About
The generation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), especially the generation of patient-derived pluripotent stem cells suitable for disease modelling in vitro, opens the door for the potential translation of stem-cell related studies into the clinic.
Successful replacement, or augmentation, of the function of damaged cells by patient derived differentiated stem cells would provide a novel cell-based therapy for diseases. Since iPSCs resemble human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) in their ability to generate cells of three germ layers, patient-specific iPSCs offer definitive solutions for the ethical and histo-incompatibility issues related to hESCs. Indeed human iPSC (hiPSC)-based autologous transplantation is heralded as the future of regenerative medicine.

Detail of renal glomerular cells during embryonic development.
One of our aims is to generate and correct disease-specific hiPSCs for disease modelling and drug screening. The combination of gene-editing based methodologies together with the development of novel protocols for cell differentiation into relevant tissues/organs, provides a unique scenario for modelling disease progression, and the identification of molecular and cellular mechanisms leading to organ regeneration (Figure 1). In this regard we are particularly interested in generation of transgene-free and disease free patient derived hiPSCs for disease modelling and the discovery of novel therapeutic targets.
We believe that the recovery of tissue function should not be restricted to the development of cell replacement therapies. In this regard, in our laboratory we take advantage of organisms that possess the ability to regenerate such as zebrafish, in order to understand which molecular and cellular pathways lead to organ regeneration. Surprisingly, studies in neonatal mice have demonstrated that soon after birth this organism posses the capability to regenerate its heart. Taking advantage of such preliminary observations we are translating such analysis in order to understand if the mammalian neonatal kidney still posses the capability to regenerate, and more importantly, if we are able to dissect the epigenetic and cellular mechanisms leading to those responses.

Detail of glomerular structures in renal organoids from pluripotent stem cells.
Lastly, and in an effort to fully develop in vitro and ex vivo platforms for organ regeneration, in our lab we are focused in the development of reporter cell lines for different transcription factors essential for tissue-specific commitment and differentiation (i.e: renal and cardiac lineages). The possibility to combine pluripotent stem cell lines together with decellularized matrices, functionalized biomaterials and ex vivo organoids offers and unprecedented opportunity for the immediate generation of patient-specific in vitro and ex vivo platforms for disease modelling and organ regeneration (Figure 2).
Staff
Núria Montserrat Pulido | Group Leader / ICREA Research Professor
Elena Garreta Bahima | Senior Researcher
Federico González Grassi | Senior Researcher
Carmen Hurtado Del Pozo | Postdoctoral Researcher
Carolina Tarantino | Senior Technician
Maria Gallo | PhD Student
Zarina Nauryzgaliyeva | PhD Student
Idoia Lucía Selfa Aspiroz | PhD Student
Andrés Marco Giménez | Research Assistant
Patricia Katherine Prado Peralta | Research Assistant
Sergi Àngel Bonilla Pons | Visiting Researcher
Guillermo Martínez Ara | Visiting Researcher
Blanca Molins Monteys | Visiting Researcher
Wajima Safi | Visiting Researcher
Projects
EU-funded projects
BRAV3. Computational biomechanics and bioengineering 3D printing to develop a personalized regenerative biological ventricular assist device to provide lasting functional support to damaged hearts (2020-2024) | European Commission | Núria Montserrat |
MAD-CoV 2 · Modern approaches for developing antivirals against SARS-CoV 2 (2020-2024) | European Commission | Núria Montserrat |
REGMAMKID · How to regenerate the mammalian kidney (2015-2020) | European Commission, ERC-StG | Núria Montserrat |
R2U-Tox-Assay · Ready-to-use Toxicity Screening Assay based on iPS-Technologies (2020-2022) | EIT Health | Núria Montserrat |
Modelling Diabetic Nephropathy targeting DNA methylation: engineering the epigenome in kidney (2019-2020) | EFSD European Foundation for the Study of Diabetes | Núria Montserrat |
National projects
ACE2-ORG · Development of a human cellular plaform unveilling Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) – sars-CoV-2 interactions (2020-2021) | ISCIII | Núria Montserrat |
