MWC 2025, the leading international event in technology and connectivity, took place in Barcelona this week. The Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia was present, showcasing some of its spin-offs and participating in conferences and panels on digital health and technology transfer.
A study led by the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) and Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) in South Korea describes the development of urea-powered nanomotors that improve immunotherapy for bladder cancer. The nanomotors activate the immune system more efficiently and exceed the efficacy of currently used treatments, opening up new possibilities in oncology.
IBEC spin-off Nanobots Therapeutics has been selected in the AECC’s 2024 call for IMPACTO grants. This is an initiative of the Spanish Association Against Cancer (AECC) aimed at technology-based micro-enterprises and SMEs to accelerate the arrival of new treatments in the clinic. The grants were awarded in Barcelona today.
La start-up catalana Nanobots Therapeutics, una spin-off del Instituto de Bioingeniería de Catalunya, ha captado 960.000 euros de capital privado.
Samuel Sánchez, ICREA Research Professor at the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), will lead the OrthoBots project, which focuses on the treatment of joint diseases using nanorobots. To carry out the project, Sánchez has been awarded an ERC Proof of Concept Grant, a prestigious grant from the European Research Council.
The Nanomotors International Conference was held in Barcelona from 2 to 5 June. The event, organised by the Institute of Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) in collaboration with the ‘la Caixa’ Foundation, the Catalunya La Pedrera Foundation, and the European Research Council (ERC), brought together the most prominent international leaders in the field of nanomotors. For three days, they learned about the latest advances in biomedical applications and the collective behaviour of self-propelled nanomotors, from both experimental and theoretical perspectives.
The research, which was conducted on mice, demonstrates how these tiny nanomachines are propelled by urea present in urine and precisely target the tumour, attacking it with a radioisotope carried on their surface. Led by the IBEC and CIC biomaGUNE, the study opens the door to new, more efficient treatments for bladder cancer.
IBEC researcher Samuel Sánchez has been honored with the 2023 Constantes y Vitales Award in the “Young Talent in Biomedical Research” category for his work on designing self-propelled nanorobots capable of delivering drugs within the human body. This initiative, presented by LaSexta and AXA Foundation, aims to foster biomedical research in Spain and spotlight the contributions of its scientists.
The start-up specializes in the development of biocompatible nanorobots capable of delivering drugs to difficult-to-treat tumors more efficiently and safely than current therapies. Nanobots Therapeutics is the third investment in … Read more
