Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia

IBEC Seminar: Taher Saif
2019-11-22 10:00 - 12:00 (Europe/Madrid) | IBEC, floor 11, Tower I, Baldiri Reixac 4-8, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
Emergent living machines
Taher Saif , Professor, Mechanical Science and Engineering University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Industrial revolution of the 19th century marked the onset of the era of machines that transformed societies. However, these machines cannot self assemble or heal themselves. On the other hand, since the discovery of genes, there is a considerable body of knowledge on engineering living cells. It is now possible to envision biohybrid machines with engineered living cells and scaffolds. These machines may self assemble and emerge from complex interactions between the cells and the scaffolds at various hierarchical levels. In this talk we will present two elementary biohybrid machines. They are both small scale swimmers. One of the swimmers is powered by primary rat cardiomyocytes. These cells are plated without any patterning on a scaffold which consists of a head and a tail. The cells self-orient to maximize scaffold deformation, and synchronize their beating. As a result, the tail deforms periodically and propels the swimmer forward. As a first step towards intelligent machines, the second swimmer consists of optogenetic neurons and muscle cells. It’s scaffold consists of a head and two tails. The muscle cells self assemble into myotubes around the tails, while the neurons are hosted by the head. The neurons spontaneously send out long cables of axons preferentially towards the muscle forming functional neuro functional junctions. They also form a neural network within themselves. Upon shining light, the neurons fire synchronously in a periodic fashion. The muscle contracts and bends the tails to propel the swimmer. This new generation of swimmer powered by neurons paves the way towards intelligent biohybrid machines. The central role of mechanics in the emergence of the biohybrid machines will be highlighted.
Dr Taher Saif received his BS and MS degrees in Civil Engineering from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology and Washington State University respectively in 1984 and 1986. He obtained his Ph.D degree in Theoretical and Applied Mechanics from Cornell University in 1993. He worked as a Post Doctoral Associate in Electrical Engineering and the National Nanofabrication Facility at Cornell University during 1993-97. He joined the Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign during 1997. He is curently the Gutgsell Professor in the department. His current research includes tumor micro environment, mechanics of neurons and cardiac cells, development of biological machines, and electro-thermo-mechanical behavior of nano scale metals and semiconductors.
He has been invited to IBEC by Samuel Sánchez

Clinical Colloquia
2019-11-15 10:00 - 12:00 | IBEC, floor 11, Tower I, Baldiri Reixac 4-8, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
Theoretical and practical aspects of biophysiotherapy
Josep Pous, Medical Director at Cematec-Teknon de Barcelona
In this clinical colloquia, the different treatment methods used in Biophysiotherapy such as Multifrequency Laser Therapy, Shock Waves, Modular Electromagnetic Waves, Mechanotherapy, Growth Factors, Stem Cells, will be exposed. The different mechanisms of action will be discussed at the cellular level such as mechanotransduction, mechanotranscription, depolarization of membarane or at the mitochondrial level through REDOX mechanisms, to achieve biological effects at the cellular and tissue levels. Biophysiotherapy aims to apply the possibilities of diagnosis and treatment of the laboratory (biosensors, nanobiosensors, quantum dots) to the medical practice with fewer drugs and fewer surgeries.
Dr. Josep Pous, specialist in Orthopedic Surgery, Traumatology and Rehabilitation, works at Cematec-Teknon of Barcelona (Center of Advanced and Technological Medicine) using the latest technologies in arthroscopy and prosthesis of the shoulder, hip, knee and ankle joints. Dr. Pous is a pioneer in the use of new non-invasive treatments for all musculoskeletal pathology and has incorporated new methods for its integral treatment.
He has been invited to IBEC by Pau Gorostiza

