Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia

IBEC Seminar: Prof. Yuval Ebenstein
2024-12-17 15:00 - 16:00 (Europe/Madrid) | Sala Dolors Aleu, Cluster II, IBEC, Baldiri i Reixac, Barcelona
Beyond NGS: A toolbox for single-molecule epigenetic analysis of DNA
Prof. Yuval Ebenstein, Department of Physical Chemistry, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Founder, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center Tel Aviv University, Israel.
DNA sequencing (NGS) is revolutionizing all fields of biological research. Still, it fails to extract the full range of information associated with genetic material and cannot resolve important variations between genomes. The information content of the genome extends beyond the base sequence in the form of chemical modifications such as DNA methylation or chromosomal association with DNA-binding proteins (chromatin). For the last decade, my lab has been developing tools for genomic analysis at the single-cell and single-molecule levels. I will show how the physical extension of long DNA molecules in nanofluidic channels reveals this information in the form of a linear, optical, or electrical “barcode,” like beads threaded on a string, where each bead represents a distinct type of observable. I’ll present a biochemical and physical toolbox for mapping epigenetic modifications in the genome and demonstrate its application in clinical cancer research. Finally, I will talk about a DNA chip developed in the lab and the adventure of building a startup based on this technology.

Short Bio:
Prof. Yuval Ebenstein is a scientist and entrepreneur with years of experience in translational research. Yuval is head of the NanoBioPhotonix Lab and the founder of the Tel Aviv University Entrepreneurship Center. In his lab, Yuval combines Chemistry, Physics, Biology, and bioinformatics in order to study the human genome. His lab explores genomes utilizing tools and reagents from the realm of nano-technology, zooming in on single cells, single chromosomes, and single molecules. Yuval is the winner of two ERC awards for developing genomic technologies and is the founder of JaxBio, a liquid biopsy methylation-based diagnostics startup.

IBEC Seminar: Sylvain Gabriele
2025-01-14 14:30 - 16:30 | Sala Dolors Aleu, Cluster II, IBEC, Baldiri i Reixac, Barcelona
Mechanobiology of epithelial cells: curvature, confinement and memory
Sylvain Gabriele, University of Mons
The directed migration of epithelial cell collectives through coordinated movements is fundamental to numerous physiological and pathological processes. While these dynamics are often studied in large, confluent monolayers, many migration phenomena involve the movement of small, polarized epithelial clusters and their interactions with external geometries. Additionally, epithelial monolayers must adapt to variations in local curvature during processes like tissue folding and morphogenesis, which are critical for development and homeostasis. Despite their significance, spatial confinement and curvature-induced adaptations remain poorly understood due to challenges in reproducing these conditions in vitro. We will first introduce a photopolymerization technique using optical photomasks to fabricate wavy hydrogels, allowing precise exploration of how concave and convex curvatures influence the mechanical properties of epithelial monolayers and induce nuclear deformations. Our findings highlight the pivotal roles of active cellular mechanics and nuclear mechano adaptation in regulating epithelial responses to substrate curvature. In the second part, we will employ well-defined in vitro systems based on micropatterned adhesive stripes to examine the migration of individual cells and small epithelial clusters with controlled geometries. We will demonstrate the critical role of geometry in defining the migration behaviors of cells and clusters, offering a framework to uncover the rules governing their interactions with physical boundaries. Notably, we will present evidence that migrating cells retain a “mechanical memory” of past morphological states, enabling enhanced navigation through confined environments. This long-term memory of confinement, mediated by actin cortex remodeling, provides new insights into how cells adapt to dynamic microenvironments and navigate complex spaces.
Please contact Manuel Salmeron Sanchez if you would like to meet the speaker: msalmeron@ibecbarcelona.eu

IBEC Seminar: Prof. Joo H. Kang and Prof. Jinmyoung Joo
2025-02-14 12:00 - 13:00 | Sala Dolors Aleu, Cluster II, IBEC, Baldiri i Reixac, Barcelona
Microfluidic Approaches for Infection Treatment and Vascularized Tissue Regeneration
Joo H. Kang, Ph.D., Associate Professor Department of Biomedical Engineering, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology
Extracorporeal blood treatments for severe bacteremic sepsis have shown limited success, primarily due to the lack of effective strategies to remove various pathogenic materials from the bloodstreams. This presentation will focus on two of the most recent approaches addressing this challenge. The first utilizes red blood cell (RBC) membrane-coated superparamagnetic nanoclusters (RBC-SPNCs) that target a broad spectrum of bacteria and viruses in infected whole blood. In a swine sepsis model, these RBC-SPNCs demonstrated rapid capture and magnetic separation of various pathogens, even at high blood flow rates. Treatment of swine infected with multidrug-resistant E. coli significantly alleviated severe bacteremia-induced organ dysfunction within 12 hours, suggesting potential therapeutic utility in large animal models and possibly in human sepsis treatment. The second approach enables efficient bacterial removal by leveraging RBC deformability, which induces their axial migration and promotes bacterial margination, thereby enhancing capture efficiency within the microscale flow path of the extracorporeal device.
Toward the end of the presentation, we will discuss fully vascularized implants created using autologous blood plasma through a microfluidic device. Our results show that implanting theses vascularized scaffolds onto cutaneous wound sites significantly facilitated wound healing in a rodent model, resulting in increased collagen deposition, higher hair follicle numbers, and improved wound closure rates. The microvascular structures we implanted were anastomosed with the host’s blood vessels, enabling rapid deployment of neutrophils to the wound site and promoting the polarization of M2 macrophages, which further facilitated the wound healing process.

Engineering functional nanoparticles for translational and precision medicine
Jinmyoung Joo, Associate Professor Department of Biomedical Engineering, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology
Nanotechnology is of great importance to molecular biology and medicine because life processes are maintained by the action of a series of biological molecular nanomachines in the cell machinery. Recent advances in nanotechnology offer great potential applications in biomedical research and clinical diagnostics, and the development of a novel toolkit is critical to understand the inner world of complex biological nanosystems at cell, tissue and whole-body level. In particular, the unique combinations of material properties that can be achieved with nanomaterials provide new opportunities in biomedical applications, in which a number of functional nanomaterials have been investigated and become a new interdisciplinary frontier between biomedical science and materials engineering.
In this talk, self-destructing hybrid nanoparticles based on porous inorganic scaffolds and lipids will be discussed. The material allows a modular approach to the design of imaging or therapeutic agents, which includes features such as: intrinsic photoluminescence; singlet oxygen sensitization; capacity for a wide range of payloads such as magnetic nanoparticles, large proteins, or oligonucleotides; tunable degradation rates; and large external surface to provide multivalent targeting. Luminescent nanoparticles offer a non-toxic alternative to heavy metal-based quantum dots, and they have been shown to be biodegradable and to safely image tumors and organs in live animals. The addition of a targeting ligand that selectively interacts with tissues can improve the efficacy of imaging and drug delivery. These effects can be further enhanced if the nanoparticle contains more than one copy of the targeting ligand, enabling multivalent interactions with the targeted tissue. The use of the feasible functionality and biodegradable characteristics of the nanoparticles for in vitro and in vivo imaging and drug delivery systems will be highlighted.

IBEC Seminar: Dr Stefano Angioletti Uberti
2025-02-20 10:00 - 11:00 | Torres I, Floor -1, Room 3
Multivalent interactions: Old concept, new tricks
Dr Stefano Angioletti Uberti, Senior Lecturer at Imperial College London
Arguably,multivalency has been used since the 1970s as a mechanism to increase the binding strength while using weak ligand-receptor pairs. While this (somewhat naive) view as a general approach to increase binding strength must be taken with a pinch of salt but, it also downplays the importance of multilvalent interactions for selectivity. In fact, multivalent interactions become crucial to obtain binding selectivity in scenarios where targets vs non-target entitites (cells, viruses, …) do not differ by the presence or lack of a specific receptor, but by receptors’ spatial distribution. In this seminar, I will describe some of our most recent research into this topic, focusing on two intriguing cases: the use of multivalent binding to enhance targeting in drug-delivery, and its (potential) role as a general mechanism to regulate how cells “sense” and react to their environment.

