Nit Jove de la Recerca
2018-09-28 19:30 - 23:00 (Europe/Madrid) | CosmoCaixa Barcelona, Carrer d'Isaac Newton, 08022 Barcelona, Spain
Coincidint amb la Researchers’ Night, iniciativa europea per acostar la ciència a tots els públics, us hem preparat una programació nocturna on la recerca surt del laboratori. Podreu participar en performances amb un Reactable, pilotar drons i molt més.
Taller de nanociència
En aquests tallers nocturns dedicats a la nanociència, investigadors dels centres més pioners en aquest camp duran a terme un seguit d’activitats relacionades amb els seus objectes d’estudi, vinculats a disciplines com l’òptica, el desenvolupament de noves fonts d’energia i nous materials, o la realitat augmentada.

https://cosmocaixa.es/ca/noche-joven-de-la-investigacion

11th IBEC Annual Symposium
2018-10-02 08:00 - 17:00 | AXA Auditorium, L'illa Diagonal, Av. Diagonal 547 , Barcelona, 08029
The IBEC annual symposium brings together high-profile international experts for an open forum for interdisciplinary discussions and networking. The whole scientific community is invited to participate.
Researchers are welcome to present their projects in a poster format for the 11th Symposium. Some of these contributions will be selected, by the scientific committee, for an oral flash presentation.
Visit https://events.ibecbarcelona.eu/symposium2018/ for more details.

PhD Thesis Defence: Jemish Parmar
2018-10-05 11:30 - 13:30 | Sala Antiga de Graus, Faculty of Physics, UB, Barcelona, 08028, Spain
Micromotors for Environmental Applications
Jemish Parmar, Smart nano-bio-devices group
Jemish will be defending his PhD thesis on Friday 5th October at 11:30 in the Sala Antiga de Graus of the UB’s Faculty of Physics.
Everybody is welcome to attend.
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If you’re an IBEC PhD student and would like to advertise your PhD defense on the IBEC calendar, please contact vleigh@ibecbarcelona.eu

IBEC Seminar: Prof. Rui L. Reis
2018-10-08 12:00 - 13:00 | IBEC, floor 11, Tower I, Baldiri Reixac 4-8, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
New Approaches, combining natural materials and stem cells, for the Engineering of Different Types of Tissues
Prof. Rui L. Reis, University of Minho
The selection of a proper material to be used as a scaffold or as a hydrogel to support, hold or encapsulate cells is both a critical and a difficult choice that will determine the success of failure of any tissue engineering and regenerative medicine (TERM) strategy.
We believe that the use of natural origin polymers, including a wide range of marine origin materials, is the best option for many different approaches that allow for the regeneration of different tissues. In addition to the selection of appropriate material systems it is of utmost importance the development of processing methodologies that allow for the production of adequate scaffolds/matrices, in many cases incorporating bioactive/differentiation agents in their structures.
Furthermore an adequate cell source should be selected. In many cases efficient cell isolation, expansion and differentiation, and in many cases the selection of a specific sub-population, methodologies should be developed and optimized. We have been using different human cell sources namely: mesenchymal stem cells from bone marrow, mesenchymal stem cells from human adipose tissue, human cells from amniotic fluids and membranes and cells obtained from human umbilical cords.
The development of dynamic ways to culture the cells and of distinct ways to stimulate their differentiation in 3D environments, as well as the use of nano-based systems to induce their differentiation and internalization into cells, is also a key part of some of the strategies that are being developed in our research group.
The potential of each combination materials/cells, to be used to develop novel useful regeneration therapies will be discussed. The use of different cells and their interactions with different natural origin degradable scaffolds and smart hydrogels will be described. Several examples of TERM strategies to regenerate different types of tissues will be presented. This will include the use of original high-throughput methodologies to look at materials/cell interactions.

Good practices workshop: “How to design experiments”
2018-10-18 09:30 - 17:30 | IBEC, Baldiri Reixac 10-12, Barcelona, 08028, Spain
The objective of the course is to learn how to apply Chemometrics to design better experiments. The training will focus on the rationale behind using an experimental design, rather than on the “technical” part.
Dates:
18th October. In person class session: 9:30 to 17:30
Target group:
PhDs and master’s students (maximum 20 participants).
Training content:
• Why thinking multivariate
• Multivariate optimization
• Design experiments and try hypothesis
• What to do when I have more than one response?
Trainer:
Prof. Riccardo Leardi.

