Development of biohybrid and bioinspired microrobots toward biomedical applications Veronika Magdanz, Smart Nano-Bio-Devices Autonomous motion and precise control on the microscale is one of the main challenges in developing non-invasive medical microrobots. In this seminar, I present my approaches of how to develop artificial, biomimetic and biohybrid microrobots. We can be inspired by nature's solutions ... Read more
Peptide based nanomaterials with life-like functions Mohit Kumar, Molecular Bionics group at IBEC Chemists' curiosity to create life de novo has sought inspiration from biological systems. In nature, self-assembled nanostructures constantly form and degrade which provides unique features like on-demand function, adaptation, temporal and spatial control. Such processes are enabled by the metabolism and the ... Read more
Bio-inspired soft matter at the service of interactive biointerfaces and synthetic cells Cesar Rodriguez-Emmenegger, Group Leader, DWI-Leibniz Institute for Interactive Materials Nature achieves unmatched functionality by the self-assembly of (macro)molecular building blocks in a hierarchical manner. All information necessary for the function is encoded at the molecular level. Unraveling such blueprints serves as a powerful ... Read more
Targeted protein degradation: genetic determinants and drug discovery opportunities Cristina Mayor-Ruiz, IRBarcelona Targeted protein degradation is a new therapeutic modality based on drugs that destabilize proteins by inducing their proximity to E3 ubiquitin ligases. Of particular interest are "molecular glue degraders": compounds that can degrade otherwise unligandable proteins by orchestrating direct interactions between target and E3. However, ... Read more
The effect of gene loss on adaptation | 3D cell shape analysis in embryos Rob Jelier, CMPG - Predictive Genetics and Multicellular Systems University of Leuven In this talk I will summarize two research projects. First, I will report on a large-scale experimental evolution study into the effect of gene deletion on adaptation. We found ... Read more
Therapeutic effects of HDAC3 inhibition on spinal injuries and autoimmune demyelinating diseases Arnau Hervera, Molecular and Cellular Neurobiotechnology The molecular mechanisms discriminating between regenerative failure and success remain elusive. While a regeneration-competent peripheral nerve injury mounts a regenerative gene expression response in bipolar dorsal root ganglia (DRG) sensory neurons, a regeneration-incompetent central spinal cord injury ... Read more
Updates on a new lab at IBEC: hyperpolarised magnetic resonance for real-time, in situ monitoring of cell metabolism Irene Marco, Molecular Imaging for Precision Medicine group at IBEC There is a clinical need for non-invasive and reliable markers to diagnose, stage and evaluate treatment response in many diseases such as cancer or non-alcoholic fatty liver ... Read more
Smart and multifunctional artificial materials for bioengineering Carlos Alemán, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunta (UPC) The research of the " Innovation, Modeling & Engineering in Materials" group in the field of multifunctional materials. Three, different examples of multifunctional systems will be presented: 1) Magnetic electroconductive and self-healing PEDOT:alginate hydrogels for sensing, drug-delivery and energy storage; 2) ... Read more
Biomechanics of the progression of colorectal carcinomas Giulia Fornabaio, Synthetic morphogenesis group According to the World Health Organization, cancer is one of the main causes of death worldwide, with colorectal carcinoma (CRC) being the second-leading cause of tumour related-death. The high rate of mortality of CRCs is principally attributed to the metastasis of neoplastic cells ... Read more
Regenerative Neuroimmunology - new generation molecular approaches to restore maladaptive inflammatory responses in the persistently inflamed CNS Stefano Pulchino, University of Cambridge There are currently no approved therapies to slow down the accumulation of neurological disability that occurs independently of relapses in multiple sclerosis (MS). International agencies are engaging to expedite the development of novel ... Read more