IBEC Seminar. Science and poetry
2025-03-21 00:00 - 13:00 | Sala Dolors Aleu, Cluster II, IBEC, Baldiri i Reixac, Barcelona
El pròxim 21 de març, coincidint amb el Dia Internacional de la Poesia, l’IBEC ha programat una sessió poètica especial conduïda per Mireia Casanyes. Aquesta activitat forma part de Ciència Radical, un programa cultural creat en col·laboració amb el CCCB, que busca explorar les connexions entre ciència, humanitats i arts per repensar la realitat que ens envolta. El seminari s’inscriu també dins la residència poètica de Mireia Casanyes a l’IBEC.

Workshop 2. NET-AI: AI fundamentals and use cases in healthcare
2025-03-28 09:00 - 14:00 | Sala Dolors Aleu, Cluster II, IBEC, Baldiri i Reixac, Barcelona
In this second workshop of the AI for Bioengineering thematic network (NET-AI), an introduction, both theoretical and practical, to the fundamental concepts and main algorithms of artificial intelligence applied to bioengineering will be given. To this end, a first seminar will introduce the fundamental concepts of AI. This will be followed by a practical programming activity in Python, in which attendees will be able to bring their laptop to practice the implementation of simple AI models. Finally, a second seminar will offer a more specific vision of AI use cases in the healthcare field for decision-making.

Schedule programme
09:00 – Registration and Welcome
09:15 – Santiago Marco, IBEC group “Signal and Information Processing for Sensing Systems”, “AI fundamentals”
10: 15 – Coffee Break
10:45 – Moritz Marquardt, University of Stuttgart, AI practical activity (own computer required)
12:15 – Short break
12:30 – Plenary: Alexandre Perera, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC),“From Ontology-Based Classifiers for Rare Conditions to Transformer-Based Models for Type 2 Diabetes – Opportunities and Risks”
13:30 – Final remarks and closing
To register, click here.
Health Data Science: From Ontology-Based Classifiers for Rare Conditions to Transformer-Based Models for Type 2 Diabetes – Opportunities and Risks
Alexandre Perera
Health data science is transforming disease prediction and diagnosis through advanced AI models. This talk explores two key frontiers: ontology-based classifiers for rare diseases and transformer-based models for type 2 diabetes prediction. Ontology-based methods, such as those leveraging the Human Phenotype Ontology (HPO), enhance diagnostic precision in rare conditions by mapping patient-reported symptoms to expert-curated knowledge bases (Manzini et al., 2022). Initiatives like Share4Rare promote citizen science and collaborative rare disease research, fostering data sharing and patient engagement (Radu et al., 2021). Additionally, expert models aid in the early identification of inherited kidney diseases, integrating clinical expertise with machine learning (Fayos de Arizon et al., 2023) For prevalent conditions like type 2 diabetes, deep learning models excel in trajectory prediction using longitudinal health records. Attention-based encoders and deep clustering approaches have demonstrated high accuracy in forecasting disease progression and personalizing treatment strategies (Manzini et al., 2022, 2025). However, the integration of AI in clinical decision-making presents both opportunities and risks, including model bias, explainability challenges, and ethical concerns regarding data privacy. This discussion highlights the transformative potential of AI-driven disease prediction while addressing the need for robust validation, transparency, and responsible deployment in healthcare.

Ibec Seminar. Emma Puighermanal Puigvert
2025-04-04 11:00 | Sala Dolors Aleu, Cluster II, IBEC, Baldiri i Reixac, Barcelona
Clearing the Haze: Cannabinoids in Brain Research and Therapy
Dra. Emma Puighermanal Puigvert, Group Leader at the Neuroscience Institute, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain
Cannabinoids—compounds found in the cannabis plant—are powerful modulators of brain function that interact with the brain’s endocannabinoid system, a key player in processes like memory, mood, and neural communication. Two of the best known cannabinoids, THC and CBD, have gained increasing attention for their exciting therapeutic potential, and in the case of CBD, complete lack of psychoactive effects. Understanding how these compounds affect neuronal processes is key to optimizing their medical use while minimizing side effects. In this talk, Dr. Puighermanal will take us inside the neural circuits to explore how cannabinoids act at the cellular and molecular level. She will reveal how repeated THC exposure reshapes gene expression and synaptic function in memory-related brain circuits, and how this can explain some of its cognitive effects. Shifting gears, she will then present compelling evidence for CBD’s disease-modifying action in mouse models of Leigh syndrome—a severe pediatric mitochondrial disorder with no approved treatments to date. From decoding memory modulation to uncovering novel therapeutic pathways, this research sheds new light on the brain’s response to cannabinoids—and what it could mean for future medicine.

PhD Discussion: Ángela Martínez-Mateos and Alice Perucca
2025-05-16 10:00 - 11:00 | Sala Dolors Aleu, Cluster II, IBEC, Baldiri i Reixac, Barcelona
DnaA as a key regulator of ribonucleotide reductase genes in P. aeruginosa.
Ángela Martínez-Mateos, Bacterial Infections and Antimicrobial Therapies Group
Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a highly adaptable opportunistic pathogen that exhibits both acquired and innate antibiotic resistance mechanisms. Due to its survival capabilities in various environments, discovering new therapeutic strategies is essential. Ribonucleotide reductases (RNRs), essential enzymes for dNTP synthesis, have become promising targets for fighting P. aeruginosa infections. There are three main RNR classes (I, II, III), each distinguished by how their radical is generated, the metal required, cofactor type, structure, and oxygen needs. P. aeruginosa encodes all three RNR classes in its genome and understanding them is crucial for comprehending its metabolic adaptability under different growth conditions, such as planktonic, during infection, or biofilm formation.
Our laboratory previously discovered that class Ia (nrdAB) is regulated by AlgR, a positive transcriptional regulator that controls mucoidy in P. aeruginosa, and by NrdR, the master negative regulator of RNR that regulates all three classes. However, significant gaps remain in our understanding of the regulatory network of the class Ia RNR, and we don’t fully understand which transcriptional regulators are involved in the fine-tuning of gene regulation for the different RNR classes.
This project aims to identify new transcriptional regulators through genomic, transcriptomic, and proteomic approaches. It has been suggested that DnaA, among other transcriptional regulators, could be involved in the regulation of these pathways. Comprehensive studies of these regulators are necessary to elucidate the complex regulatory networks and hierarchical organization of these factors. Understanding these interactions is crucial for developing effective strategies to combat P. aeruginosa infections

Engineering the tumour ecosystem on a chip: a new tool to test cancer immunotherapies
Alice Perucca, Integrative Cell and Tissue Dynamics group
Immunotherapy has emerged as a revolutionary approach in cancer treatment, offering the potential for durable responses and improved patient survival. However, a significant proportion of patients fail to respond to these therapies, highlighting the need for a deeper understanding of the factors that govern treatment success. The tumour microenvironment, a complex ecosystem comprising various cell types and extracellular components, plays a critical role in shaping anti-tumour immune responses and influencing immunotherapy efficacy. Understanding the intricate interplay between tumour cells, stromal components, and immune cells within this microenvironment is essential for identifying the mechanisms underlying treatment resistance and developing strategies to overcome it. This project focuses on the development of a novel microfluidic “cancer-on-chip” device, a promising approach to model and study these intricated interactions in vitro. The device recapitulates key aspects of the tumour microenvironment, including spatial organization and cellular interactions, including cells of the immune system. By recreating an in vivo-like environment, this platform provides insights into immune cell behaviour in the tumour ecosystem and facilitates the screening of novel immunotherapeutic strategies.

