Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia

PhD Discussion Sessions: Berta Gumí and Natalia Feiner
2017-10-27 10:00 - 11:00 (Europe/Madrid) | IBEC, floor 11, Tower I, Baldiri Reixac 4-8, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
Nanomechanical and structural properties of supported lipid bilayers
Berta Gumí, Nanoprobes and nanoswitches group
Biological membranes are flexible self-sealing boundaries that form the permeability barriers for cells and organelles, also playing a structural role under combination of forces. Understanding the physical properties of the membrane is essential to get a better knowledge on the function of its constituents. Moreover, changes in membrane properties can affect receptor functioning, protein-membrane and protein-protein associations, as well as small molecule gradients. With atomic force microscopy (AFM) and AFM-based force spectroscopy (AFM-FS) we evaluate morphological and nanomechanical parameters of hydrated supported lipid bilayers (SLBs), that can be directly correlated with the lipid lateral organization and composition in the membrane. Being SLBs 2D ordered structures, grazing incidence X-Rays (XR) techniques are powerful to probe lateral and vertical organization in the length scales ranging from angstroms to microns. By combining AFM and XR we obtain not only information about the morphological and nanomechanical properties, but also more insights on the structure and organization of SLBs. This approach allows studying the interaction of membrane constituents and its associations with small molecules.
Studying nanoparticle interactions with blood components using super resolution microscopy
Natalia Feiner, Nanoscopy for nanomedicine group
The formation of the protein corona when nanoparticles are introduced into the blood stream alters their interactions with the target cells, affecting their functionality and performances in vivo [1]. Therefore, to improve the design of effective nanoparticles it is important to understand the composition and temporal evolution of the protein corona. In the present work we use super-resolution optical microscopy (SRM) to study the protein corona growing on mesoporous silica nanoparticles. SRM enables us not only the imaging but the quantification of single proteins [ref]. Interestingly, we observed a significant heterogeneity in protein absorption between individual nanoparticles which was only possible to detect thanks to the high resolution of the technique and its ability to image in a particle-by-particle basis. We studied the role of the surface chemistry in the corona formation and the role of the degradability in the corona evolution in time. Moreover, we investigate the consequences of protein corona formation on selective cell targeting which provide us a detailed understanding of corona-activity relations. The present methodology is widely applicable to a variety of nanostructures and complements the existing ensemble approaches to further investigate protein corona phenomenon.

IBEC group leader retreat
2017-10-24 08:45 - 2017-10-25 18:45
Save the date!
Montserrat Hotel & Training Center, Collbato
More details soon

IBEC Seminar: Arpita Upadhyaya
2017-10-18 10:00 - 11:00 | IBEC, floor 11, Tower I, Baldiri Reixac 4-8, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
Push, pull and sense: Forces and mechanosensing in immune cells
Arpita Upadhyaya, Associate Professor, Department of Physics, IPST, University of Maryland
The activation of lymphocytes is an essential step in the adaptive immune response. Lymphocyte activation involves the binding of specialized receptors (TCR in T cells and BCR in B cells) with antigen on the surface of antigen presenting cells. This leads to changes in cell morphology and the movement and assembly of receptors, scaffold proteins and enzymes into signaling microclusters, which are essential for immune cell activation. During this process, cells of the immune system interact with structures that possess a diverse range of physical properties. I will summarize our recent studies from a biophysical perspective that examine how T cells and B cells respond to physical cues such as stiffness, topography and ligand mobility. Specifically, I will highlight the distinct roles of the actin and microtubule cytoskeleton in the exertion of mechanical stresses that support signaling activation, microcluster assembly and receptor movement in T and B lymphocytes.

Becoming a Scientific Writer, putting 'why' before 'how'
2017-10-17
Training in transferable skills.
Dates:
17th October, from 9 to 6pm. In person class sessions = 8 hours.
One whole day.
Target group:
PhD students and post-docs
Provider: Gavin Lucas.

Extra IBEC Seminar: Multimode Reader User Day
2017-10-11 09:00 - 13:00 | IBEC, floor 11, Tower I, Baldiri Reixac 4-8, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
Multimode Reader User Day
Stephan Haberstock, Detection Specialist, Tecan
Core Facilities would like to invite you to a user day for multimode microplate readers.
The programme will offer practical insights on the following topics:
• Introduction to the basic detection modes (Absorbance, Fluorescence, Luminescence) and advanced assays like FRET, TRF, and TR-FRET
• Infinite 200 Pro, a multimode reader highly configurable.
• Spark®, the new multimode readers from Tecan & application based configurations for:
o cell assays
o fluorescence assays
o luminescence assays
o nucleic acid analysis
After the presentations we are happy to answer your specific questions & help you optimizing your personal methods. And, obviously, you’ll be able to test our readers on site!