EPIORG · Cómo modelar la Nefropatía Diabética: restableciendo el epigenoma en organoides renales diabéticos inducidos (2018-2020) | MINECO, Retos investigación: Proyectos I+D | Núria Montserrat |
MECHANORG · Como integrar señales mecánicas y metabólicas en organoides renales para el modelado de patologías humanas (2019-2020) | MINECO, Acciones Dinamización Europa Investigación | Núria Montserrat |
Red TERCEL · Red de Terapia Celular (2017-2021) | MINECO, ISCIII | (Collaborator) |
CHONDREG · Identification of the epigenetic mechanisms preventing chondrocyte de-differentiation: generation of novel therapeutic strategies for the treatment of cartilage chronic osteochondral lesions | CIBER | Nuria Montserrat |
Infarto de miocardio en jóvenes. Factores epigeneticos y nuevos marcadores de riesgo cardiovascular. Efecto de la modulación de la expresión de microRNAs y long-non coding RNAs | ISCIII | (Collaborator) |
Privately-funded projects
Generation of Isogenic Models of Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma (ccRCC) using CRISPR-engineered Kidney Organoids, for the identification of diagnostic biomarkers (2017-2020) | Fundación AECC | Núria Montserrat |
REPIRE · Regenerating photoreceptors in human retinal organoids to establish a treatment for Retinitis Pigmentosa (2018-2021) | Fundación Bancaria “La Caixa” | Núria Montserrat |
Identification of Kidney Cancer progression targets and biomarkers through CRISPR-engineered organoids and xenograft mouse models (2019-20) | Fundació La Marató de TV3 | Núria Montserrat |
Finished projects
REPROMICRO · Reprogramacion y regeneracion tisular a partir de microvesiculas derivadas de celulas madre de pluripotencia inducida (2017-2019) | Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad, Explora Ciencia | Nuria Montserrat |
Desarrollo de nuevas estrategias para el tratamiento de la enfermedad renal (2015-2017) | MINECO | Nuria Montserrat |
TRATENFREN · Desarrollo de nuevas estrategias para el tratamiento de la enfermedad renal (2015-2017) | MINECO, Retos investigación: Proyectos I+D | Nuria Montserrat |
Regenerative medicine for Fanconi anemia: generation of disease-free patient-specific iPS (2013-2016) | Fundació La Marató de TV3 | Nuria Montserrat |
Publications
Dhillon, Poonam, Park, Jihwan, Hurtado del Pozo, Carmen, Li, Lingzhi, Doke, Tomohito, Huang, Shizheng, Zhao, Juanjuan, Kang, Hyun Mi, Shrestra, Rojesh, Balzer, Michael S., Chatterjee, Shatakshee, Prado, Patricia, Han, Seung Yub, Liu, Hongbo, Sheng, Xin, Dierickx, Pieterjan, Batmanov, Kirill, Romero, Juan P., Prósper, Felipe, Li, Mingyao, Pei, Liming, Kim, Junhyong, Montserrat, Nuria, Susztak, Katalin, (2021). The nuclear receptor ESRRA protects from kidney disease by coupling metabolism and differentiation Cell Metabolism 33, (2), 379-394.E8
Garreta, Elena, Kamm, Roger D., Chuva de Sousa Lopes, Susana M., Lancaster, Madeline A., Weiss, Ron, Trepat, Xavier, Hyun, Insoo, Montserrat, Nuria, (2021). Rethinking organoid technology through bioengineering Nature Materials 20, 145-155
Selfa, Idoia Lucía, Gallo, Maria, Montserrat, Nuria, Garreta, Elena, (2021). Directed differentiation of human pluripotent stem sells for the generation of high-order kidney organoids
Programmed Morphogenesis: Methods and Protocols (ed. Ebrahimkhani M.R., Hislop J.), Springer US (New York, NY) 2258, 171-192
Kyndiah, A., Leonardi, F., Tarantino, C., Cramer, T., Millan-Solsona, R., Garreta, E., Montserrat, N., Mas-Torrent, M., Gomila, G., (2020). Bioelectronic recordings of cardiomyocytes with accumulation mode electrolyte gated organic field effect transistors Biosensors and Bioelectronics 150, 111844
Hoogduijn, M.J., Montserrat, N., van der Laan, L.J.W., Dazzi, F., Perico, N., Kastrup, J., Gilbo, N., Ploeg, R.J., Roobrouck, V., Casiraghi, F., Johnson, C.L., Franquesa, M., Dahlke, M.H., Massey, E., Hosgood, S., Reinders, M.E.J., (2020). The emergence of regenerative medicine in organ transplantation: 1st European Cell Therapy and Organ Regeneration Section meeting Transplant International 33, (8), 833-840
Lynch, Cian J., Bernad, Raquel, Martínez-Val, Ana, Shahbazi, Marta N., Nóbrega-Pereira, Sandrina, Calvo, Isabel, Blanco-Aparicio, Carmen, Tarantino, Carolina, Garreta, Elena, Richart-Ginés, Laia, Alcazar, Noelia, Graña-Castro, Osvaldo, Gómez-Lopez, Gonzalo, Aksoy, Irene, Muñoz-Martín, Maribel, Martinez, Sonia, Ortega, Sagrario, Prieto, Susana, Simboeck, Elisabeth, Camasses, Alain, Stephan-Otto Attolini, Camille, Fernandez, Agustin F., Sierra, Marta I., Fraga, Mario F., Pastor, Joaquin, Fisher, Daniel, Montserrat, Nuria, Savatier, Pierre, Muñoz, Javier, Zernicka-Goetz, Magdalena, Serrano, Manuel, (2020). Global hyperactivation of enhancers stabilizes human and mouse naive pluripotency through inhibition of CDK8/19 Mediator kinases Nature Cell Biology 22, (10), 1223-1238