IBEC Seminar. Prof. Brendan Kennedy
2025-06-13 10:00 - 11:00 | Sala Dolors Aleu, Cluster II, IBEC, Baldiri i Reixac, Barcelona
Optical coherence elastography: imaging cell and tissue mechanics on the micro-scale
Professor Brendan Kennedy. Department of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering, School of Engineering, The University of Western Australia. Group Leader, BRITElab, Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, Western Australia. Institute of Physics, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun, Poland
Abstract: As the importance of mechanical properties in the origin and progression of disease becomes ever clearer, new elastography tools are required to map cell and tissue mechanics on the micro-scale. Elastography has been developed over a wide range of spatial scales, from the cellular, for example, using atomic force microscopy, through to the whole organ, using ultrasound elastography and magnetic resonance elastography. However, existing techniques are not capable of probing tissue mechanical properties on the intermediate micro- to milli-scale: a scale critical in the onset and progression of many diseases. Optical coherence elastography (OCE) aims to bridge the scale gap in elastography techniques. Through the utilization of optical coherence tomography (OCT) to measure tissue motion, OCE is endowed with spatial resolution as high as 1-10 mm, much higher than is possible using ultrasound or magnetic resonance imaging, and a sensitivity to tissue displacement on the nanometer-scale, providing the prospect to detect much finer changes in mechanical properties.
In this talk, I will describe methods we have developed at The University of Western Australia and Nicolaus Copernicus University to quantify tissue elasticity, ranging from mechanical loading methods to signal processing techniques to map the full strain tensor. I will focus on main two application areas. Firstly, the application of OCE to tumour margin assessment in breast cancer, where we have developed both ex vivo and in vivo OCE methods to detect tumour during surgery to enable surgeons to more accurately remove cancer. Secondly, in mechanobiology, I will describe the development of optical coherence microscopy-based elastography for imaging sub-cellular mechanics in three dimensions. I will describe a study we performed on tumour cell spheroids that reveals distinct stiffness in non-metastatic and metastatic spheroids embedded in both soft and stiff hydrogels.
Short Bio: Prof. Brendan Kennedy is Professor in the School of Engineering at The University of Western Australia (UWA) and is Head of BRITElab at the Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, also in Western Australia. He is currently Visiting Professor in the Institute of Physics at Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun, Poland. Prof. Kennedy received his PhD from Dublin City University, Ireland, in 2006. His doctoral thesis focussed on the use of nonlinear polarization rotation in semiconductor optical amplifiers for all-optical switching. His current research focusses on the development of optical coherence tomography and optical elastography and their application in a range of fields, particularly in surgery, mechanobiology and tissue engineering. He has published 1 book, 15 book chapters and >100 peer-reviewed journal papers. Prof. Kennedy has delivered >30 invited talks at national and international conferences. He has been Principal Investigator on competitive research funding of >€12 million and industry-sponsored research contracts of >€3 million. His work has been cited >8,000 times and he has a H-index of 39 (source: Google Scholar). He has won a number of awards and recognitions, including being elected as Optica Fellow in 2025. Prof. Kennedy is co-founder of OncoRes Medical, a medical device company developing OCE for use in surgery. He served as Chief Scientific Officer at OncoRes from 2017 to 2021. OncoRes has received >€30 million in venture capital funding and currently employs >40 people. In 2021, the company received the breakthrough designation from the US Food and Drugs Administration. Prof. Kennedy holds >40 granted patents from 8 patent families.

Ibec Seminar. Dr. Maribel Vazquez
2025-06-26 12:30 - 13:30 | Sala Dolors Aleu, Cluster II, IBEC, Baldiri i Reixac, Barcelona
Microfluidic Modeling of Aging Retina
Dr. Maribel Vazquez,, Professor of Biomedical Engineering Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. https://vazlab.org
The dramatic rise of chronic and age-related eye diseases is expected to increase the number of adults with vision loss by 50% in the next decade. Health Disparities with age, sex, and geography will further exacerbate impacts of vision loss worldwide. The retinal neurovascular unit plays critical roles in preserving vision from dysfunction caused by common diseases of diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration, and glaucoma. Our group has developed micro-physiological systems to examine cellular and molecular dysfunction across blood retinal barriers produced by food-derived, advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) in circulating blood. Current projects measure changes in the permeability and resistivity of diabetic retinal barriers, evaluate the use of electric fields to replace photoreceptors in the macula, and examine newfound roles of glia in mediating retinal integrity within age-related and chronic, pathological environments. Results highlight the role of microfluidics-based systems in identifying mechanisms of neurovascular response and evaluating effectiveness of pharmacology at different stages of disease. The laboratory also highlights the blending of Health Disparities in the development of biomedical therapies and training of biomedical engineers.
Dr. Vazquez is a Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. She began her career in industry at Intel Corporation and then completed a Doctor of Science in Mechanical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). She is an inducted Fellow of the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineers (AIMBE) and Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) for the contributions of microfluidic systems in the visual system. She received the 2023 AIMBE Professional Impact Award for the inclusion of Health Disparities within under/graduate training and was honored as the 2024 Plenary Speaker to the BMES Council of Chairs for integration of health disparities in Biomedical Engineering. She is an invited speaker in the special session of Retinal Engineering at the 2025 Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society (TERMIS).

NET-AI. Workshop 3: "Deep learning for biomedical applications: fundamentals, trustworthiness and explainability"
2025-06-27 09:30 - 16:30 | Sala Dolors Aleu, Cluster II, IBEC, Baldiri i Reixac, Barcelona
This third workshop will focus on Deep Learning. It will start with an introductory session where the fundamental concepts of the subject will be presented, which will then be put into practice during a hands-on activity focused on biomedical imaging. Then, two more sessions with international speakers will address critical issues such as trustworthiness and explainability of these models, two crucial aspects in the biomedical field.
Schedule programme:
9:40 – Registration
9:50 – Welcome from Network Coordinator
10:00 – Invited national speaker: Petia Radeva, University of Barcelona (UB), “Deep learning – why everybody talks about it?”
11:00 – Coffee break
11:30 – Invited national speaker: Roser Sala-Llonch, University of Barcelona, “Deep Learning in Biomedical Imaging: Hands-on with Neural Networks and CNNs” Practical activity – own computer required
13:30 – Lunch
14:15 – Invited international speaker: Lorin Werthen-Brabants, Ghent University, “Trustworthy and Reliable (Deep) Machine Learning for Healthcare”
15:15 – Invited international speaker: Aray Karjauv, University of Berlin, “Explainability Beyond Labels: Why We Need XAI for Self-Supervised Learning”
16:15 – Final remarks and closing
To registres click here

PhD Discussion. Armando Cortés-Reséndiz and Maria J. Ugarte-Orozco
2025-07-11 10:00 - 11:00 | Sala Dolors Aleu, Cluster II, IBEC, Baldiri i Reixac, Barcelona
Decoding skeletal muscle-liver axis in the context of sarcopenia: Towards the multi organ on a chip
Armando Cortés-Reséndiz (1),*, Francesco De Chiara (1), Javier Ramón Azcón (1,2)
1 Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia, Barcelona, Spain
2 ICREA-Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats, Barcelona, Spain
*acortes@ibecbarcelona.eu
Sarcopenia is characterized by marked reductions in skeletal muscle mass and quality, which impacts the mobility and autonomy of patients. [1] They suffer not only from low physical performance and strength but also face a greater risk of falls and further comorbidities, one of those being non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), as reported by some studies [2]. These have described a correlation between diminished muscle strength and the onset of NASH [2]. Thus, our study examines sarcopenic phenotypes in three-dimensional muscle tissues in contact with conditioned media from NASH.
This approach involves subjecting skeletal muscle tissues to incubation in culture media derived from a pre-established model of NASH. We encapsulated human hepatocytes and hepatic stellate cells (HSC) in a collagen-based hydrogel. After treatment, our model accumulates excess lipids upon a challenge with non-esterified fatty acids (NEFAs), shows activation of HSC, primary drivers of fibrosis, and exhibits a proinflammatory environment. We also show the presence of apoptotic phenotypes and paracrine signaling between cell types of the liver. Such conditions trigger an atrophic phenotype in healthy skeletal muscle tissues, fabricated by encapsulating human myoblasts in a Matrigel and fibrinogen matrix using PDMS casting. Skeletal muscle tissues were functionally evaluated as well by electrical pulse stimulation (EPS). We show that treated tissues exert lower contractile forces during EPS regime compared to our control conditions.
Both of our models pose valuable tools to aid in the identification of potential drug targets and therapeutic strategies, as they mimic key features and cellular microenvironments of sarcopenia and NASH. For this reason, our investigation marks a critical step toward understanding the intricate associations between these diseases. With the multi organ on a chip in sight, we will focus on integrating both models inside an organ-on-chip device.

