PhD Thesis Defence: Xavier Arqué
2023-01-24 11:00 - 13:00 (Europe/Madrid) | Aula Magna, Faculty of Pharmacy, Av. Joan XXIII s/n, Barcelona, Spain
Unraveling the Fundamental Aspects of Enzyme-powered Micromotors

Author: Xavier Arqué, Smart Nano-Bio-Devices Lab

This thesis defence will take place at “Aula Magna” Building A, Faculty of Pharmacy,
University of Barcelona (Campus Diagonal, Av. de Joan XXIII, 27-31, 08028 Barcelona) at 11:00

PhD Thesis Defence: Madhura Murar
2023-02-17 15:00 - 17:00 | Aula Magna, Faculty of Physics, UB
Peptide functionalized polymeric nanocarriers: Towards selective targeting of prostate cancer

Author: Madhura Vijay Murar, nanoscopy for nanomedicine

This thesis defence will take place at “Aula Magna” Faculty of Physics,

University of Barcelona (Carrer de Martí i Franquès, 1, 11, 08028 Barcelona) at 15:00

You can join online to see the defense in the following link.

PhD Thesis Defence: Nimesh Ramesh Chahare
2023-06-20 15:00 - 17:00 | acultat de Matemàtiques i Estadística-Sala d’Actes FME, Edifici U, Campus Sud
Mechanics of Epithelial tissue subjected to controlled pressure

Author: Nimesh Ramesh Chahare, Integrative Cell and Tissue Dynamics group

Biography:
Nimesh Ramesh Chahare earned his bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the National Institute of Technology, Nagpur in 2014. He further pursued a master’s degree at the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, completing it in 2016. In 2017, he began his doctoral work in Barcelona, under the guidance of Prof. Marino Arroyo at Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, and Prof. Xavier Trepat at the Institute of Bioengineering of Catalonia. Currently, he is a PhD candidate in applied mathematics, specializing in the study of the mechanics of epithelial tissue under controlled pressure.
Abstract:
Epithelial sheets form specialized 3D structures suited to their physiological roles, such as branched alveoli in the lungs, tubes in the kidney, and villi in the intestine. To generate and maintain these structures, epithelia must undergo complex 3D deformations across length and time scales. How epithelial shape arises from active stresses, viscoelasticity, and luminal pressure remains poorly understood. To address this question, we developed a microfluidic chip and a computational framework to engineer 3D epithelial tissues with controlled shape and pressure. In the setup, an epithelial monolayer is grown on a porous surface with circular low adhesion zones. On applying hydrostatic pressure, the monolayer delaminates into a spherical cap from the circular zone. This simple shape allows us to calculate epithelial tension using Laplace’s law. Through this approach, we subject the monolayer to a range of lumen pressures at different rates and hence probe the relation between strain and tension in different regimes while computationally tracking actin dynamics and their mechanical effect at the tissue scale. Slow pressure changes relative to the actin dynamics allow the tissue to accommodate large strain variations. However, under sudden pressure reductions, the tissue develops buckling patterns and folds with different degrees of symmetry-breaking to store excess tissue area. These insights allow us to pattern epithelial folds through rationally directed buckling. Our study establishes a new approach for engineering epithelial morphogenetic events.

Reading date: 20/06/2023
Reading time: 15:00
Reading place: Facultat de Matemàtiques i Estadística-Sala d’Actes FME, Edifici U, Campus Sud
Thesis director: ARROYO BALAGUER, MARINO and TREPAT GUIXER, XAVIER
Committee:
PRESIDENT: TRIVEDI, VIKAS
SECRETARI: MUÑOZ ROMERO, JOSE JAVIER
VOCAL: SUZANNE, MAGALI

PhD Thesis Defence: Manuel López Ortiz
2023-07-14 10:00 - 15:00
Single molecule electrochemical studies of photosynthetic complexes

Author: Manuel López Ortiz, Nanoprobes and Nanoswitches group

Reading date: 14/07/2023
Reading time: 10:00
Reading place: Aula de graus Dufort de la facultat de biologia

PhD Thesis Defense: Gerardo Ceada
2023-07-14 12:00 - 14:00
Mechanics of crypt folding, tissue compartmentalization and collective cell migration in intestinal organoids

Author: Gerardo Ceada, Integrative cell and Tissue Dynamics group

Reading date: 14/07/2023
Reading time: 12:00

Reading place: Aula Magna de la Facultad de Medicina de la Universidad de Barcelona (Campus Clínic)

PhD Thesis Defense: Sefora Conti
2023-07-18 15:00 - 17:00
Mechanical phenotyping of cancer stemness in colorectal cancer.

