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Eduard Torrents

Group leader

IBEC welcomes a new international cohort of doctoral students in collaboration with hospitals and centres of excellence

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.

New insights into how bacteria control DNA synthesis open the door to next‑generation antimicrobials 

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.

Berlin Hosts the Mid-Term Meeting and First Workshop of the SPM4.0 Network coordinated by IBEC

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.

Bioengineering for precision medicine at the 18th IBEC Symposium

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 additional IBEC labs achieve top-level in My Green Lab certification

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.

Embryos can eliminate bacterial infections before forming their immune system, a new research shows

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.

Common lung bacteria team up to evade immune defences

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.