Plasmonic Biosensors to evaluate complement activation in serum of patients with myasthenia gravis.
Maria J. Ugarte-Orozco 1*, Javier Ramón-Azcón 1, Eduard Gallardo Vigo 2
1 Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) – Barcelona (Spain)
2 Institut de Recerca Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau. U.A.B. – Barcelona (Spain)
*mugarte@ibecbarcelona.eu
Myasthenia Gravis (MG), an autoimmune neuromuscular disorder affecting nerve-muscle communication, is characterized by antibodies (Abs) targeting neuromuscular junction (NMJ) receptors. Most patients (80-90%) possess antibodies recognizing the acetylcholine receptor (AChR-MG), these anti-AChR Abs play a crucial role in the complement activation system (e.g., sC5b-9). These Abs lead to the formation of membrane attack complex (MAC) in the NMJ, representing the most critical pathogenic mechanism resulting in AChR depletion and subsequent muscle weakness. [1][2] Complement inhibitor therapies are emerging as effective treatments for anti-AChR Abs; however, the main problem is that considerable variability in treatment response exists, and current clinical tests have difficulty differentiating primary pathogenic mechanisms in each patient. [3] The identification of complement activation biomarkers could facilitate the treatment selection. To address this, we aimed to develop a throughput and scalable plasmonic biointerface as an accurate diagnostic tool, measuring the release of soluble complement (sC5b-9) after its activation by anti-AChR Abs. This biosensor focuses on detecting complement activation in patient samples, confirming the patient’s eligibility for complement inhibitor therapy, such as Eculizumab. This strategy enables label-free detection of AChR autoantibody-mediated complement activation, providing a quick and accurate diagnosis of MG.
In this study, we introduce a biosensor based on a nanostructured polycarbonate substrate from Blu-ray discs with a thin gold layer, utilizing Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance (LSPR) for analysis. It employs antibody-antigen as biorecognition elements to detect sC5b-9 in serum samples. We successfully optimized the biofunctionalization of cys-Protein G, an antibody-binding protein targeting the Fc region that enables orientation to the antibody, exposing the binding sites towards the analyte to enhance surface sensitivity. The biosensing potential was demonstrated by the detection of sC5b-9 in commercial human serum, achieving a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.76 ng/mL in culture media and when working with human sera 0.92 ng/mL. Additionally, the performance of the plasmonic biosensor was assessed with a cohort of sera samples from patients provided by Sant Pau Hospital.
The label-free plasmonic biosensor we developed holds great promise for future applications in POC and portable devices within the realm of precision medicine. By offering detailed insights into the specific pathogenic mechanisms underlying MG in individual patients, our biosensor contributes to more accurate diagnosis and enables the development of personalized treatment strategies. The biosensor’s high sensitivity, scalability, and compatibility with clinical workflows position it as a valuable tool for advancing bioengineering and improving patient care in the field of precision medicine.

IBEC Seminar. Sung Hoon Kang
2025-07-25 10:00 - 11:00 | Torres I, Floor -1, Room 1
Bone-inspired materials with self-adaptable mechanical properties and rose prickle-inspired sutureless anastomosis devices for resilient and healthy future
Sung Hoon Kang, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology
I will present our ongoing efforts to address current challenges in materials for structural/biomedical applications and surgical procedures to connect blood vessels together based on inspiration from nature.
First, I will present self-adaptive materials that can change their mechanical properties depending on loading conditions by the coupling between loading and material synthesis [1]. Bone provides structural support for human body, and it has been a subject of study and inspiration for novel materials due to its outstanding mechanical properties including toughness, self-healing, and remodeling capability, which is desirable to mitigate the failure of materials and structures through fracture and fatigue. However, it has been challenging for synthetic materials to change and adapt their structures and properties to address the changing loading condition to prevent failure.
To address the challenge, we are inspired by the findings that bones are formed by mineralizing ions from blood onto collagen matrices. I will present a material system that triggers proportional mineral deposition from electrolytes on piezoelectric matrices upon mechanical loadings so that it can self-adapt to mechanical loadings. For example, the mineralization rate could be modulated by controlling the loading condition, and a 30-180% increase in the modulus of the material was observed upon varying the cyclic loading condition. Moreover, our results showed that minerals were preferentially formed near the crack tip where stress was concentrated so that they contribute to blunting the crack tip and mitigating the propagation of the damage. As a result, the material system showed a decrease in crack propagation speed by ~90%, compared to samples tested in deionized water without mineral ions.
To expand the environment that the material can be utilized, we have investigated synthesis of liquid-infused porous piezoelectric composites inspired by bone and pitcher plant [2]. I will present our synthesis approach and resulting mechanical properties. The material showed over 36 times increase in modulus and 30 times increase in dissipation after 12 million loading cycles, demonstrating self-adaptive behavior in air. Furthermore, the material can be (re)programmed to generate multiple shapes by self-folding based on spatial distribution of mechanical loading. [3]. We envision that our findings can contribute to new strategies for making resilient and sustainable materials for dynamically changing mechanical environments, with potential applications including infrastructure, vehicle, and healthcare [4].
Second, I will present biomedical devices that can connect blood vessels together without suture. Vascular anastomosis, the surgical connection of adjacent blood vessels, is a foundational surgical skill critical for plastic and reconstructive surgery, transplant surgery, vascular surgery, and many other surgical specialties. The current standard of anastomosis is manually suturing two tubular structures together around an opening with fine sutures often requiring a microscope or vessel loupes. This is a century old technique with many challenges. Suturing technique requires extensive surgical training in resource-intensive settings. Procedures are long (60 to 90 minutes per anastomosis), expensive (up to $35,000 per procedure), and, at times, require specialized equipment (surgical microscope costing over $100,000 per unit). Even in the hands of skilled surgeons, the anastomosis can be complicated by leakage or thrombosis; 27% of cases result in complications and 25% require reoperation. Consequently, there is a pressing need for a more efficient and safer alternative to handsewn anastomosis.
Inspired by rose prickles that are used by the plant for climbing walls, we report a sutureless anastomosis device with anchors designed to hold free vascular ends together with traction. We utilized 3D printing to find an optimum geometry of anchors by conducting ex-vivo tensile testing and flow measurements, as well as in-vivo testing with porcine models. We identified an optimum geometry from ex-vivo testing with porcine vessels, which showed the failure force of our device is comparable or better than that of the handsewn suture (4.9 N) with stretch force tolerance up to 6.3 N. Based on pulsatile flow testing with porcine vessels, we found no leakage up to 45 mL/min flow rate, well above the physiologic blood flow rate in a microvascular flap after anastomosis (13.7±5 mL/min). Compared with handsewn anastomosis, the device resulted in minimum deformation of the anastomotic site. From in-vivo non-survival porcine studies (N=10), the device showed successful anastomosis (< 5 min per anastomosis) with no leaking for both arterial and venous anastomoses. There was no thrombosis or other technical failure identified during the 4-hour observation period after device implantation. Our anastomotic device has the ability to innovate the way blood vessels are put together making current procedures faster, easier, and safer. We envision our sutureless anastomotic device will contribute to significantly improve medical readiness and make anastomotic techniques more accessible to a broad range of clinicians, researchers, and patients across the world.

Ibec Seminar. Dr. Genís Prat Ortega
2025-09-18 10:00 - 11:00 | Baobab room, Floor 11, Tower 1
Neurostimulation to correct neural circuit and motoneuron dysfunction
Dr. Genís Prat Ortega, PhD in Computational Neuroscience at the Autonomous University of Barcelona.
Neurostimulation therapies such as spinal cord stimulation (SCS) or deep brain stimulation have shown unprecedented clinical success in improving voluntary motor control. In this case the stimulation can be understood as a neuroprosthetic because it assists movement but its effect vanishes when turned off. In my presentation, I will show how neurostimulation can be used not only as an assistive neuroprosthetic but also as a therapy to correct neural network dysfunction. Specifically, I will show my postdoctoral work where we used SCS to correct motorneuron dysfunction in Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA). SMA is an inherited neurodegenerative disease causing motoneuron dysfunction, muscle weakness and early mortality. Three therapies can slow disease progression enabling people to survive albeit with lingering motoneuron dysfunction and severe motor impairments. Starting from preclinical evidence showing that motoneuron dysfunction in SMA originates from the loss of excitatory inputs from primary afferents, we hypothesized that artificial augmentation of sensory neural activity with electrical stimulation could compensate for this loss thereby reverting motoneuron function. To test this hypothesis we implanted three adults with SMA with epidural electrodes over the lumbosacral spinal cord to stimulate the sensory axons of the legs. We stimulated participants for 4 weeks 2 hours per day while they executed walking and strength tasks. Remarkably, our neurostimulation regime led to robust improvements in strength, walking and fatigue paralleled by reduced neuronal hyperexcitability and higher motoneuron firing rates. Our data indicates that neurostimulation can reverse a degenerative process of circuit dysfunction thus promoting disease modifying effects in a human neurodegenerative disease. Finally, I will discuss future neurostimulation applications to correct neural network dysfunction.

The Attendance to this seminar will count for the PhD Certificate of Excellence.