Zoufaly, Alexander, Poglitsch, Marko, Aberle, Judith H., Hoepler, Wolfgang, Seitz, Tamara, Traugott, Marianna, Grieb, Alexander, Pawelka, Erich, Laferl, Hermann, Wenisch, Christoph, Neuhold, Stephanie, Haider, Doris, Stiasny, Karin, Bergthaler, Andreas, Puchhammer-Stoeckl, Elisabeth, Mirazimi, Ali, Montserrat, Nuria, Zhang, Haibo, Slutsky, Arthur S., Penninger, Josef M., (2020). Human recombinant soluble ACE2 in severe COVID-19 The Lancet Respiratory Medicine 8, (11), 1154-1158
Monteil, Vanessa, Dyczynski, Matheus, Lauschke, Volker M., Kwon, Hyesoo, Wirnsberger, Gerald, Youhanna, Sonia, Zhang, Haibo, Slutsky, Arthur S., Hurtado del Pozo, Carmen, Horn, Moritz, Montserrat, Nuria, Penninger, Josef M., Mirazimi, Ali, (2020). Human soluble ACE2 improves the effect of remdesivir in SARS-CoV-2 infection EMBO Molecular Medicine , e13426
Monteil, Vanessa, Kwon, Hyesoo, Prado, Patricia, Hagelkrüys, Astrid, Wimmer, Reiner A., Stahl, Martin, Leopoldi, Alexandra, Garreta, Elena, Hurtado Del Pozo, Carmen, Prosper, Felipe, Romero, Juan Pablo, Wirnsberger, Gerald, Zhang, Haibo, Slutsky, Arthur S., Conder, Ryan, Montserrat, Nuria, Mirazimi, Ali, Penninger, Josef M., (2020). Inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 infections in engineered human tissues using clinical-grade soluble human ACE2 Cell 181, (4), 905-913.e7
Cilloni, Daniela, Petiti, Jessica, Campia, Valentina, Podestà , Marina, Squillario, Margherita, Montserrat, Nuria, Bertaina, Alice, Sabatini, Federica, Carturan, Sonia, Berger, Massimo, Saglio, Francesco, Bandini, Giuseppe, Bonifazi, Francesca, Fagioli, Franca, Moretta, Lorenzo, Saglio, Giuseppe, Verri, Alessandro, Barla, Annalisa, Locatelli, Franco, Frassoni, Francesco, (2020). Transplantation induces profound changes in the transcriptional asset of hematopoietic stem cells: Identification of specific signatures using machine learning techniques Journal of Clinical Medicine 9, (6), 1670
Garreta, Elena, Prado, Patricia, Tarantino, Carolina, Oria, Roger, Fanlo, Lucia, Martí, Elisa, Zalvidea, Dobryna, Trepat, Xavier, Roca-Cusachs, Pere, Gavaldà -Navarro, Aleix, Cozzuto, Luca, Campistol, Josep M., Izpisúa Belmonte, Juan Carlos, Hurtado del Pozo, Carmen, Montserrat, Nuria, (2019). Fine tuning the extracellular environment accelerates the derivation of kidney organoids from human pluripotent stem cells Nature Materials 18, 397-405
Sample, Matthew, Boulicault, Marion, Allen, Caley, Bashir, Rashid, Hyun, Insoo, Levis, Megan, Lowenthal, Caroline, Mertz, David, Montserrat, Nuria, Palmer, Megan J., Saha, Krishanu, Zartman, Jeremiah, (2019). Multi-cellular engineered living systems: building a community around responsible research on emergence Biofabrication 11, (4), 043001
Garreta, Elena, Montserrat, Nuria, Belmonte, Juan Carlos Izpisua, (2018). Kidney organoids for disease modeling Oncotarget 9, (16), 12552-12553
Garreta, Elena, Sanchez, Sonia, Lajara, Jeronimo, Montserrat, Nuria, Belmonte, Juan Carlos Izpisua, (2018). Roadblocks in the path of iPSC to the vlinic Current Transplantation Reports 5, (1), 14-18
Latorre, Ernest, Kale, Sohan, Casares, Laura, Gómez-González, Manuel, Uroz, Marina, Valon, Léo, Nair, Roshna V., Garreta, Elena, Montserrat, Nuria, del Campo, Aránzazu, Ladoux, Benoit, Arroyo, Marino, Trepat, Xavier, (2018). Active superelasticity in three-dimensional epithelia of controlled shape Nature 563, (7730), 203-208
Hernandez-Benitez, R., Llanos Martinez-Martinez, M., Lajara, J., Magistretti, P., Montserrat, N., Izpisua Belmonte, Juan Carlos, (2018). At the heart of genome editing and cardiovascular diseases Circulation Research 123, (2), 221-223