IBEC Clinical Colloquia
2019-11-15 10:00 - 12:00 | IBEC, floor 11, Tower I, Baldiri Reixac 4-8, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
Theoretical and practical aspects of biophysiotherapy
Josep Pous, Medical Director at Cematec-Teknon de Barcelona
In this clinical colloquium, the different treatment methods used in Biophysiotherapy such as Multifrequency Laser Therapy, Shock Waves, Modular Electromagnetic Waves, Mechanotherapy, Growth Factors, Stem Cells, will be exposed. The different mechanisms of action will be discussed at the cellular level such as mechanotransduction, mechanotranscription, depolarization of membarane or at the mitochondrial level through REDOX mechanisms, to achieve biological effects at the cellular and tissue levels. Biophysiotherapy aims to apply the possibilities of diagnosis and treatment of the laboratory (biosensors, nanobiosensors, quantum dots) to the medical practice with fewer drugs and fewer surgeries.
Dr. Josep Pous, specialist in Orthopedic Surgery, Traumatology and Rehabilitation, works at Cematec-Teknon of Barcelona (Center of Advanced and Technological Medicine) using the latest technologies in arthroscopy and prosthesis of the shoulder, hip, knee and ankle joints. Dr. Pous is a pioneer in the use of new non-invasive treatments for all musculoskeletal pathology and has incorporated new methods for its integral treatment.
He has been invited to IBEC by Pau Gorostiza

Què són els òrgans en un xip? I la Bioenginyeria?
2019-11-14 18:30 - 19:30 | Sala Dolors Aleu, Parc Científic de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
Per al desenvolupament de nous fàrmacs, la indústria depèn en gran manera de l’estudi amb models animals i amb cultius cel·lulars en 2D. Descobreix com la recerca innovadora en el desenvolupament d’òrgans en un xip pot contribuir a disminuir l’ús d’animals de laboratori i a millorar els estudis desenvolupant models en 3D.
Amb la campanya de captació de fons del projecte Faster Future de l’IBEC, i gràcies a persones com tu, hem fet possible un dispositiu de múscul en un xip que permetrà provar fàrmacs al laboratori de forma fiable i econòmica.
Vine i descobreix en quina fase es troba el projecte i, com gràcies a les aportacions econòmiques d’empreses i particulars, hem pogut avançar una mica més cap a la medicina del futur.
T’esperem a l’IBEC on podràs veure de primera mà aquest dispositiu i visitaràs el laboratori on s’ha desenvolupat la major part d’aquest projecte.
Apunta’t aquí

Què són els òrgans en un xip? I la Bioenginyeria?
2019-11-14 18:30 - 19:30

2nd EIT Health Innovation Day
2019-11-09 09:00 - 18:30 | Start UB
EIT Health Innovation Day
Innovation Days promote health innovation among university students through one-to-two-day programmes held at academic institutions around Europe. Students receive an introduction to practical health innovation tools and work in multidisciplinary teams to tackle real life health challenges posed by EIT Health projects, local organisations and private corporations. Successful teams will receive resources to develop their ideas, and students from the regions EIT Health serves will be encouraged to get involved with our network.
About this activity
Innovation Days are accessible to all undergraduate and postgraduate students with an interest in healthcare innovation. Between 28 October-10 November 2019, partners from six EIT Health Co-Location Centres and 13 RIS Hubs will host their own i-Days at 32 locations around Europe.
These events include inspirational speakers and coaches who will introduce students to practical tools in innovation, design thinking and pitching ideas. Challenges sourced from EIT Health projects, local CLCs, and other relevant organisations, will be presented to students along with some introductory information. Students form multidisciplinary teams and spend the day guided by facilitators and expert citizens in striving to create solutions to these real life healthcare challenges. Teams pitch their ideas and are judged by a panel of experts, who use standardised scoring criteria to award prizes to the best teams. Winning i-Day teams will then be invited to a Winners Event, where they meet peers from all participating i-Day universities. At this event, students will be given support and resources to further develop their ideas, and they will also receive more training in innovation methodology. The i-Days are conceived as a first step for students on the health innovation pathway. They encourage hundreds of students across European CLCs to join the EIT Health network.
Registration can be made individually or in teams. Teams should be built of multidisciplinary members, that is to say of members from different faculties and academic programs or areas of research.
Registrations will be open until November 1th.
For any doubts or further info, please contact: idaybarcelona@ub.edu