NET-NANO. Workshop 3: Emerging nanotherapeutic modalities
2025-09-19 08:45 - 15:45 | Sala Dolors Aleu, Cluster II, Parc Científic de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
The Next-Generation Nanomedicine Network (NET-NANO) is hosting its third workshop on September 19th, focusing on emerging nanotherapeutic modalities. This event will explore the latest advancements in self-adaptive, stimuli-responsive, and immunomodulatory strategies for nanomedicine. The workshop will feature talks from both internal IBEC researchers and leading external experts, including plenary sessions by Prof. Hélder A. Santos, Prof. Víctor F. Puntes, and Associate Prof. Cristina Fornaguera. Join us for a day of insightful presentations, a challenge board, and a roundtable discussion to network and explore the future of nanomedicine.
Registration (here) is mandatory (deadline 12th of September)

Scheduled Program:
08:45-09:00 – Registration
09:00-09:10 – Welcome from Network Coordinator
09:10-09:40 – Ekin Opar (Nanoprobes and Nanoswitches, IBEC)
“Triplet-Sensitized Photopharmacology for Deep Tissue Modulation of Cardiac Activity”
09:40-10:10 – Bárbara Borges Fernandes (Molecular Bionics, IBEC)
“Chemotactic Liposomes as Minimal Models of Active Navigation”
10:10-11:10 – Plenary: Prof. Hélder A. Santos (University Medical Center Groningen, The Netherlands)
“RNA-Based Polysaccharide Nanoformulations for Myocardium Infarction Therapy”
11:10-11:40 – Coffee Break & Challenge Board
11:40-12:10 – Dr. Juan C. Fraire (Smart Nano-Bio-Devices, IBEC/ IQAC-CSIC – Institute for Advanced Chemistry of Catalonia)
“Combining Nanocarrier Design and Self-Propulsion for Delivery of Nucleic Acids”
12:10-13:10 – Plenary: Prof. Víctor F. Puntes (ICN2 – Institut Català de Nanociència i Nanotecnologia/ VHIR – Vall d’Hebron Institut de Recerca, Spain)
“Doping Cerium Oxide Nanocrystals with Oxygen Vacancies to Regulate Mitochondrial Function in the Context of Immune Exhaustion, Loss of Immunosurveillance and Cancer Development”
13:10-14:10 – Networking Lunch
14:10-15:10 – Plenary: Associate Prof. Cristina Fornaguera (IQS – Institut Químic de Sarrià/ URL – Universitat Ramon Llull, Spain)
“Overcoming Biological Barriers: RNA Delivery via Poly(β-amino ester) Nanocarriers”
15:10-15:40 – Roundtable Discussion
15:40-15:45 – Farewell from Network Representatives

NET-RARE. Workshop 3: Identification of Biomarkers and Diagnostic Models for Rare Diseases
2025-11-13 09:20 - 13:30 | Baobab room, Floor 11, Tower 1
NET-RARE third workshop third workshop focuses on the latest technologies for identifying new biomarkers to enable early detection and better characterization of rare diseases. It also aims to explore strategies for using biomarkers to monitor disease progression and incorporate them as secondary endpoints in clinical trials.
The session will open with Marina Giannotti from IBEC’s Nanoprobes & Nanoswitches group, whose research explores mechanical biomarkers and evaluates therapeutic approaches for several rare conditions, including lysosomal storage disorders and collagen VI-related dystrophies. This will be followed by a presentation from Turgut Durduran of ICFO’s Medical Optics group (ICFO-MEDOPT), who will showcase his collaborative work with Sant Joan de Déu Hospital on rare paediatric diseases. This interdisciplinary group focuses on creating advanced photonic technologies to support pre-clinical and clinical biomedicine.
The plenary lecture will be delivered by international guest Pietro Spitali, from the Department of Human Genetics at Leiden University Medical Center (Netherlands). His research focuses on advancing our understanding of neuromuscular disorders through biomarker-based approaches. His group combines spatial technologies to connect biomarker signatures with tissue morphology and employs a multidisciplinary strategy that integrates molecular biomarker discovery in blood samples with a range of “omics” techniques. His work spans quantitative laboratory methods, statistical modeling, and the integration of complex datasets.
After a networking break, Marc Moltó from VHIR’s Clinical Biochemistry, Drug Delivery and Therapy group will present their recent progress in biomarker identification for lysosomal storage disorders. The workshop will conclude with a talk by Aranzazu Villasante of IBEC’s Nanobioengineering group, who will present their work on biomarker discovery using engineered models of rare cancers
Join us to explore the next steps to tackle rare diseases !
Workshop held in the framework of the IBEC Thematic Networks.
Registration (below) is mandatory.

PROGRAMME
09:20 – Registration
09:30 – Welcome and introduction
09:40 – Marina Giannotti, IBEC group “Nanoprobes & Nanoswitches”, “Nanomechanics in the search for Disease Markers: Focus on Molecular Dystrophy and Lipidosis”
10:10 – National invited speaker: Turgut Durduran from ICFO-Medical Optics (ICFO-MEDOPT) group. “Non-invasive measurement of deep tissue oxygen metabolism and blood flow: background, clinical relevance and potential for personalized treatment of rare diseases”.
10:40 – International invited speaker: Pietro Spitali from Human Genetics Department of the Leiden University Medical Center (Netherlands), “Circulating and local biomarkers in neuromuscular disorders”
11:30 – Coffee break and Networking
12:00 – National invited speaker: Marc Moltó from VHIR group “Clinical Biochemistry, Drug Delivery and Therapy”, “Biomarkers in Fabry disease: Challenges in clinical diagnosis and follow-up”
12:30 –Aranzazu Villasante, IBEC Group “Nanobioengineering”, “Predictive Bioengineered Niches for Biomarker Discovery in Developmental Cancers”
13:00 – Remarks and Closing
Abstracts of the plenary talks will be available here (Network programme).

REGISTRATION

Ibec Seminar. Anne de Poulpiquet
2025-12-12 10:00 - 11:00 | Baobab room, Floor 11, Tower 1
CHARACTERIZATION OF ENZYMATIC BIOELECTRODES BY IN SITU FLUORESCENCE MICROSCOPY
A. de Poulpiquet,1 A. Guessab, 1 H. M. Man,1 I. Mazurenko,1 L. Bouffier,2 E. Lojou1
1Aix-Marseille Univ., CNRS, Bioenergetics and Protein Engineering, UMR 7281, Marseille
2 Institute of Molecular Sciences, UMR CNRS 5255, Univ. Bordeaux, ENSMAC, Pessac
adepoulpiquet@imm.cnrs.fr
Redox enzymes present remarkable catalytic properties (exceptional selectivity, high kinetic constant, low overvoltage, etc.) which are particularly interesting for bio-electrochemical devices (biosensors, biofuel cells, bioreactors). In the latter, they are immobilized at the surface of an electrode to enable electron transfer. Using three-dimensional (3D) electrodes improves the performance of the devices (sensitivity, current densities). However, enzymatic catalysis is very sensitive to the local environment (pH, temperature, ionic strength, concentration of substrates, products or inhibitors, etc.) whose composition, in the case of interfacial reactions, can differ from the bulk of the solution. These disparities are exacerbated when the enzymes are confined in the pores of 3D electrodes, due to the complexity of the associated mass transport. However, electrochemistry only provides indirect information on the environment of the electrode. Therefore, there is a major interest in coupling electrochemical techniques to other methods for collecting simultaneously spatial information.1-3 Precious information about mass transport and reactivity can be obtained by investigating the concentration profiles of the different species near the electrode surface, or in the volume of a porous electrode. We show that in situ fluorescence confocal laser-scanning microscopy (FCLSM) coupled with electrochemistry enables investigation of redox enzyme reactivity involving the indirect generation of fluorogenic species.4, 5 One of the most interesting features of FCLSM is the possibility to reconstruct 3D concentration profiles. Recording fluorescence in the volume adjacent to the electrode under potential control thus enables rebuilding the diffusion layer.2-5 We show that the method can be implemented to characterize electro-enzymatic catalysis at various planar and structured 3D electrodes.4, 5 For example, enzymatic O2 reduction involves proton transfers, which was evidenced via the fluorescence change of strongly pH-dependent fluorophores. Local pH changes in the electrode plane were measured during O2 reduction catalyzed by an immobilized bilirubin oxidase. Moreover, proton gradients generated during the enzymatic electrode reaction were imaged and their expansion under various experimental conditions were determined. Finally, the method enabled direct imaging of the evolution of confined environments in porous 3D electrodes such as gas-diffusion layers during electro(enzymatic) catalysis.

