A research team at IBEC has developed XpertBiofilm, a simple, low-cost device that reproduces the flow (shear stress) that bacteria encounter in the human body, such as in lung mucus or in blood. The study shows that, within the ranges studied, higher flow causes the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa to form more robust biofilms — a … Read more
The Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) is pleased to welcome new international students to its PhD programme. This initiative offers excellent training and research opportunities in bioengineering, as well as strong collaboration with leading hospitals and institutions.
A study led by the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) and the Molecular Biology Institute of Barcelona (IBMB) provides the most detailed picture to date of NrdR — the master regulator of ribonucleotide reductases (RNRs) in bacteria. Researchers obtained the first detailed images of the complete NrdR protein structure and showed how changes in the shape and grouping of this protein affect the way it controls key processes inside the cell. The findings, recently published in International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, increase our understanding of how bacteria regulate the production of the molecular building blocks of DNA, a crucial aspect for both fundamental microbiology and the development of new antimicrobial strategies.
The SPM4.0 consortium convened at Charité–Berlin for its first training workshop and mid-term meeting, reinforcing scientific collaboration and supporting the development of the project’s doctoral researchers. The sessions offered a comprehensive overview of ongoing scientific progress and future training activities. This milestone moment further strengthened coordination across the network and set the pace for upcoming project objectives.
The 18th annual IBEC Symposium focused on ‘Bioengineering for Precision Medicine’, which is one of IBEC’s key areas of application. The event was attended by nearly 300 people, including local and international researchers. The multidisciplinary environment provided experts from other centres and the IBEC community with the opportunity to present their projects and exchange knowledge.
Seven more research groups at the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) have been certified by My Green Lab, reaching the highest rating, the Green Level, for sustainable laboratory practices. With these additions, IBEC core facilities and 70% of the Institute’s laboratories are now certified.
The work, led by a team from the CSIC and IDIBELL, with the collaboration of IBEC, manages to visualise how embryonic cells eliminate bacterial infections, before the formation of the immune system. The research describes a mechanism of phagocytosis similar to that used by white blood cells, and reveals that this mechanism is also present in human embryos.
A study led by the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) and the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) has uncovered how co-infection by Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Mycobacterium abscessus, two common lung pathogens, can suppress immune responses and worsen outcomes in patients with respiratory diseases. The findings, published today in the journal Virulence, provide new insight into why polymicrobial infections are particularly difficult to treat and open the door to new therapeutic strategies.
IBEC researcher Eduard Torrents has been awarded the ICREA Academia distinction by the Catalan Institute for Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA). The head of IBEC’s Bacterial Infections: Antimicrobial Therapies group received the award in the Life and Health Sciences category.
Researchers from across Europe gathered for the kick-off meeting of the SPM4.0 project, an innovative Marie Curie Skłodowska Doctoral Network (MSCA-DN) dedicated to advancing the capabilities of autonomous Scanning Probe Microscopy (SPM) powered by Artificial Intelligence. The event, hosted at IBEC, marked the beginning of a forward-thinking initiative aimed at training a new generation of … Read more