Bojos i boges per la Bioenginyeria: Els joves presenten les seves idees
2019-11-08 17:30 - 19:30 | Sala Dolors Aleu, Parc Científic de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
Vine i descobreix amb els ulls d’un estudiant de batxillerat la recerca en bioenginyeria!
En l’últim any, 24 joves han participat en un programa d’immersió científica molt especial: Bojos i Boges per la Bioenginyeria. En aquesta sessió de cloenda, els estudiants presentaran les seves pròpies idees sobre com resoldre problemes reals de salut.
Ets professor i vols saber com és un programa de formació en recerca per a estudiants de secundària? Ets un estudiant de secundària i estàs pensant a participar en una de les pròximes edicions? Tens curiositat per saber com afrontaran la recerca les noves generacions i com la bioenginyeria hi jugarà un paper fonamental? Si la resposta a alguna d’aquestes preguntes és sí, no t’ho pots perdre!
Inscriu-te aquí

IBEC Seminar: Christine Horejs
2019-11-05 16:00 - 17:00 | IBEC, floor 11, Tower I, Baldiri Reixac 4-8, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
Inside Nature Nanotechnology, an editor’s view
Christine Horejs, Nature Nanotechnology
Nature Nanotechnology was launched in October 2006 with the aim of publishing the most significant results in fundamental aspects, applications and implications on nanomaterials. In my presentation I will provide an overview of what the journal looks for in the field of nanomedicine and bioimaging, and I will give insight into the editorial process and some tips and tricks for submitting to our journal.
Christine Horejs received her MSci and PhD in nanobiotechnology from the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria, studying protein conformations and self-assembly using biophysical and theoretical approaches. She then joined the lab of Molly Stevens at Imperial College London, UK, investigating the extracellular matrix and cell–material interactions. In 2015, she moved to the Karolinska Institute, Sweden, conducting in vivo studies of anti-fibrotic biomaterials. In September 2017, she joined the Nature Reviews Materials team as an Associate Editor, and since July 2019 she is a Senior Editor at Nature Nanotechnology, where she is primarily responsible for nanomedicine and nanobiotechnology.
She has been invited to IBEC by Xavier Trepat

Round Table: 3D Printing in healthcare
2019-10-31 11:00 - 13:00 | IBEC, floor 11, Tower I, Baldiri Reixac 4-8, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
On Thursday 31st we will have the opportunity to learn from the Prof. Axel Guenther (University of Toronto) and from Dr. Tamer Mohamed (Aspect Biosystems Ltd.), the latest results obtained in 3D Printing applied to healthcare overseas and how they envision the future of this technology. Opportunities and limitations in the academia and in the industry.
Dr. Tamer Mohamed, Chief Executive Officer – Aspect Biosystems Ltd.
Tamer Mohamed, CEO, Sam Wadsworth, CSO and Elli Käpylä, Aspect’s Manager of Academic Alliances and Business Development Manager for Europe, she is biomedical engineer and expert scientist in materials and 3D printing and tissue models at Aspect Biosystems. Aspect Biosystems is a privately held biotechnology company operating at the leading edge of 3D bioprinting and tissue engineering. Their company is built on over 10 years of research and development and formed through a collaboration between world-class research groups in Engineering and Medicine at the University of British Columbia. Their proprietary Lab-on- a-Printer™ platform technology is enabling advances in understanding fundamental biology, disease research, development of novel therapeutics, and regenerative medicine. They are focused on strategically partnering with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, as well as academic researchers, to create physiologically and commercially relevant tissues. These tissues are used to advance and accelerate drug discovery and development and enable the creation of cutting-edge tissue therapies of the future.

Prof. Axel Goünter, Professor at Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering – University of Toronto
Dr. Guenther is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, with cross-appointment at the Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering at the University of Toronto. He obtained his doctoral degree from ETH Zurich and conducted postdoctoral research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He received the ETH medal (2002), the Ontario Early Researcher Award (2009), the I.W. Smith Award of the Canadian Society of Mechanical Engineers (2010) and the Innovator of the Year Award of the University of Toronto (2013). He co-invented several bioprinting technologies, was previously the Scientific Director of the Centre for Microfluidic Systems in Chemistry and Biology (2008-2018), and the Wallace G. Chalmers Chair of Engineering Design (2012-18). He currently Co-Leads the Canadian Center for Research and Applications in Fluidic Technologies (CRAFT), a collaborative research center between the National Research Council of Canada and the University of Toronto that focuses on device innovation related to the areas of bioprinting, in-vitro diagnostics and organ-on-chip engineering.

