Biomaterials for Regenerative Therapies

Research in the Biomaterials for Regenerative Therapies group is devoted to the development and knowledge transfer to industry of innovative biomaterials and scaffolds for tissue regeneration.

We design, fabricate and characterize bioactive and biodegradable materials and we investigate their interactions with biological entities, both in terms of their fundamental aspects and with specific applications for tissue engineering purposes in mind. The aim is the repair and functional restoration of tissues or organs by means of 3D scaffolds, cells, and signals.

Our research is built up in three pillars:

• Creating microenvironments for tissue regeneration. Understanding the interaction of the designed scaffolds with the cells is the key to induce a regenerative environment. We have developed models that explain the activation of angiogenesis and neurogenesis promotion based on the biomaterials properties and the structure of the scaffold, together with the degradation products that promote a bioactive environment. During 2018 we have studied the activation of progenitor cardiac cells, recruitment and differentiation in response to these scaffolds by means of instructive matrices.

• Translating basic research towards new developed products. We are applying Key Enabling Technologies in Biomaterials fabrication to give solutions to companies. A personalized maxillofacial substitute using 3D printing is being developed together with Avinent Implant system, SL. A new dressing that promotes the fast healing of chronic wounds, promoting cell recruitment and regeneration is now under preclinical studies.

• Disease models. We are developing 3D models for pre-clinical cancer research based on the use of cells self-produced extracellular matrices. These microtissues can be modified to culture cancer cells and simulate an ex vivo tumor that can be used for basic cancer research or drug screening. We are also developing novel bioinks for the fabrication of bioprinted platforms as 3D models and bioengineered constructs. The use of microfluidic devices that simulate a vessel, or a cardiac tissue is another approach we are modelling to study the cardiac regeneration process.

We are members of CIBER-BBN (Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red – Bioingeniería, Biomateriales y Nanomedicina)

We are participants of the RIS3CAT LLAVOR 3D Community, funded by ACCIO, that aims to accelerate the development and adoption of additive manufacturing and 3D printing* technologies by the industry.*

We participate in two networks: i4kids, the Pediatric Innovation Hub, coordinated by SJD Barcelona Children’s Hospital, which aims to generate a positive social impact and offer solutions adapted to the paediatric population; and in the XaRFA, with 28 research groups from 14 Catalan entities, created with the aim of creating up to 12 technology-based companies and facilitating the transfer of 3D printing technologies to society. 

We are members of a CIBER-ONC project: Patient Derived Organoids 2.O: Recapitulating stromal and immune microenvironment in annotated organoid platforms for advancing towards personalized cancer treatment. 

We are new members of the Red de Terapia Celular (Tercel) to collaborate with the cell therapy groups in tissue and organ regeneration.

Elisabeth Engel López

Group Leader

+34 934 020 210

eengelibecbarcelona.eu

Researcher profile

Former Member
Prof. Josep Planell | Director, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC)

• Surface characterization equipment (contact angle, Z potential, nanoindenter)
• Cell culture facilities
• Molecular Biology equipment: protein and DNA electrophoresis
• Thermocycler (PCR)
• Rapid prototyping tool (part of the Production of biomaterials and nanoparticles platform of the CIBER-BBN)
  http://www.ciber-bbn.es/programas/plataformas/equipamiento/biomateriales?nodo=nodo2&locale=en
• Peptide synthetiser
• Combustion furnace
• Electrospinning device
• Spin-coater
• Vibrational viscosimeter

• Prof. Mario Barbosa
  Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde da Universidade do Porto, Portugal 
• Dr. Riccardo Levato
  UMC Utrecht, The Netherlands
• Prof. Didier Letourneur
  Laboratoire de Bioingénierie Cardiovasculaire, INSERM, University Denis Diderot-Paris 7, Paris, France
• Prof. Dirk Grijpma
  Department of Biomaterials Science and Technology, University of Twente, Twente, the Netherlands
• Prof. Francesco Serino
  Department of Vascular Surgery, Istituto Dermatologico dell’Immacolata (IDI), Rome, Italy
• Dr. Jerónimo Blanco
  Institut de Ciències Cardiovasculars de Catalunya and CSIC, Barcelona, Spain
• Dr. Joelle Amedee
  INSERM, University of Bordeaux Segolen, Bordeaux, France
• Dr. José Becerra Ratia
  Dept. Biología Celular, Genética y Fisiología, Universidad de Málaga, Spain
• Dr. Margarita Calonge
  Institute of Ophthalmobiology (IOBA), Universidad de Valladolid, Spain
• Dr. José Carlos Rodríguez-Cabello
  Dept. de Física de la Materia Condensada, Universidad de Valladolid, Spain
• Prof. Kevin Healy
  Biomaterials & Tissue Engineering Laboratory, University of California at Berkeley, USA
• Prof. Wouter J.A. Dhert & Dr. Jos Malda
  Department of Orthopaedics, University Medical Center Utrecht, The Netherlands
• Prof. Andrés J. García, F.B.S.E.
  Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA
• Dr. Luigi Ambrosio
  Institute of Polymers, Composites & Biomaterials, National Research Council, Naples, Italy
• Prof. Carlos Semino
  Grupo de Insuficiencia Cardíaca y Regeneración Cardíaca (ICREC), IQS School of Engineering, Universitat Ramon Llull
• Dr. Antonio Sinovas
  Vall d’Hebron Institute of Research
• Dr. Dimitrios Zeugolis
  Biomedical Engineering (Biomaterials) at NUI Galway
• Dr. Aitor Aguirre
  Department of Biomedical Engineering, MSU, Michigan, US
• Prof. Joao Mano
  CICECO, Aveiro University, Portugal
• Prof. Gino Ambrosio
  Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II: Napoli, Campania, Italy
• Prof. Timothy Thomson
  IBMB-CSIC, Barcelona
• Dr. Elena Rebollo
  IBMB-CSIC, Barcelona
• Dr. Jordi Camps
  Gastrointestinal and Pancreatic Oncology Group, Institut D’Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS)
• Dr. Olivier Stephan
  Univ-grenoble-alpes, France
• Prof. Humberto Palza
  Departamento de Ingeniería Química, Biotecnología y Materiales, Universidad de Chile
• Dr. Judith Guasch
  ICMAB, Barcelona
• Dr. Elena Xuriguera
  DIOPMA, University of Barcelona
• Prof. Carlos Aleman
  EEBE, UPC
• Dr. Felip Fenollosa
  Centre CIM, UPC
• Prof. Aurora Hernandez-Machado
  Estructura i Constituents de la Materia, University of Barcelona
• Avinent Implant System, SL
  Sant Pedor, Spain
• Laboratorios ERN
  Barcelona, Spain
• Microlight3D
  France
• Vecmedical SL
  Barcelona
• Dr. Roberto Vélez
  Orthopedic oncology and Traumatology department, Vall d’Hebron Hospital
• Dr. Joan-Pere Barret
  Head of the Plastic Surgery and Burns Service at Hospital Vall d’Hebron