Niederberger, Craig, Pellicer, Antonio, Cohen, Jacques, Gardner, David K., Palermo, Gianpiero D., O'Neill, Claire L., Chow, Stephen, Rosenwaks, Zev, Cobo, Ana, Swain, Jason E., Schoolcraft, William B., Frydman, René, Bishop, Lauren A., Aharon, Davora, Gordon, Catherine, New, Erika, Decherney, Alan, Tan, Seang Lin, Paulson, Richard J., Goldfarb, James M., Brännström, Mats, Donnez, Jacques, Silber, Sherman, Dolmans, Marie-Madeleine, Simpson, Joe Leigh, Handyside, Alan H., Munné, Santiago, Eguizabal, Cristina, Montserrat, Nuria, Izpisua Belmonte, Juan Carlos, Trounson, Alan, Simon, Carlos, Tulandi, Togas, Giudice, Linda C., Norman, Robert J., Hsueh, Aaron J., Sun, Yingpu, Laufer, Neri, Kochman, Ronit, Eldar-Geva, Talia, Lunenfeld, Bruno, Ezcurra, Diego, D'Hooghe, Thomas, Fauser, Bart C. J. M., Tarlatzis, Basil C., Meldrum, David R., Casper, Robert F., Fatemi, Human M., Devroey, Paul, Galliano, Daniela, Wikland, Matts, Sigman, Mark, Schoor, Richard A., Goldstein, Marc, Lipshultz, Larry I., Schlegel, Peter N., Hussein, Alayman, Oates, Robert D., Brannigan, Robert E., Ross, Heather E., Pennings, Guido, Klock, Susan C., Brown, Simon, Van Steirteghem, André, Rebar, Robert W., LaBarbera, Andrew R., (2018). Forty years of IVF Fertility and Sterility 110, (2), 185-324
Hurtado del Pozo, Carmen, Garreta, Elena, Izpisúa Belmonte, Juan Carlos, Montserrat, Nuria, (2018). Modeling epigenetic modifications in renal development and disease with organoids and genome editing Disease Models & Mechanisms 11, (11), 035048
Garreta, E., González, F., Montserrat, N., (2018). Studying kidney disease using tissue and genome engineering in human pluripotent stem cells Nephron 138, 48-59
Garreta, Elena, Oria, Roger, Tarantino, Carolina, Pla-Roca, Mateu, Prado, Patricia, Fernández-Avilés, Francisco, Campistol, Josep Maria, Samitier, Josep, Montserrat, Nuria, (2017). Tissue engineering by decellularization and 3D bioprinting
Materials Today , 20, (4), 166-178
Climent, A. M., Hernandez-Romero, I., Guillem, M. S., Montserrat, N., Fernandez, M. E., Atienza, F., Fernandez-Aviles, F., (2017). High resolution microscopic optical mapping of anatomical and functional reentries in human cardiac cell cultures IEEE Conference Publications
Computing in Cardiology Conference (CinC), 2016 , IEEE (Vancouver, Canada) 43, 233-236
Garreta, Elena, Marco, Andrés, Eguizábal, Cristina, Tarantino, Carolina, Samitier, Mireia, Badiola, Maider, Gutiérrez, Joaquín, Samitier, Josep, Montserrat, Nuria, (2017). Pluripotent stem cells and skeletal muscle differentiation: Challenges and immediate applications
The Plasticity of Skeletal Muscle: From Molecular Mechanism to Clinical Applications (ed. Sakuma, Kunihiro), Springer Singapore (Singapore, Singapore) 2018, 1-35
Xia, Yun, Montserrat, Nuria, Campistol, Josep M., Izpisua Belmonte, Juan Carlos, Remuzzi, Giuseppe, Williams, David F., (2017). Lineage reprogramming toward kidney regeneration
Kidney Transplantation, Bioengineering and Regeneration (ed. Orlando, G., Remuzzi, Giuseppe, Williams, David F.), Academic Press (London, UK) , 1167-1175
Garreta, Elena, Marco, Andres, Izpisua Belmonte, Juan Carlos, Montserrat, Nuria, (2016). Genome editing in human pluripotent stem cells: a systematic approach unrevealing pancreas development and disease
Stem Cell Investigation , 4, (11), 1-4
Garreta, E., de Oñate, L., Fernández-Santos, M. E., Oria, R., Tarantino, C., Climent, A. M., Marco, A., Samitier, M., Martínez, Elena, Valls-Margarit, M., Matesanz, R., Taylor, D. A., Fernández-Avilés, F., Izpisua Belmonte, J. C., Montserrat, N., (2016). Myocardial commitment from human pluripotent stem cells: Rapid production of human heart grafts Biomaterials 98, 64-78
Eguizabal, C., Herrera, L., De Oñate, L., Montserrat, N., Hajkova, P., Izpisua Belmonte, J. C., (2016). Characterization of the epigenetic changes during human gonadal primordial germ cells reprogramming
Stem Cells , 34, (9), 2418-2428
Castaño, J., Herrero, A. B., Bursen, A., González, F., Marschalek, R., Gutiérrez, N. C., Menendez, P., (2016). Expression of MLL-AF4 or AF4-MLL fusions does not impact the efficiency of DNA damage repair Oncotarget 7, (21), 30440-30452
Montserrat, N., Garreta, E., Izpisua Belmonte, J. C., (2016). Regenerative strategies for kidney engineering
FEBS Journal , 283, (18), 3303-3324
González, F., (2016). CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing in human pluripotent stem cells: Harnessing human genetics in a dish
Developmental Dynamics , 245, (7), 788-806
Reddy, Pradeep, Ocampo, Alejandro, Suzuki, Keiichiro, Luo, Jinping, Bacman, Sandra , Williams, Sion, Sugawara, Atsushi, Okamura, Daiji, Tsunekawa, Yuji, Wu, Jun, Lam, David, Xiong, Xiong, Montserrat, Nuria, Esteban, Concepcion, Liu, Guang-Hui, Sancho-Martinez, Ignacio, Manau, Dolors, Civico, Salva, Cardellach, Francesc, del Mar O'Callaghan, Maria, Campistol, Jaime, Zhao, Huimin, Campistol, Josep, Moraes, Carlos, Izpisua Belmonte, Juan Carlos, (2015). Selective elimination of mitochondrial mutations in the germline by genome editing Cell 161, (3), 459-469