Round Table - 3D Printing in healthcare
2019-10-31 11:00 - 13:00 | IBEC, floor 11, Tower I, Baldiri Reixac 4-8, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
On Thrusday 31st we will have the opportunity to learn from the Prof. Axel Guenther (University of Toronto) and from Dr. Tamer Mohamed (Aspect Biosystems Ltd.), the latest results obtained in 3D Printing applied to healthcare overseas and how they envision the future of this technology. Opportunities and limitations in the academia and in the industry.
Dr. Tamer Mohamed, Chief Executive Officer – Aspect Biosystems Ltd.
Tamer Mohamed, CEO, Sam Wadsworth, CSO and Elli Käpylä, Aspect’s Manager of Academic Alliances and Business Development Manager for Europe, she is biomedical engineer and expert scientist in materials and 3D printing and tissue models at Aspect Biosystems. Aspect Biosystems is a privately held biotechnology company operating at the leading edge of 3D bioprinting and tissue engineering. Their company is built on over 10 years of research and development and formed through a collaboration between world-class research groups in Engineering and Medicine at the University of British Columbia. Their proprietary Lab-on- a-Printer™ platform technology is enabling advances in understanding fundamental biology, disease research, development of novel therapeutics, and regenerative medicine. They are focused on strategically partnering with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, as well as academic researchers, to create physiologically and commercially relevant tissues. These tissues are used to advance and accelerate drug discovery and development and enable the creation of cutting-edge tissue therapies of the future.

Prof. Axel Goünter, Professor at Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering – University of Toronto
Dr. Guenther is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, with cross-appointment at the Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering at the University of Toronto. He obtained his doctoral degree from ETH Zurich and conducted postdoctoral research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He received the ETH medal (2002), the Ontario Early Researcher Award (2009), the I.W. Smith Award of the Canadian Society of Mechanical Engineers (2010) and the Innovator of the Year Award of the University of Toronto (2013). He co-invented several bioprinting technologies, was previously the Scientific Director of the Centre for Microfluidic Systems in Chemistry and Biology (2008-2018), and the Wallace G. Chalmers Chair of Engineering Design (2012-18). He currently Co-Leads the Canadian Center for Research and Applications in Fluidic Technologies (CRAFT), a collaborative research center between the National Research Council of Canada and the University of Toronto that focuses on device innovation related to the areas of bioprinting, in-vitro diagnostics and organ-on-chip engineering.

Festa de la Ciència 2019
2019-10-26 11:00 - 2019-10-27 18:00 | Moll de la Fusta
L’IBEC participa a la 13a Festa de la Ciència

Durant tot un cap de setmana, el 26 i 27 d’octubre, el Moll de la Fusta acull la tretzena edició de la Festa de la Ciència. A través de gairebé 200 activitats distribuïdes en 26 espais, les i els protagonistes de la recerca que es realitza a Barcelona i la seva àrea d’influència comparteixen el seu coneixement i expliquen les seves troballes de viva veu a persones de qualsevol edat.
Activitats:
Revolució tecnològica
Rehabilitació del cervell després d’una lesió cerebral
Dissabte 26: 11 h Durada de cada passi: 60 min

Robots biomimètics per entendre la nostra conducta
Dissabte 26: 12.15 h Durada de cada passi: 60 min

L’ABC de la ciència
Entra en un laboratori de bioenginyeria
Diumenge 27: 12.10, 12.50 i 13.30 h
Durada de cada passi: 35 min

IBEC PhD Discussions Complementary Skills Session: Open Access and the Future of Scholarly Publishing
2019-10-25 10:00 - 12:00 | IBEC, floor 11, Tower I, Baldiri Reixac 4-8, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
Open Access and the Future of Scholarly Publishing
Clàudia Aunós – MDPI
During this Open Access week, we will take the opportunity to talk and discuss about what Open Access means, what it really implies and its actual advantages. We will dig deeply into the initiatives and updates of Plan S, its principles, the actual situation, the criteria such as journals and platforms need to meet to be compliant with Plan S and a short implementation guidance of the actual routes. We will also make a few recommendations to researches and Universities or research institutions that are walking through the future of scholarly publishing. Finally, we will finish the discussion by talking about MDPI, a publishing organization pioneer in scholarly open access publishing, and its multiple services. We welcome everybody to join us and discuss with us all the questions and doubts you might have.
