Eduard Torrents Archives - Page 2 of 4 - Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia

April 26, 2023September 30, 2022

Researchers succeed in breaking the shield of bacteria that makes them resistant to antibiotics

The group led by Eduard Torrents has succeeded in developing a triple-action antibiotic that breaks a protective structure produced by the bacteria themselves, the bacterial biofilm. Using this new antibiotic, … Read more

March 24, 2022February 28, 2022

Nanomedicine seeks solutions against rare diseases

Despite its importance in the fight against pandemics such as COVID-19, a lesser-known face of nanomedicine is its potential to contribute to solutions to so-called rare or minority diseases. Coinciding with February 28th, the world day for rare diseases, experts invited by the Nanomed Spain platform and the Sant Joan de Déu Research Institute (IRSJD) present the latest advances in nanomedicine against three of these disorders: muscular dystrophy, cystic fibrosis and Fabry disease.

September 27, 2021September 22, 2021

BiofilmChip protagonist in the media

Researchers from the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), led by Eduard Torrents, leader of the group “bacterial infections and antimicrobial therapies” and professor at the University of Barcelona (UB), in collaboration with Josep Samitier, principal investigator of the group “Nanobioingineering” of IBEC, and Maite Martin, of the Vall d’Hebron Barcelona Hospital appear in the media for the new device, called BiofilmChip, which allows a custom and precise diagnosis of chronic infections.

September 15, 2021September 15, 2021

A chip against chronic bacterial infections

IBEC researchers develop a device that allows to grow biofilms and analyze their susceptibility to different antibiotics in a simple way and using patient samples. BiofilmChip, a low-cost, easy-to-use diagnostic device, opens the way to finding effective and custom treatments against chronic infections produced by biofilms.

April 19, 2021

Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms and their partners in crime

A comprehensive review led by IBEC researchers from the “Bacterial infections: antimicrobial therapies” group highlights the clinical relevance of the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa and its presence in bacterial biofilms.

March 3, 2021

An alternative to mice for toxicity testing

Eduard Torrents and his team present an alternative to experimentation with mice. The research proposes the use of waxworms to evaluate the toxicity of nanoparticles, which is also cheaper and more ethical. These insects allow us to model their possible nanotoxicity in a living organism.

March 3, 2021March 3, 2021

IBEC researchers propose a cheaper and more ethical model for toxicological studies

A new study by IBEC’s Bacterial Infections: Antimicrobial Therapies and Molecular and cellular neurobiotechnology groups shows that Galleria mellonella larvae can be effective to test the toxicity of nanoparticles. This work thus paves the way toward a new animal model for toxicity studies that represent an inexpensive and more ethical alternative to rodent testing.

December 16, 2020

Eduard Torrents talks about antibiotic resistance on the radio

Eduard Torrents, group leader at IBEC is interviewed in the radio program “Després del Col·lapse” of RTVE talking about his research on new therapies for infectious diseases in the face of antibiotic resistance.

November 11, 2020November 1, 2020

Nanoparticles against “maxibacteria”

Eduard Torrents, leader of the group “Bacterial infections: antimicrobial therapies” at IBEC, is interviewed in the ALMA magazine to explain how his group is fighting against the bacteria that causes cystic fibrosis.

July 28, 2020July 28, 2020

Researchers identify a mechanism that explains the recurrence of many lung infections

A team of researchers from the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) has discovered that strains of the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolated from patients are more persistent than laboratory strains and propose a molecular mechanism to explain intracellular survival.

The study, published in the journal Virulence, finds that the class II ribonucleotide reductase enzyme (RNR) plays a key role in frequent lung infections, for example, those that occur in patients with cystic fibrosis.