de Oñate, L., Garreta, E., Tarantino, C., Martínez, Elena, Capilla, E., Navarro, I., Gutiérrez, J., Samitier, J., Campistol, J.M., Muñoz-Cánovas, P., Montserrat, N., (2015). Research on skeletal muscle diseases using pluripotent stem cells
Muscle Cell and Tissue (ed. Sakuma, K.), InTech (Rijeka, Croatia) , 333-357
Equipment
- Real Time QuantStudio 5
- SimpliAmp thermocycler
- Eppendorf 5415D centrifuge
- Allegra X-15 R centrifuge
- Gyrozen 1248 centrifuge
- BioUltra 6 Telstar culture Hood 2x
- AH-100 Telstar primary culture Hood
- Binder CB 60 incubators 2x
- Controltecnica ASTEC SCA 165 incubator
- Controltecnica ZC 180 incubator
- Bioruptor Pico sonicator
- Thermomixer C thermal block
- Leica DMS1000 and DMIL Led microscopes
- Leica DMi1 microscope
- Leica MZ 10F magnifying glass
- Safe Imager 2.0 transilluminator
Collaborations
- Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte
Salk Institute for Biological Studies - Dr. Josep Maria Campistol Plana
Experimental Laboratory of Nephrology and Transplantation, Hospital Clínic, Barcelona - Peter Hohestein
The Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh - Dr. Pere Gascón Vilaplana
Head of Oncology Service/Molecular and Translational Oncology Laboratory, IDIBAPS - Gloria Calderon
Embryotools SL - Pura Muñoz Cánovas
Departament de Ciències Experimentals i de la Salut, Universitat Pompeu Fabra - Dr. Pedro Guillén
Director Clínica Cemtro, Madrid - Dr. Francisco Fernández Avilés
Head of Cardiology Service, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, Madrid - Dr María Eugenia Fernández
Unit of Cell Production, Hospital Gregorio Marañón, Madrid - Joaquin Gutiérrez Fruitós
University of Barcelona - Dr. Pere Roca-Cusachs
IBEC - Dr. Elena Martínez
IBEC - Dr. Cristina Eguizabal Argaiz
Centro Vasco de Transfusion y Tejidos Humanos (CVTTH), Bizkaia - Dr. Antonio Alcaraz
Head of Urology, Hospital Clínic, Barcelona - Dr. Oriol Casanovas
Head of Tumour Angiogenesis Group, IDIBELL
News/Jobs
We want to be like you: scientists!
On the International Women’s Day, the Primary School “CEIP San Rafael” in Cádiz organized a series of activities with the aim of making the role of women in science more visible. Focusing on the figure of Nuria Montserrat, researcher ICREA at IBEC, and under the motto: “Nuria Montserrat: a woman of the future… and of the present,” the students honoured this scientist and recognized the work that, like her, is done by many researchers in our country.
Researchers 4.0
Fourteen engineers, mathematicians, biologists and robotics experts warn of the need to break stereotypes and increase the presence of women in the STEM sector, which today generates the most employment.
Nuria Montserrat in “Women in Science and Innovation 2020”
Nuria Montserrat, group leader at IBEC, appears on the online platform “Women in Science and Innovation 2020” for highlighting its important work and contribution in the field of science and innovation in 2020.
IBEC receives the Spanish Minister Pedro Duque interested in the latest advances in bioengineering
Last Friday 5th of February, the Spanish Minister for Science and Innovation, Pedro Duque, visited the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia, in order to know first-hand the latest advances in bioengineering for health.
Nuria Montserrat will coordinate from IBEC the new national platform for biobanks and biomodels
The Carlos III Health Institute grants Nuria Montserrat, ICREA Research Professor and principal investigator at the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), the coordination of the National Platform of Biobanks and Biomodels for the next three years.
Nuria Montserrat at the podcast “The coronavirus scientists”
Núria Montserrat, ICREA researcher and IBEC group leader, appears in the podcast”Coronavirus Scientists” from “Agencia SINC” explaining how she managed during this past months both in the laboratory and at home, where she lives with her partner and three children.
IBEC participates in EU Project aiming to speed up clinical research for vision impairment
Nuria Montserrat and her team at IBEC participates in an international consortium which aims to develop a new method to bring eyes back to life from deceased donors for clinical research purposes.
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.
Nuria Montserrat awarded an “ERC Consolidator Grant” to study kidney diseases using bioengineered organoids
Nuria Montserrat, ICREA Research Professor and Group Leader at IBEC, has been awarded the prestigious “Consolidator Grant” from the European Research Council (ERC).
