PhD Discussions Session

Cellulose-based cryogels for long-term culture of pancreatic islets and skeletal muscle tissue Ferran Velasco, Biosensors for BioengineeringIslet encapsulation inside traditional hydrogels is one of the most common techniques to study insulin secretion for Diabetes Mellitus studies. However, it’s proved that cells encapsulated in a depth of more than 100 microns die due the lack of ... Read more

Cellulose-based cryogels for long-term culture of pancreatic islets and skeletal muscle tissue Ferran Velasco, Biosensors for BioengineeringIslet encapsulation inside traditional hydrogels is one of the most common techniques to study insulin secretion for Diabetes Mellitus studies. However, it’s proved that cells encapsulated in a depth of more than 100 microns die due the lack of ... Read more

Super-resolution microscopy for understanding the formation and inhibition of influenza virus structures Maria Arista, Nanoscopy for NanomedicineSuper-resolution microscopy is a mighty tool that has the ability to study fluorescence samples beyond the diffraction limit, achieving a spatial resolution around 20 nm. The study of viruses can greatly benefit from super-resolution imaging, mainly due to their ... Read more

Super-resolution microscopy for understanding the formation and inhibition of influenza virus structures Maria Arista, Nanoscopy for NanomedicineSuper-resolution microscopy is a mighty tool that has the ability to study fluorescence samples beyond the diffraction limit, achieving a spatial resolution around 20 nm. The study of viruses can greatly benefit from super-resolution imaging, mainly due to their ... Read more

Biochemical responses to cell membrane mechanical remodelling Xarxa Quiroga, Cellular and molecular mechanobiologyIn a range of physiological processes, from extravasation to endocytosis, cells are constantly submitted to morphological changes, which eventually entail plasma membrane reshaping and adaptation. This remodelling could be harnessed by cells to detect and respond to shape changes, enabling mechanosensing mechanisms. However, ... Read more

Biochemical responses to cell membrane mechanical remodelling Xarxa Quiroga, Cellular and molecular mechanobiologyIn a range of physiological processes, from extravasation to endocytosis, cells are constantly submitted to morphological changes, which eventually entail plasma membrane reshaping and adaptation. This remodelling could be harnessed by cells to detect and respond to shape changes, enabling mechanosensing mechanisms. However, ... Read more

Microfluidic device for engineering 3D epithelial monolayers with controlled pressure Nimesh Ramesh, Integrative Cell and Tissue Dynamics The remarkable feature of the epithelial sheets is to form specialized 3D structures suited to their physiological roles, such as highly branched structures in the lungs, drastic shape changes during embryonic development, or self-organizing organoids. These tissues are ... Read more

Development of an in vitro three-dimensional colorectal tumor model for drug screening Gerard Rubí, Biomaterials for Regenerative Therapies The majority of morphogenetic and pathological processes are driven by cells responding to the surrounding matrix cues, including matrix composition, architecture, and mechanical properties. Despite the increased evidence of extracellular matrix (ECM) properties, in vitro substitutes still ... Read more

Subjective ratings of emotive stimuli predict the impact of the COVID-19 quarantine on affective states Héctor López Carral, SPECS lab, IBEC The COVID-19 crisis resulted in a large proportion of the world’s population having to employ social distancing measures and self-quarantine. Given that limiting social interaction impacts mental health, we assessed the effects of quarantine on emotive perception ... Read more

Correlating super-resolution microscopy and transmission electron microscopy for nanoparticle characterisation Teodora Andrian, Nanoscopy for nanomedicine group The functionalization of nanoparticles with surface functional moieties is a key strategy to achieve bioactivity and cell targeting in nanomedicine. The interplay between size and ligand number and distribution is crucial for the formulation performance and needs to be ... Read more