Ibec Seminar. Albert Folch
2025-12-18 12:30 - 14:00 | Baobab room, Floor 11, Tower 1
“MICROFLUIDIC AND ROBOTIC PLATFORMS FOR TME-FRIENDLY CANCER DRUG EVALUATIONS”
Albert Folch, Professor University of Washington, Bioengineering Dept.
There is a lack of confidence in present in vitro disease models and drug efficacy tests, as they do not properly recapitulate the dynamic physiology and pathophysiology of the human organism. This challenge is particularly acute in oncology: present tools to study drug responses fail to faithfully mimic the patient’s tumor microenvironment (TME) and thus have not kept up with tumor biology and drug testing needs. As a measure of this problem, on average less than 4% of oncology drugs in clinical trials end up being FDA-approved, a dismal approval rate that has dire social repercussions such as high cancer drug prices and difficult accessibility. We have developed a suite of microfluidic platforms that address this problem by multiplexing the delivery of drugs to intact-TME human biopsies, altogether bypassing animal testing. We have developed and patented a microdissection methodology that allows for producing large numbers of cuboidal micro-tissues (“cuboids”) from a single tumor biopsy. We have been able to trap cuboids in arrays of microfluidic traps in a 96-well platform and we have developed very high-throughput automated robotic placement of mouse and human cuboids in 384-well plates. With these approaches, it will soon be possible to bypass animal testing and perform direct testing of drugs using only human tumors. Since these new-generation tests preserve the TME intact, we envision that they will minimize FDA failure rates and will contribute to alleviate the cost of cancer drugs. In this talk, I will also cover innovative 3D printing approaches of general applicability to the fabrication of complex biomicrofluidic systems such as organs-on-chips.
Albert Folch’s lab works at the interface between microfluidics and cancer. He received both his BSc (1989) and PhD (1994) in Physics from the University of Barcelona (UB), Spain, in 1989. During his Ph.D. he was a visiting scientist from 1990–91 at the Lawrence Berkeley Lab working on AFM/STM under Dr. Miquel Salmeron. From 1994–1996, he was a postdoc at MIT developing MEMS under Martin Schmidt (EECS) and Mark Wrighton (Chemistry). In 1997, he joined Mehmet Toner’s lab as a postdoc at Harvard-MGH to apply soft lithography to tissue engineering. He has been at Seattle’s UW BioE since June 2000, where he is now a full Professor, accumulating over 14,850 citations (h-index 55; career average 150 citations/paper). In 25 years, he has graduated 20 postdocs (20% of whom have reached faculty rank) and 33 graduate students (11 Ph.D. students, 27% of whom faculty rank, and 22 M.S. students). In 2001 he received an NSF Career Award, and in 2014 he was elected to the AIMBE College of Fellows (Class of 2015). He serves on the Advisory Board of Lab on a Chip since 2010 and on the Editorial Board of Micromachines since 2019. In 2022 he was elected a member of the Institute for Catalan Studies, one of the highest honors bestowed on Catalan scientists, and his book “Hidden in Plain Sight” won winner of the 2022 Outstanding Academic Title Award by Choice. He is the author of 6 books (sole author), including Introduction to BioMEMS (2012, Taylor&Francis), a textbook adopted by >103 departments in 18 countries, Hidden in Plain Sight: The History, Science, and Engineering of Microfluidic Technology (MIT Press, 2022), and the recent How the World Flows: Microfluidics from Raindrops to Covid Tests (Oxford University Press, 2025). Since 2007, the lab runs a celebrated outreach art program called BAIT (Bringing Art Into Technology), which has produced eight exhibits, a popular resource gallery of >2,000 free images related to microfluidics and microfabrication, and a YouTube channel that plays microfluidic videos with music which accumulate >177,000 visits since 2009.

Ibec Seminar. Ulrich Schwarz.
2026-01-16 10:30 - 11:30 | Baobab room, Floor 11, Tower 1
Modelling optogenetic control of cell contractility
Ulrich Schwarz, Heidelberg University
Animal cells are highly dynamic and continuously generate force, for example for mechanosensing, cell division, cell migration, morphogenesis and regeneration. Their main force generators are non-muscle myosin II molecular motors that slide actin filaments past one another. We first discuss how myosin II minifilaments dynamically assemble on demand and how this system can be controlled by optogenetics. The resulting deformations and forces can be predicted with continuum models for active solids, which are solved with the finite element method and verified experimentally with traction force microscopy. Next, we use active gel theory combined with van der Waals theory for myosin II molecules to demonstrate that cell contractility is sufficient to explain cell migration and that optogenetics can be used to initiate, revert and stop migration. We then turn to multiple cells and show for a cell doublet how the neighboring cell actively responds to the contraction of an optogenetically activated cell. We finally introduce a finite element framework for cellularized active solids that allows us to study mechanosensitive wave propagation in optogenetically activated cell layers.

Transversal skills. Begonya Nafria Escalera
2026-01-23 10:30 - 11:30 | Baobab room, Floor 11, Tower 1
Involucrar als pacients, no és una moda passatjera
Begonya Nafria Escalera, Patient Engagement in Research Head of Department at Sant Joan de Déu Chidren’s Hospital (Spain)
La recerca i la innovació que respongui a les necessitats dels pacients, requereix involucrar-los en les fases inicials i durant la vida d’un projecte. En aquesta sessió parlarem sobre la nova ciència que és el “patient involvement”, aportant també projectes inscpiradors que demostrin els beneficis d’involucrar als pacients en l’àmbit de les ciències de la salut.

Ibec Seminar. Silke Henkes
2026-01-26 16:00 - 17:00 | Baobab room, Floor 11, Tower 1
Mechanochemical feedback in model epithelial tissues
Silke Henkes, Leiden Institute of Physics, Leiden University
In the development of animals, tissues self-organise starting from a single cell into layers, shapes and patterns. This active mechanical process operates beyond the theoretical framework of reaction-diffusion equations such as Turing patterns. At the same time, combining active driving with careful mechanical design of a system is distinct route to pattern formation and artificial functionality.
Here I will show how two types of active driving interacts with mechanics: First, for polar active materials where cells crawl on a substrate, even with only uncorrelated activity, elasticity leads to
the emergence of mesoscopic space-time correlations. I will show how this explains the ‘fingering instability’ at the edge of MDCK epithelial cell sheets as long lived active correlations. If we add alignment to generate a flocking state, and cell division and death, we model corneal epithelial cells well. We are then able to simulate the whole curved corneal epithelium, and show that an inflow of cells from the limbus generates a stable spiral flow pattern with a +1 topological defect at the centre.
Second, mechanochemical stress feedback in cell-cell junctions arises from the catch bond dynamics of the actomyosin cortex. It allows a junction to generate a contractile force that can overcome external pulling and thus allow for an active rearrangement or T1. In vertex and continuum models, for strong enough feedback this gives rise to convergence-extension flows where the flow is opposite the direction of mechanical polarisation, effectively generating a negative viscosity state.

Ibec Seminar. Francisco Lorenzo-Martín
2026-01-30 09:30 - 10:30 | Baobab room, Floor 11, Tower 1
Next-generation organoid models for colorectal cancer research
Francisco Lorenzo-Martín, University of Salamanca

Three-dimensional organoid culture technologies have revolutionized cancer research by allowing for more realistic and scalable reproductions of tumor structures. This has enabled better modelling of low-complexity cancer cell behaviors that occur over short periods of time. However, the currently available organoid systems lack the requisite multi-cellular diversity, tissue-level organization, biological durability, and experimental flexibility that are needed to capture complex oncological processes. Consequently, the study of many multifactorial cancer mechanisms is still not possible in vitro and instead requires the extensive use of animal models, which provide limited spatiotemporal resolution of cellular dynamics and come at a substantial ethical cost. To overcome these limitations, we have implemented tissue engineering and microfabrication technologies to develop topobiologically complex ex vivo cancer avatars. Focusing on colorectal cancer, we have generated miniature tissues consisting of long-lived gut-shaped colon epithelia (‘mini-colons’) that are able to undergo tumorigenesis in vitro and stably integrate cancer cells with their native tumor microenvironment. This system provides an unprecedented repertoire of experimental possibilities, which we illustrate through diverse applications. Altogether, these next-generation organoid models push the boundaries of ex vivo cancer research.

