IBEC researchers propose a cheaper and more ethical model for toxicological studies
Research news
Willpower is the key to enhancing learning and memory: researchers uncover the mechanism
An international team led by the SPECS Laboratory at the IBEC has identified, for the first time in humans, the physiological mechanism responsible for the effectiveness of learning processes based on self-motivation and freedom of choice. The protagonists of this mechanism are theta-type brain waves, which regulate the ability of the human hippocampus to fix and retrieve information.
IBEC developes a software for biomarker discovering
International researchers led by Santi Marco at IBEC develop a software for biomarker discovery in samples such as urine, blood or cell extracts. AlpsNMR: An R tool for Automated spectraL Processing System for untargeted NMR-based metabolomics has been made public in the main repository for bioinformatics open software: Bioconductor
Researchers develop enzyme-powered micromotors based on metal-organic porous materials
In a new article published in the prestigious Journal of the American Chemical Society, researchers describe how they successfully designed and fabricated bubble-propelled enzymatic micromotors built from a highly porous metal-organic framework (MOF). These new micromotors might lead to applications for drug delivery, and adsorption of pollutants.
Mechanical forces, half of the alphabet to understand life
Xavier Trepat and international experts remind us in a piece published in the Journal Nature by science writer Amber Dance, the crucial role of physics in order to understand biological entities such cells and organs, both in health and disease. In words of Trepat: “Understanding a cell without physics is like trying to write a book with only half the letters of the alphabet”.
Dermoglass technology takes the leap into the pharmaceutical industry
Dermoglass becomes the first project funded by the CaixaImpulse program to be licensed to a pharmaceutical company, Laboratorios ERN. It is a new technology to tackle chronic ulcers developed by the research group “Biomaterials for Regenerative Therapies” led by Dr. Elisabeth Engel at the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), who is also Professor at Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC).
An international study co-led by IBEC identifies the genes that protect against kidney diseases
Researchers from the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), led by Dr. Nuria Montserrat, in collaboration with international researchers, have identified the genes that could protect the kidney from chronic damage. The identification was carried out using mini-kidneys created from human stem cells and generated in the laboratory using bioengineering techniques.
Researchers discover a mechanism to cross the protective barrier of the brain
An international study led by IBEC researcher Giuseppe Battaglia identifies a mechanism and conditions that allow molecules to efficiently cross the blood-brain barrier, the protective layer of the brain. This study describes the role of protein LRP1, bringing light to safe and efficient entrance of drugs to the brain.
New molecules developed in IBEC allow dilating the pupil with light
A study led by researchers from the ‘Nanoprobes and Nanoswitches’ Group of the Institute for Bioingeniería of Catalunya (IBEC) shows, for the first time, that the receptor proteins that control processes such as the pupil reaction can be regulated by light and new chemical compounds called “Adrenoswitches”.
Unlocking the potential of human organoids through bioengineering