Nuria Montserrat joins EMBO
Nuria Montserrat has been selected to join EMBO, a prestigious network that brings together some of the most brilliant researchers in life sciences in the world. This year only 30 scientists have been selected among 216 candidates. The selected scientists will join the existing network of 73 current and 384 former members of the program.
IBEC calls society to action to accelerate research against COVID19
The Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) launches the Faster Future “A por la COVID19” campaign, with the aim of raising the 100.000€ needed to accelerate three research projects in collaboration with hospitals and patients associations.
Nuria Montserrat, awarded for best biomedical publication
Nuria Montserrat, ICREA professor and group leader at IBEC receives the “Constantes y Vitales” award for the best biomedical publication of 2020 for her work with human organoids created with bioengineering techniques for the study of SARS-CoV-2.
Nuria Montserrat receives “Constantes y Vitales” award for the best biomedical publication of the year
IBEC researcher Nuria Montserrat receives the “Constantes y Vitales” award for the best biomedical publication of 2020 for her work with human organoids created with bioengineering techniques for the study of SARS-CoV-2.
Unlocking the potential of human organoids through bioengineering
In a new review published in the prestigious scientific journal Nature Materials, IBEC experts discuss together with international experts from USA and Europe how bioengineering could be applied for the presentation of external inputs to better guide self-organisation and differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) in order to generate higher-grade organoids
Núria Montserrat talks about coronavirus in “Catalunya Ràdio”
Núria Montserrat, group leader at IBEC is interviewed in the radio program “La poma de Newton” of Catalunya Ràdio talking about her research on the relationship between diabetes and Covid-19.
Great success of the 13th IBEC Symposium
The Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) organized from the 27th to the 28th October its 13th Symposium. The event, that this year took place for the first time online, was focused on Bioengineering for Future & Precision Medicine. With more than 400 registered attendees, 18 flash presentations and 106 posters, the event also counted with contributions from top international speakers such as Robert Langer from the MIT, Ada Cavalcanti of the University of Heidelberg or Raquel Yotti, Director of the Carlos III Health Institute, among others.
An IBEC project on COVID-19 receives funding from “Fundación BBVA”
Nuria Montserrat and her research team at IBEC, receive funding from “Fundación BBVA” to lead a research project on COVID-19. Montserat’s project is one of the 20 projects selected from among almost 1,000 proposals submitted to the call, which will receive a total of 2.7 million euros. The twenty projects selected to stop the coronavirus outbreak involve more than 400 researchers, who will approach the mechanisms of infection, diagnosis and treatment of this disease from different angles. The psychosocial and economic impact derived from the pandemic will also be studied.
Nobel Prize for CRISPR/Cas9, one of sharpest bioengineering tools
Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna have been awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2020 for discovering a gene technology in Bioengineering: the CRISPR/Cas9 genetic scissors. The announcement marks the first time a science Nobel has been awarded to two women.
Bioengineering to fight Covid-19
Yesterday took place the kick-off meeting of the european project MAD-CoV 2, in which participates the group led by ICREA Research Professor Núria Montserrat at IBEC.
Under the name of “Modern approaches for developing antivirals against SARS-CoV 2” (MAD-CoV 2) the project focuses on the development and delivery of therapeutic tools for the current COVID-19 outbreak.
Where are STEM women in the pandemic?
International studies reveal that in the global health crisis women are doing less research, also in the coronavirus itself. Some of the reasons are the inequality in the housework distribution and the leadership distribution.
Nuria Montserrat talks in the media about Mini-kidneys, diabetes and coronavirus
Researchers at the Institute of Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) led by Núria Montserrat have found in vitro that diabetes is a disease that accelerates Covid-19. In the lab, they have also created mini-hearts to study the heart problems caused by Covid-19.
Nuria Montserrat presents to the Minister of Science and Innovation her project to fight coronavirus using bioengineered organoids
Nuria Montserrat, Group Leader at IBEC and ICREA Research Professor, meets with the Minister of Science and Innovation, Pedro Duque, to present her ACE2-ORG project, which seeks, by using organoids generated from bioengineering techniques, possible therapeutic solutions against the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
The Minister of Science and Innovation held a videoconference meeting this Thursday, June 18, with the responsibles of five research projects that are working on the development of new technologies to deal with SARS-CoV-2 and which are being financed by the Fund COVID-19, managed by the Carlos III Health Institute (ISCIII).
IBEC receives a visit from the Mayor of Barcelona interested in our research against Covid19
The Mayor of Barcelona, Ada Colau, visited IBEC facilities last Friday to learn, by our Director and a group of researchers, how bioengineering can help find solutions to health problems such as COVID19, cancer, or degenerative diseases.
When in early 2020, more than 200 scientists gathered in La Pedrera in Barcelona to discuss the present and future of bioengineering, no one imagined that the world would experience the first pandemic of the 21st century and that science would take on more importance than ever.
IBEC receives funding from Carlos III Health Institute to fight COVID-19 using bioengineering
The COVID-19 Fund managed by the Carlos III Health Institute has awarded more than 300,000 euros to the “ACE2-ORG” project led by ICREA research professor Núria Montserrat at IBEC.
