The Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) and the Spanish Society of Regenerative Medicine and Tissue Engineering (SEMIT) organized the inaugural SEMIT 2025 Congress. The event gathered leading national and international experts in regenerative medicine and tissue engineering, creating a unique platform for knowledge exchange among researchers, clinicians, and industry.
Manuel Salmeron and Xavier Rovira, who are both principal investigators at IBEC, have each been awarded an ERC Proof of Concept Grant. These prestigious grants are awarded by the European Research Council to explore the commercial and social potential of research projects carried out at European institutions. Salmeron’s project, FACTORINK, focuses on designing functional bioinks with biological activity for printing artificial tissues. Meanwhile, Rovira’s project seeks to develop the EVOaware platform, which is designed to address tumour resistance to therapies and accelerate the discovery and development of new cancer treatments.
The Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia and the Sant Joan de Déu Barcelona Children’s Hospital have held a joint conference to strengthen collaboration in bioengineering and translational medicine. The event, held this morning at the IBEC, highlighted innovative projects, presented a joint PhD programme and encouraged the exchange of ideas between researchers from both institutions.
An IBEC-led study has revealed how mesenchymal stem cells respond to the viscosity of their environment, a key aspect in their differentiation process. The research, published in Nature Communications, provides new insights that could revolutionise the design of biomaterials for regenerative medicine applications.
IBEC kicks off 2024 with the incorporation of three new research groups led by Manuel Salmerón Sánchez, Zaida Álvarez Pinto, and Xavier Rovira Clavé. With these additions, IBEC strengthens its position in the field of advanced and emerging therapies.
IBEC’s 16th annual Symposium focused on ‘Bioengineering for Future and Precision Medicine,’ one of IBEC’s three key application areas. Approximately 300 people attended the event, including local and international researchers. It provided a multidisciplinary environment where experts from other institutions and the IBEC community had the opportunity to present their projects and exchange knowledge.