IBEC Seminar: Alvaro Aytés, IDIBELL
2018-10-19 10:00 - 11:00 | IBEC, floor 11, Tower I, Baldiri Reixac 4-8, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
Cross-species analysis of gene regulatory networks during prostate cancer progression
Alvaro Aytés, IDIBELL
Analysis of gene regulatory networks is a powerful tool to decipher drivers of phenotypic transitions, oncogenic dependencies and potential vulnerabilities that can be exploited for therapeutic intervention. By modeling prostate cancer progression in genetically engineered mice we have been able to perform cross-species studies between mouse and human, facilitating the identification and functional validation of cancer mechanisms. In particular we have a strong interest in understanding how aberrant control of transcriptional programs leads to treatment failure and resistance in prostate cancer. Whether this results in the emergence of new dependencies and vulnerabilities is also key to envision new treatment paradigms in the era of personalized medicine.

Becoming a Scientific Writer, putting ‘why’ before ‘how’
2018-10-25 | IBEC, floor 11, Tower I, Baldiri Reixac 4-8, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
The aim of this workshop is to help publishing scientists develop a more impartial, analytical view of scientific writing, to better understand their readership, and to make them more efficient writers and editors. Their writing will no longer be driven by the standard formula for How? to write a paper, but will be inspired by the question Why?
Dates:
25th October, from 10 to 6pm. In person class sessions = 7 hours. One whole day.
Target group:
PhD students and post-docs
Trainer:
Dr. Gavin Lucas

IN2UB International Research Seminars: Pere Roca-Cusachs
2018-10-25 16:00 - 17:00 | Sala de Graus Eduard Fontseré, Martí i Franquès, 1-11, Barcelona, 08028
IBEC group leader Pere Roca-Cusachs is the speaker at the inaugural seminar of the new IN2UB International Research Seminar series.
Sensing the matrix: transducing mechanical signals from integrins to the nucleus
Pere Roca-Cusachs, IBEC
Cell proliferation and differentiation, as well as key processes in development, tumorigenesis, and wound healing,are strongly determined by the properties of the extra cellular matrix (ECM), including its mechanical rigidity and the density and distribution of its ligands. In this talk, I will explain how we combine molecular biology, biophysical measurements, and theoretical modelling to understand the mechanisms by which cells sense and respond to matrix properties. I will discuss how the properties under force of integrin-ECM bonds, and of the adaptor protein talin, drive and regulate matrix sensing. I will further discuss how this sensing can be understood through a computational molecular clutch model, which can quantitatively predict the role of integrins, talin, myosin, and ECM receptors, and their effect on cell response. Finally, I will analyze how signals triggered by rigidity at cell-ECM adhesions are transmitted to the nucleus, leading to the activation of the transcriptional regulator YAP.