Media Training : science communication for TV & Radio
2017-10-11
Training activity in transferable skills.
Dates:
11th October 2017, from 9 am to 6 pm.
In person class sessions = 8 hours. One whole day.
Target group:
Group Leaders and Senior Researchers.
Provider: Kristin Raabe.

IBEC Seminar: Fabio Variola
2017-10-06 10:00 - 11:00 | IBEC, floor 11, Tower I, Baldiri Reixac 4-8, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
At the intersection of biomaterials, surface science and medicine
Fabio Variola, Associate Professor, Biomedical Engineering, Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa
In the quest for the next generation of functional biomaterials and new solutions in health-related research, investigators have sought inspiration from nature by developing better performing bio-derived materials (e.g. collagen, chitosan), reproducing naturally occurring micro and nanostructures (e.g. nanoporosity of collagen-apatite interfaces in bone, ECM nanotopography) and devising strategies that mimic naturally occurring phenomena (e.g. mussel attachment). In this context, our team has employed bio-derived materials and bio-inspired structures towards the creation of platforms and interfaces to investigate and control cellular events. In particular, we successfully reproduced a bioactive nanoporosity on titanium, the gold standard in medicine, by simple chemical and electrochemical methods, capable of positively affecting cell activity providing antibacterial properties. Anodization permitted not only to create semiordered nanotubular surfaces which can be tuned in terms of diameter and spacing, but also a nanometric 3-dimensional hierarchical surface that mimics that of biologically successful life forms such as diatoms. Moreover, we are currently working on understanding the effects on cells of poly(dopamine), an adhesive polymer derived from mussels, as a multifunctional layer for direct cueing to cells. In parallel, our team has also contributed to the development of collagen- and chitosan-based materials for applications ranging from cardiac and neuronal tissue engineering to synthetic blood vessels and drug delivery platforms.

Data Visualization
2017-10-04
Training activity in Scientific tools & techniques.
The workshop aim to provide participants with an accessible and comprehensive introduction to data visualisation – the visual analysis and communication of data.
Dates:
4th October, from 10 to 6pm
Target group:
PhD students and post-docs
Provider: Andy Kirk.

IBEC Seminar: Silvain Muller, RegenHu
2017-09-28 14:30 - 15:30 | IBEC, floor 11, Tower I, Baldiri Reixac 4-8, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
Bioprinting Software for the RegenHU 3DBioprinting System
Silvain Muller, RegenHu
Bioprinting is a dynamic and exciting stage of evolution where, recently, considerable progress has been accomplished globally in the field of tissue engineering and bioprinting. These developments have in turn led to ground-breaking advancements in Bioprinting leading from fundamental research to Applied research and Clinical testing. Key components in the successful transition of this evolution are the software tools specifically designed to enable interaction between the hardware, the biology and the users.
During this seminar Silvain Muller from RegenHu will describe the capabilities of our 3D Bioprinter (3D Discovery) and will perform a presentation of the software package associated that that enables the design of complex structures and scaffolds and the transformation of DICOM images to 3D-bioprinted constructs.

IBEC Seminar: Marc Silvain, RegenHu
2017-09-28 14:30 - 15:30 | IBEC, floor 11, Tower I, Baldiri Reixac 4-8, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
Bioprinting Software For The RegenHU 3DBioprinting System
Marc Silvain, RegenHu
Bioprinting is a dynamic and exciting stage of evolution where, recently, considerable progress has been accomplished globally in the field of tissue engineering and bioprinting. These developments have in turn led to ground-breaking advancements in Bioprinting leading from fundamental research to Applied research and Clinical testing. Key components in the successful transition of this evolution are the software tools specifically designed to enable interaction between the hardware, the biology and the users.
During this seminar Marc Silvain from RegenHu will describe the capabilities of our 3D Bioprinter (3D Discovery) and will perform a presentation of the software package associated that allows to design complex structures, scaffolds and transform DICOM images to 3Dbioprinted constructs