Ibec Seminar. Prof. Pierangelo Gobbo
2026-02-03 10:00 - 15:00 | Baobab room, Floor 11, Tower 1
A search for the right scientific question: can we fabricate cells and tissues from scratch?
Prof. Pierangelo Gobbo, University of Trieste
Bottom-up synthetic biology is an emerging research field whose objectives is to design and fabricate existing biological systems from inanimate molecules, materials, and chemical reactions.[1] One of the key biological systems that bottom-up synthetic biology is trying to re-design and fabricate is the living cell. This research led to the concept of “protocell” and “prototissues”.[2] A protocell is a micro-compartmentalised system capable of imitating at least one of the key features of a living cell (e.g., enzyme catalysis, communication based on diffusible chemical signals, information storage etc.). A prototissue is instead a free-standing and covalently interconnected network of communicating protocell units that can display synergistic functions.[3, 4]
While thus far efforts have been placed in the development of methods to fabricate PCMs with complex 3D architectures and demonstrate their chemical communication properties, in this contribution I will show how I used the knowledge acquired during my entire scientific journey to move beyond the state-of-the-art in bottom-up synthetic biology, and develop the first prototissues capable of photo-mechano-chemical transduction.[5] These are prototissues capable of converting a light stimulus into complex mechanical movements that in turn can influence the biocatalysis hosted within the protocell units composing the material itself. In order to achieve this, we have designed and assembled a covalent and thermoresponsive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (P(NIPAM)) polymer network directly inside the lumen of the protocells composing the PCM, where we also placed poly(ethylene oxide) (PEG) stabilised gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), amyloglucosidase (AGx), and glucose oxidase (GOx). By exploiting the photo-thermal effect of AuNPs and the thermoresponsive properties of the PNIPAM network in a synergistic manner, we were able to achieve reversible light-induced contractions of the PCM. Most importantly, the contraction caused the material to become hydrophobic. This made the contracted protocell membranes impermeable to small hydrophilic substrate molecules for enzyme catalysis, and effectively shut off the hosted enzyme cascade.
The fabrication of tissue-like materials with increasingly advanced biomimetic properties will not only help us to understand the physicochemical basis of the emerging behaviours of living tissues, but will also find important applications in tissue engineering, pharmacokinetics, mechanobiology, personalised therapy, in the development of micro-bioreactors and soft robotics.
Pierangelo Gobbo received his BSc (2008) and MSc (2010) in Chemistry at the University of Padua (Italy) and his PhD in 2016 at the University of Western Ontario (Canada). In 2016 he joined the research group of Prof. Stephen Mann, FRS at the University of Bristol (UK) as an NSERC of Canada Postdoctoral Fellow first, and then as an EU Marie Curie Postdoctoral Fellow. In 2019 Pierangelo started his independent research career at the School of Chemistry of the University of Bristol under a Vice-Chancellor’s Fellowship (Assistant Professorship). In October 2021 Pierangelo moved to the Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences of the University of Trieste (Italy) where he is pioneering the first strategies to use synthetic cells (or “protocells”) as foundational units to assemble free-standing tissue-like materials with complex 3D architectures and programmable bio-inspired emergent behaviours such as contractility, phototropism, and biochemical sensing. During his academic career Pierangelo was awarded numerous awards for excellence in research. The most recent are Italy’s Giacomo Ciamician Medal for Organic Chemistry (2021), UK’s EPSRC New Investigator Award (2020), and the Canada’s Governor General’s Gold Medal (2017). He is currently PI on an ERC Starting Grant 2021, co-coordinator of an EIC Pathfinder Open 2022, and the coordinator of other National research projects.

Ibec Seminar. Monika E. Dolega
2026-02-16 11:30 - 12:30 | Baobab room, Floor 11, Tower 1
Nucleolar mechano-adaptation and its role in epithelial homeostasis
Monika E. Dolega, Institute for Advanced Biosciences IAB, INSERM U1209, CNRS UMR5309, University Grenoble-Alpes, Grenoble, France

Epithelial tissues experience constant mechanical stimuli tied to normal physiological functions, but how they maintain homeostasis under such dynamic conditions remains unclear. Our previous RNAseq study on in-plane compressed epithelial monolayers revealed altered transcripts of ribosomal proteins essential for ribosome biogenesis in nucleoli—membrane-less, sub-nuclear biocondensates that challenge classical mechanotransduction concepts. Although few studies confirm nucleolar sensitivity to external cues, detailed mechanisms are lacking. Using advanced microscopy, omics, and biophysical approaches, we uncover a new mechanism of nucleolar mechano-adaptation. Mechanical confinement over minutes reorganizes nucleolar structure and downregulates pre-rRNA transcription. Central to this process is the nucleolar protein Nucleolin, which translocates to perform two roles: it leaves the rDNA promoter region to down-regulate ribosome biogenesis and participates in DNA repair at damage sites caused by compression. This study introduces the nucleolus as a mechano-sensitive organelle, advancing mechanobiology and cancer research by revealing a new potential therapeutic target

Thematic Network. NET-CNS Workshop 3: Overcoming Therapeutic Barriers in CNS
2026-02-27 09:00 - 13:00 | Baobab room, Floor 11, Tower 1
This third workshop will focus on overcoming therapeutic barriers in CNS disorders, with particular emphasis on delivery strategies, biological interfaces, and translational challenges.
Schedule
09:00 – Registration
09:20 – Welcome from Network Coordinator
09:30 – IBEC speaker: Daniel Gonzalez-Carter, Molecular Bionics group Group. “Exploiting the physiology of the BBB to target therapies to the brain.”Daniel Gonzalez-Carter, IBEC Molecular Bionics Group,
10:00 – Invited speaker: Cristina Fornaguera, NanoTherapies Lab, Institut Químic de Sarrià (IQS), Universitat Ramon Llull (URL). “From Bench to Brain: Polymeric Nanoparticles for Controlled Brain Delivery”
10:40 – Coffee Break and Networking
11:10 – Invited speaker: Meritxell Teixidó, Gate2Brain. “Gate2Brain blood-brain barrier shuttle peptides: From discovery to applications and going beyond small molecules”
11:50 – Invited speaker: Eloi Montañez, IDIBELL Department of Physiological Sciences .Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Barcelona. “Linking TDP-43 to Vascular Degeneration and Neuroinflammation”
12:30 – IBEC speaker: Anna Lagunas, IBEC Nanobioengineering Group, “A BBB-on-a-chip (BBB-oC) with integrated micro-TEER to evaluate brain drug delivery”
13:00 – End of the Workshop
To register, click here.

Ibec Seminar. M. Carolina Florian
2026-04-08 15:00 - 16:00 | Baobab room, Floor 11, Tower 1
Targeting RhoA mechanoactivity rejuvenates aged hematopoietic stem cells
M. Carolina Florian, Stem Cell Aging Group, Regenerative Medicine Program, The Bellvitge Institute for Biomedical Research (IDIBELL), L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain.
Program for advancing the Clinical Translation of Regenerative Medicine of Catalonia, P-CMR[C], Barcelona, Spain
The Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA), Barcelona, Spain
Mechanical alterations contribute to the decreased regenerative capacity of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) upon aging. RhoA is a key regulator of mechanosignaling, but its role in mechanotransduction in stem cell aging remains unclear. Recently we have demonstrated that RhoA is activated by increasing nuclear envelope (NE) tension by cell confinement and by osmotic shock. Interestingly, our data show that aged HSCs experience physiologically higher intrinsic NE tension and RhoA activation. We show that pharmacological inhibition of RhoA activity lowers NE tension in aged HSCs. Feature image analysis of HSC nuclei reveals that an aged dependent chromatin remodeling is responsible of higher NE tension levels upon aging. Moreover, our data show that RhoA inhibition restores youthful levels of the heterochromatin marker H3K9me2 in aged HSCs and decreases chromatin accessibility and transcription at retrotransposons. Finally, we demonstrated that RhoA inhibition in aged HSCs upregulates Klf4 expression and transcriptional activity, improving aged HSC regenerative capacity and lympho-myeloid skewing in vivo. Together, our data outline an intrinsic RhoA-dependent mechanosignaling axis in HSCs, which can be pharmacologically targeted to restore aged stem cell function.