PhD Discussions Sessions: Anna Vila and Alexandre Gomila
2018-10-26 10:00 - 11:00 | IBEC, floor 11, Tower I, Baldiri Reixac 4-8, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
Engineering of 3D Small Intestinal Mucosa Models
Anna Vila, Biomimetic Systems for Cell Engineering
Hydrogels have been used as a scaffold for engineering tissue-like structures due to their biocompatibility and properties similar to the extracellular matrix. There are two main types of hydrogels (i) natural hydrogels, such as gelatin, which are biodegradable and present cell adhesion motifs and (ii) synthetic hydrogels, such as poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA), which are non-biodegradable and can withstand long-term cell cultures but do not have bioadhesion sequences [El-Sherbiny M.I. et al., 2013]. Both types of hydrogels present complementary benefits.
For this reason, we fabricated a hydrogel co-polymer composed of gelatin methacrylate (GelMA) co-polymerized with PEGDA [Hutson. B.C. et al., 2011]. We employed a single-step, moldless, UV-photolithography-based fabrication technique [Castaño A. et al., submitted] to fabricate scaffolds mimicking the 3D architecture of the small intestinal mucosa. Using this approach, we obtained hydrogel co-polymers with finger-like microstructures, with the roundness and dimensions found in the villi of the native tissue. Mechanical and physicochemical properties such as an approach of the Young’s modulus, degradation rate and swelling ratio of the hydrogels have been characterized. Adding PEGDA to the GelMA hydrogels have provided hydrogels with lower degradation and higher Young’s modulus, which ca be easily tuned by changing the composition of GelMA and PEGDA polymers. Furthermore, we have demonstrated that our scaffolds support the growth and differentiation of intestinal epithelial Caco-2 cells up to 21 days, obtaining a matured epithelial monolayer with effective tissue barrier properties.
Additionally, we increased the complexity of our model of the small intestinal mucosa by incorporating an additional cell compartment to mimic the stroma of the in vivo tissue. To do that, we embedded 3T3-NIH fibroblasts in our scaffolds during the photopolymerization procedure. Then, we cultured Caco-2 cells on top of the 3T3-NIH fibroblast-laden hydrogels up to 21 days. Our preliminary results showed that the co-culture of Caco-2 cells with 3T3-NIH fibroblasts favours the epithelial cell growth and improves their barrier function. Taking all together, we have generated an intestinal mucosa model that allows for the co-culture of different intestinal cell types distributed in compartments, mimicking the spatial-physiological features of the small intestinal mucosa. We believe our model better recapitulates cell-cell crosstalk and cell-matrix interactions found in vivo, being an improved alternative for the cell-base in vitro assays.

In vivo photomodulation of GABA and Glycine receptor channels
Alexandre Gomila, Nanoprobes and Nanoswitches
Neuronal networks are highly complex interactions, which determine even the finest behaviour. The major inhibitory pathways in the central nervous system (CNS) act through chloride ion flux, which are mostly driven by fast-acting ionotropic GABAA and Glycine receptors (GlyR). All of them share structural similarities and belong to pentameric ligand-gated ion channels of the Cys-loop family. Photoswitchable molecules have become a powerful tool in any applied field of bioscience, and are broadly used in biomedical research due to their capacity for enlightening biological aspects from their very basics, such as molecular level, up to entire neuronal networks.
Photopharmacology has proven to be advantageous for spatial and temporal control of biological processes without interfering the system natural dynamics and outcomes. Physiology can be tuned with photomimetic ligands and naturally occurring complex network responses can be segmented into light dependent activities discerning relevant data from a vast matrix of results. As these new tools are broadly used for biomedical purposes and most of them focused towards medical applications, an interpretative analytical platform is needed to screen and identify potential photoswitchable molecules.
Zebrafish (Danio rerio) larvae constitute an excellent animal model for studying and screening photoswitchable molecules in vivo. Zebrafish present a transparent body during larval stages, and therefore are capable of receiving specific and determined light applications. From the 19th hour post fertilisation they acquire behavioural traits, from spontaneous twisting movements to full swimming capacities, which are easily traceable and measurable. The use of up to 96 animals simultaneously allows a parallel high throughput data recovery system to analyse high complexity movements and behaviours, all of it with the use of photopharmacology. Here, we aimed at introducing an effective and reliable methodology for high throughput screening of photoswitchable compounds, including photopharmacological derivatives or peptidoswitches, for any in vivo possible target, from specific neuronal correlated diseases up to possible toxicological outcomes. We focused on the study of the main inhibitory neuronal pathways and their locomotion outcomes on a reliable and comparable animal model.
Hence, several photoswitchable compounds with a common benzodiazepine core and an azobenzene photoswitchable moiety were tested. A first light dependent activity ratio was applied in order to discern the most promising candidates. We identified the UR-DW290 molecule as a light dependent trigger of activity in larvae zebrafish. Larvae zebrafish treated with UR-DW290 maintained higher activity in terms of swimming distance (mm) during the relaxation period and UV-Blue light cycles in comparison to controls. Whole-cell recordings of GABAA and glycine mediated currents by URDW290 showed a potentiating of inhibition when irradiated with ultraviolet light in comparison to visible light illumination.
We propose the combination of high through-put screening and optopharmacology tools for the study and characterisation of zebrafish larvae behaviour focusing on their swimming activity. We identified a first photoswitchable molecule for glycine receptor modulation in vitro and in vivo, UR-DW290, which increases basal activity in zebrafish larvae. This increase is tuneable with UV and Blue light illumniation.