The resources are intended to study COVID-19 and specify new therapeutic approaches against the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, the Hospital Clínic de Barcelona and the University of Navarra also participate in this project.Núria Montserrat in a feature article at the ERC’s covid-19 section: Stopping coronavirus at the gate
ERC grantee Nuria Montserrat and her team create tiny kidneys which are proving to be key in the search for coronavirus drugs. The researcher is working with other international researchers and found that a trial drug could block early stages of COVID19. The ERC has created a section which is updated with the latest news about the ERC-funded research in coronavirus.
The research with organoids against COVID19 reaches the international press
One of the most prestigious German newspapers, the Süddeutsche Zeitung echoes the work of Núria Montserrat and her international partners who are investigating with organoids a drug that blocks the entrance door of Covid19.
Mini-kidneys to test a drug to stop Covid-19
Nuria Montserrat, principal investigator of the “Pluripotency for organ regeneration” and her group have participated in an international study to find a treatment to stop the virus from continuing infecting other cells, preventing the virus from replicating.
Researchers at IBEC help identifying a drug in clinical phase that blocks the effects of SARS-Co-V2
IBEC researchers led by ICREA Research Professor Núria Montserrat, together with international collaborators, have identified a drug capable of blocking the effects of the SARS-Co-V2 virus, the origin of the Coronavirus 2019 disease.
The treatment, which can be tested on two hundred Covid-19 patients as of today, has proven effective in mini-kidneys generated from human stem cells. Using hese organoids generated by bioengineering techniques, it has been deciphered how SARS-Co-V2 interacts and infects human kidney cells.
IBEC researchers contribute to an international study to regenerate infarcted hearts
Within the EU project BRAVƎ, experts at Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) combine cell therapy and bioengineering to design a biological device that recovers cardiac functionality in people with cardiovascular diseases.
Researchers at IBEC led by the ICREA Professor Núria Montserrat contribute to the EU project BRAVƎ, an initiative for cardiac regeneration that combines cell therapy and bioengineering to design a biological device capable of recovering cardiac functionality in people with coronary heart disease.
IBEC participates in an international study to stop coronavirus contagion
Researchers at the Institute of Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) led by Professor ICREA Núria Montserrat are studying the role of the receptor ‘Angiotensin converting enzyme’ (ACE2), one of the pathways that the SARS-Co-V2 virus uses to enter our body.
To do this, experts use mini-kidneys, as well as other cell cultures such as cardiac organoids. The goal is to exploit these mini-organs to better understand how the virus works.
Núria Montserrat on TV talks about Covid-19
Nuria Montserrat, principal investigator of the “Pluripotency for organ regeneration” spoke today at Espejo Público about the research that her group is carrying out in collaboration with other international research groups to find a treatment to stop the virus from continuing infecting other cells, preventing the virus from replicating.
IBEC joins the BASE3D community to contribute to the future of 3D printing
The Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) will contribute its extensive experience in 3D printing and bioprinting to the BASE 3D community, an entity that brings together research centers and companies from all over Catalonia with the aim of promoting R+D+i in the field of printing 3D.
The groups led by Josep Samitier, Elisabeth Engel, Núria Montserrat and Javier Ramón at IBEC are joining the BASE3D project.
Núria Montserrat talks about organoids in “El Método” podcast
Núria Montserrat is interviewed by Luís Quevedo in the podcast “El Método” where she talks about her research with organoids.
Nuria Montserrat wins Íñigo Álvarez de Toledo Award
Núria Montserrat, ICREA research professor and principal investigator of the “Pluripotency for organ regeneration” group at IBEC, has unanimously won the XXXI Íñigo Álvarez de Toledo Award for Basic Research granted by the “Fundaciópn Renal Íñigo Álvarez de Toledo”.
Her Majesty Queen Sofia presented the nephrology research awards to the winners of the last two editions, corresponding to the 2018 and 2019 calls.
EMBL-IBEC Winter Conference 2020
The conference organised by the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) and the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) brought together a total of 200 international experts in the field of bioengineering at La Pedrera building in Barcelona.
The EMBL-IBEC Winter Conference comes to an end with a huge success in terms of participation
This week, the conference organised by the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) and the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) brought together a total of 200 international experts in the field of bioengineering at La Pedrera building in Barcelona.
At the opening of the event, which was led by the mayor of Barcelona, Ada Colau, attention was drawn to Barcelona’s consolidation as an international centre of research and knowledge.
Interviews with our experts
After a recent publication about “reprogrammable biological robots” in the PNAS magazine, several media wanted to know the opinion of Nuria Montserrat and Samuel Sánchez (both ICREA research professors and group leaders at IBEC) as experts in this field.
A research team develop biotransistors able to hear small beats of live
Researchers at IBEC and ICMAB develop a flexible, cheap and biocompatible transistor platform able to record an electrocardiogram of cells and micro-tissues during long periods of time.
The platform, based on organic transistor technology (EGOFET), can also measure the effect of drugs on beating cells, as cardiomyocytes, opening the door to several applications such as implantable devices for health.