Author: Sefora Conti, Integrative cell and Tissue Dynamics group

Reading date: 18/07/2023
Reading time: 15:00

Abstract: Colorectal cancer tumors are composed of heterogeneous and plastic cell populations, including a pool of cancer stem cells that express LGR5. Whether these distinct cell populations display different mechanical properties, and how these properties might contribute to metastasis is unknown. Using CRC patient derived organoids (PDOs), we found that compared to LGR5- cells, LGR5+ cancer stem cells are stiffer, adhere better to the extracellular matrix (ECM), move slower both as single cells and clusters, display higher nuclear YAP, show a higher survival rate in response to mechanical confinement, and form larger transendothelial gaps. These differences are largely explained by the downregulation of the membrane to cortex attachment proteins Ezrin/Radixin/Moesin (ERMs) in the LGR5+ cells. By analyzing scRNA-seq expression patterns from a patient cohort, we show that this downregulation is a robust signature of colorectal tumors. Our results show that LGR5- cells display a mechanically dynamic phenotype suitable for dissemination from the primary tumor whereas LGR5+ cells display a mechanically stable and resilient phenotype suitable for extravasation and metastatic growth.

Reading place: Aula Marga, Hospital Clinic

More information here.

PhD Thesis Defense: Karen Wells Cembrano
2023-10-27 11:00 - 17:00
Development of 3D in vitro platforms for the study of muscle function and axonal growth and regeneration

Author: Karen Wells Cembrano, Molecular and cellular neurobiotechnology group

Reading date: 27/10/2023
Reading time: 11:00

Reading place: Aula de Graus, Biology Faculty, UB

Teams Link here.

PhD Thesis Defense: Maria Gallo
2023-11-08 10:00 - 17:00 | Aula Marga, Hospital Clinic
Human Pluripotent stem cells: towards the definition of the new engineering approaches to target heart and kidney disease

Author: Maria Gallo, Pluripotency for organ regeneration group

Reading date: 8/11/2023
Reading time: 10:00

Reading place: Aula Magna of Hospital Clinic

PhD Thesis Defense: Marina Martínez Hernández
2023-12-20 16:30 - 18:30
Promoting cardiac regeneration by biomimetic microenvironments

Author: Marina Martínez Hernández, Biomaterials for Regenerative Therapies

Reading date: 20/12/2023
Reading time: 16:30

Reading place: School of Mathematics and Statistics of UPC (Sala d’actes, carrer Pau Gargallo)

PhD Thesis Defense: Alis Olea
2024-01-15 10:00 - 13:30 | Eduard Fontseré – Facultat de Física de la UB
Dynamics of nanoparticles in 3D tumor models

Author: Alis Olea, Nanoscopy for nanomedicine group

Reading date: 15/01/2024
Reading time: 10:00

Reading place: Sala Eduard Fontserè
If you want to join online, you can connect via Teams here.

PhD Thesis Defense: Marco Vigo
2024-09-26 10:00 - 13:00 | Facultat de Medicina de la Universitat de Barcelona – Aula 4.1
Investigating therapeutic targeting to intercellular adhesion molecule 1 through epitope, isoform, and cross-reactivity selection

Author: Marco Vigo, Targeted Therapeutics and Nanodevices and Nanobioengineering group

Reading date: 26/09/2024
Reading time: 10:00

Reading place: Facultat de Medicina de la Universitat de Barcelona – Aula 4.1
If you want to join online, you can connect via Teams here.

PhD Thesis Defence: Betsy Verónica Arévalo Jaimes
2024-12-13 10:00 - 14:00
Biofilms microbianos: virulencia e interacciones hongo-bacteria
Betsy Verónica Arévalo Jaimes, Bacterial infections and Antimicrobial Therapies group
This thesis defence will take place at the Aula de Grados de la Facultad de Biología de la Universidad de Barcelona.
Friday 13th December at 10:00h

PhD Thesis Defence: Albert Parra Martínez
2025-01-13 11:00 - 15:00
Integrating AI with Multiphoton Autofluorescence-Based Hyperspectral Imaging for Enhanced Embryo and Oocyte Analysis
Albert Parra Martínez, Bioengineering in Reproductive Health Group
This thesis defence will take place at the Centro universitario de la visión (CUV). Passeig del Vint-i-dos de Juliol, 660, 08222 Terrassa, Barcelona. Auditori Joan Salvado.
Monday 13th January at 11:00h
