integrins to the nucleus Pere Roca-Cusachs , IBEC Cell proliferation and differentiation, as well as key processes in development, tumorigenesis, and wound healing, are strongly determined by the properties of the extracellular matrix (ECM), including its mechanical rigidity and the density and distribution of its ligands. In this talk, ... Read more
Signal and Data Processing Workflows for Untargeted Chemical Analysis: Sensor Array and Mass Spectrometry Analysis of Complex Gas Samples Santiago Marco , IBEC In diverse sectors such as health, food, environment, complex natural gas samples are analysed. Those samples can contain hundreds or thousands of compounds. In many cases, the question to be answered does not ... Read more
Mechanobiology of intestinal organoids Xavier Trepat, IBEC Intestinal organoids capture essential features of the intestinal epithelium such as folding of the crypt, spatial compartmentalization of different cell types, and cellular movements from crypt to villus-like domains. Each of these processes and their coordination in time and space requires patterned physical forces that are currently unknown. ... Read more
The volitional brain in action: counterfactual error and the virtualization of memory Paul Verschure, IBEC Volitional motor control can be seen as the result of a gradual replacement of feedback by feedforward control. We have addressed this question from the perspective of an integrated architecture called the Distributed Adaptive Control (DAC) theory of mind and ... Read more
Targeted drug delivery: fundamental aspects and translational applications Silvia Muro, IBEC The design of strategies to enable efficient and safe delivery of therapeutic agents to areas of the body requiring intervention is an active research field. Therapeutic targets are often confined to specific regions or tissues in the body, where access may require active transport ... Read more