IBEC recieves funding for three projects thanks to la Marató 2018
Three IBEC projects have been selected to receive funding from “La Marató 2018: Against Cancer.” One of the projects is led by the researcher Pere Roca-Cusachs and the other two are co-led by the researchers Xavier Trepat and Núria Montserrat.
The awarding ceremony took place on October 30 in the Auditorium of the Academy of Medical and Health Sciences of Catalonia and the Balearic Islands. In this edition, over the 188 evaluated projects, 43 have been selected by an international committee of experts in cancer based on their excellence, methodology and relevance. La Marató de TV3, together with Catalunya Ràdio, broadcasts its annual telethon to raise funds for scientific research into various diseases with a different theme each year.
Josep Samitier and Núria Montserrat at the “Engineering and Manufacture of Living Systems” workshop in China
Last 9-11th of October took place in Beijing the workshop on “Engineering and Manufacture of Living Systems”. The aim of the workshop was to bring together multi-disciplinary researchers to review the latest advances and discuss the future directions in the design and manufacture of engineered living systems, and their integration amongst the researchers gathered at this international workshop.
The major topics discussed during the workshop were: to consider issues related to translation of engineered living systems from the laboratory to the clinic and to industry, review enabling and emerging techniques for using pluripotent cells from various sources such as cell spheroids, organoids and organs-on-a-chip, discuss the ethical, societal and regulatory issues associated with the development and manufacture of engineered living systems and envision future research, development and synergies at the integration and interface of biomanufacturing and engineering living systems amongst others. The meeting was organised by Tsinghua University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Núria Montserrat talks about regenerative medicine
Núria Montserrat talks about regenerative medicine at a radio show explaining the first retinal transplant created in a laboratory and not from a donor.
Núria Montserrat represents the european research council at the world economic forum in China
The researcher Núria Montserrat accompanies the president of the European Research Council (ERC) together with a selection of the best European researchers, at the Summer Davos annual Meeting, organised by the World Economic Forum (WEF). She has participated in several forums about how to work on more prosperous future and she explained how the research in organ regeneration that she is currently undertaking at IBEC can help in the fight against cancer.
The Annual Meeting of the New Champions (AMNC) also known as Summer Davos, is one of the events that brings together the brightest minds on the planet to discuss issues related to scientific research, leadership, and innovation. On this occasion, the forum was from 1 to 3 July and was held in the Chinese city of Dailan with the participation of the European delegation composed of its president, the mathematician Jean-Pierre Bourguignon and ten of the most outstanding European scientists.
10 medical advances that will revolutionize the future
Nuria Montserrat and Pere Roca-Cusachs interviewed in the article “10 scientific advances that will revolutionize the future” of the newspaper Ara, talking about 3D tissue printing and mechanobiology.
ERC President visits IBEC
The President of the European Research Council, Jean-Pierre Bourguignon, visited last May 15th the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC).
The event was inaugurated by IBEC’s Director, Josep Samitier, who presented an overview on the cutting-edge research carried out at the institute in the fields of bioengineering and nanomedicine.
Afterwards, ERC Grantees working at IBEC had the opportunity to explain the impact of ERC grants on their professional careers and established a dialogue with ERC President on the past, present and future of the European Research Council.
IBEC researchers generate mini-kidneys vascularized from stem cells
Researchers from the IBEC have created, for the first time, 3D organoid cultures from pluripotent stem cells, which resemble human embryonic kidney tissue during the second trimester of pregnancy.
Using biomaterials that mimic the embryonic microenvironment, researchers have also achieved mini-kidneys with relevant features for immediate use in renal disease modeling.
A study published today in Nature Materials reports how researchers from IBEC have created organoids, or mini-organs, that resemble the human embryonic kidney, and how these 3D cultures mimic essential aspects during the formation of the kidney, such as distribution, functionality and specific organization of cells.
IBEC participates in the First Biennial Ciutat-Ciència 2019

IBEC is a driving force behind a major science festival that will be taking place across the city this year. The event was presented yesterday at a press conference held at the Amfiteatre Anatòmic de la Reial Acadèmia de Medicina and it is organized by the Ajuntament de Barcelona along with other top research centers.
An initiative promoted by the Institut de Cultura de Barcelona (ICUB), Ciutat-Ciència is being planned by a committee of seven reseachers, including IBEC’s group leader Nuria Monstserrat.
With a week of concentrated activity from 7th-11th February, Ciutat-Ciència will present today’s rapidly accelerating scientific advances to citizens and encourage debate and opinion.
Two more juniors consolidate as full group leaders
Lorenzo Albertazzi and Nuria Montserrat, IBEC’s Junior Group Leaders selected in the 2014 Tenure Track programme, have been successfully consolidated as Group Leader as of 1st January 2019, following a positive evaluation by the ISC.
IBEC’s tenure track programme aims to support career development by helping young researchers establish their own independent research lines. Other factors considered included the added value offered by their projects to the current IBEC research programme, and the ability of the selected candidates to carry out efficient group leadership and management.
The first four junior group leaders selected by the programme in 2012 – Eduard Torrents, Elisabeth Engel, Pere Roca-Cusachs and Xavier Fernández-Busquets – were all successfully consolidated as Senior Group Leaders as of 1st January 2017.