Thematic Network. NET-CNS Workshop 4: Innovations in CNS Modeling:Cutting-edge In Vitro Systems​
2026-04-10 09:00 - 16:00 | Baobab room, Floor 11, Tower 1
Join us for the fourth NET-CNS Workshop on April 10th!
This fourth NET-CNS workshop will focus on innovative experimental platforms and technologies to model central nervous system (CNS) processes and diseases. Particular emphasis will be placed on advanced in vitro systems, translational research tools, and emerging technologies that enable more physiologically relevant models for studying CNS biology and developing therapeutic strategies.
The event will bring together experts from academia, clinical research institutions, and industry to discuss new approaches for understanding CNS function and pathology and for advancing biomedical innovation in neuroscience.
Speakers

Teresa Botta Orfila – Head of the HCB-IDIBAPS Biobank (Barcelona). She leads initiatives in human biobanking, biological sample management, and translational infrastructures supporting biomedical research, precision medicine, and clinical studies.
Víctor Borrell – Research Professor at the Instituto de Neurociencias (CSIC-UMH), Alicante. His research focuses on brain development and evolution, particularly the cellular and molecular mechanisms that control neuronal migration, cortical expansion, and the formation of neural circuits.
Rosa Monge – Scientist at Beonchip (Zaragoza), a biotechnology company developing organ-on-chip technologies. Her work focuses on microphysiological systems and organ-on-chip platforms that enable the creation of advanced in vitro models for drug discovery and biomedical research.
Maria Bernabeu – Group Leader at EMBL Barcelona. Her research integrates computational and experimental approaches to study tissue architecture and cellular organization, using quantitative biology and advanced imaging to understand multicellular systems in health and disease.
Sandra Acosta – Professor at the University of Barcelona (UB) and researcher at Hospital Sant Joan de Déu and the Pasqual Maragall Foundation. Her research focuses on neurodegeneration and Alzheimer’s disease, particularly on early pathological mechanisms, neuroinflammation, and translational strategies to identify biomarkers and therapeutic targets.

Programme
09:30 – Registration
09:50 – Welcome from Network Coordinator
10:00 – IBEC Speaker: Jorge Oliver de la Cruz – Cellular and Molecular Mechanobiologygroup, IBEC. “Mechanical cues regulate Tau axonal localization through microtubule stabilization”
10:40 – Invited Speaker: Teresa Botta Orfila – Head of HCB-IDIBAPS Biobank, Barcelona. “Biobanks as essential hubs for research”.
11:20 – Coffee Break and Networking
11:50 – Invited Speaker: Víctor Borrell – Instituto de Neurociencias (CSIC-UMH), Alicante. “Evolution of neural stem cells and lineages in the cerebral cortex of amniotes”
12:30 – Industry Speaker: Rosa Monge – Beonchip, Zaragoza.
13:15 – Lunch Break
14:15 – Invited Speaker: Maria Bernabeu – EMBL Barcelona. “Building and breaking barriers: bioengineered 3D brain microvascular models for malaria research”
15:00 – Invited Speaker: Sandra Acosta – University of Barcelona, Hospital Sant Joan de Déu & Pasqual Maragall Foundation, Barcelona. “Modeling Neurological Disease Progression in vitro: The Promise and Pitfalls of Brain Organoids in Alzheimer’s and COVID-19”
15:45 – End of the Workshop
To register click here.

Ibec Seminar: Dr. Federico Fenaroli
2026-04-15 12:00 - 13:00 | Baobab room, Floor 11, Tower 1
Developing Nanomedicines Using the Zebrafish Embryo
Dr. Federico Fenaroli, University of Stavanger, Norwey
Our research focuses on the development of nanomedicines to combat bacterial infections and cancer. We investigate the dynamic in vivo interactions between nanoparticles, immune cells, and pathogenic bacteria or cancer cells. Thanks to their natural transparency, zebrafish embryos enable high-resolution imaging and real-time tracking of nanoparticles within a living organism. This model provides valuable insights into therapeutic behavior, biodistribution, and host–pathogen interactions, supporting the rational design of nanomedicines.

Ibec Seminar. Prof. Kara Spiller
2026-04-17 11:00 | Baobab room, Floor 11, Tower 1
Engineering Macrophages with Biomaterials for Regenerative Medicine
Kara L. Spiller, PhD, URBN Professor of Biomedical Innovation, School of Biomedical Engineering, Science, and Health Systems, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
The inflammatory response, orchestrated primarily by macrophages, plays a major role in the body’s response to injury, disease, or implantation of a biomaterial. When macrophages function normally, they are a powerful force that promote tissue repair and regeneration, but when their behavior goes awry, healing is impaired. Our goal is to understand the mechanisms by which the inflammatory response orchestrates successful tissue regeneration and to develop novel biomaterial strategies that apply these principles to situations in which tissue regeneration is impaired. In particular, we study macrophages in inflammation, phagocytosis, cellular recruitment, vascularization, cell proliferation, tissue deposition, or remodeling, and we design biomaterials that leverage these findings for improved biomaterials design, enhanced macrophage cell therapy, and personalized medicine. Current projects in the lab are directed towards treatment of pulmonary fibrosis and chronic wound healing through biomaterial-enabled macrophage cell therapies.
Dr. Kara Spiller is the URBN Endowed Professor of Biomedical Innovation in Drexel University’s School of Biomedical Engineering, Science, and Health Systems. Her research focuses on the role of immune cells in tissue repair and regeneration and the design of immunomodulatory biomaterials. Her research is funded by the NIH, the NSF, private foundations, and industry. Her awards include a Fulbright fellowship, the NSF CAREER award, and the United States Dept. of State ASPIRE prize. She has published more than 85 publications in biomaterials and immune engineering, and has 18 issued or pending patents. She is the founding director of the Immune Modulation & Engineering Symposium series in Philadelphia, which is the only annually recurring meeting dedicated to convergent research in translational immunology and engineering. She serves on the board of numerous journals and is a frequent NIH study section member.

Ibec Seminar. Eric Andrew Appel, Ph.D. (Cantab)
2026-05-08 11:00 - 12:00 | Baobab room, Floor 11, Tower 1
Polymer-Nanoparticle Hydrogels Enabling Innovations in Cell and Drug Deliver
Eric A. Appel, Associate Professor of Materials Science & Engineering at Stanford University
Dynamic biomaterials exhibit highly useful properties that are impossible with traditional materials but crucial for a wide variety of emerging applications in biomedicine. These materials typically employ enthalpy-dominated crosslinking interactions that become weaker at elevated temperatures, leading to significant softening. Herein, we will discuss the development of a physical hydrogel platform exploiting dynamic and multivalent interactions between biopolymers and nanoparticles that are strongly entropically driven, providing alternative temperature dependencies than typical for materials of this type. We will discuss the implications of these crosslinking thermodynamics on the observed mechanical properties and discuss the desired mechanical properties for injectability, including viscous flow under shear stress (shear-thinning) and rapid recovery of mechanical properties when the applied stress is relaxed (self-healing). Moreover, the hierarchical construction of these biphasic hydrogels enables innovative approaches to formulation and delivery of a diverse array of compounds over user-defined timeframes ranging from days to months. In one example application, we demonstrate that these unique material characteristics can be leveraged for controlled locoregional exposure of immunomodulatory cargo to greatly enhance anti-cancer immune responses. In another example, we demonstrate that the dynamic structure of these materials can be leveraged for co-delivery of immunostimulatory cytokines and CAR-T cells to improve cancer treatments. Overall, this talk will illustrate our recent efforts exploiting dynamic and multivalent interactions between polymers and nanoparticles to generate dynamic, injectable hydrogel depot technologies exhibiting properties not previously observed in biomaterials and affording unique opportunities in biomedicine.
Eric A. Appel is an Associate Professor of Materials Science & Engineering at Stanford University. He received his PhD in Chemistry at the University of Cambridge and was awarded a Wellcome Trust Postdoctoral Fellowship to work with Prof. Robert Langer at MIT. Eric’s research at Stanford focuses on the development of biomimetic polymeric materials that can be used as tools to better understand fundamental biological processes and to engineer advanced healthcare solutions. His research has led to over 150 publications and 40 patents and has led to three start-up companies. Eric was awarded the IUPAC Hanwha-TotalEnergies Young Polymer Scientist Award in 2022, the Society for Biomaterials Young Investigator Award in 2023, and the Biomaterials Science Lectureship Award in 2023, and the American Chemical Society Kathryn C. Hach Award for Entrepreneurial Success in 2026. He is a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical & Biological Engineers and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry.
