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Nonlinear Photonics for Neuroscience

OPTOGEN 2026 brings more than 100 optogenetics and neurophotonics experts to Barcelona

From 12 to 14 October, the Barcelona Biomedical Research Park (PRBB) hosted the 11th International Workshop on Technologies for Optogenetics and Neurophotonics (OPTOGEN 2026), co-organised by the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) and the Institute of Photonic Sciences (ICFO). Over three days, more than a hundred scientists and technologists from around the world gathered to discuss the latest advances in optical methods and their applications in neuroscience, from new implantable devices to the latest molecular tools to study and control brain activity.

IBEC launches IBEC On Air, a podcast exploring bioengineering beyond the lab

The Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) has today released the first episode of IBEC On Air, its new science communication podcast and one of the activities marking the institute’s 20th anniversary. Across seven episodes of around 20 minutes each, researchers from the institute talk about their work, the questions that drive it and the journey behind each project. The podcast is available on Spotify, iVoox, Apple Podcasts and YouTube.

Three IBEC projects receive ERC Proof of Concept funding to drive innovation in health, neuroscience, and biomedical technology 

Dr Benedetta Bolognesi, Dr Irene Marco-Rius and Dr Nicolò Accanto, who are all principal investigators at IBEC, have each been awarded a prestigious ERC Proof of Concept grant. These grants are awarded by the European Research Council to support the exploration of the commercial and societal potential of research projects conducted within European institutions. The three winning projects range from new platforms for discovering antiamyloid drugs, to advanced metabolic analysis technologies, to optical tools for studying the brains of animals moving naturally.

The IBEC and West China Hospital hold their third joint conference on precision medicine in Barcelona

Barcelona hosted the third IBEC-WCH Precision Medicine Conference this week, an event that further strengthened the strategic alliance between the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) and the West China Hospital of Sichuan University (WCHSU). The Chinese delegation visited Spain from 26 to 29 November, taking part in a busy schedule of scientific and institutional activities and exchanges between the two centres.

IBEC welcomes two new research groups

The Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) has welcomed two new research groups this year, led by ICREA Research Professor Javier G. Fernández and Dr Nicolò Accanto respectively. Dr Fernández’s Biointegrated Materials and Engineering group aims to integrate biological principles and living components into engineering systems, marking the beginning of the “Era of Biomaterials”. Meanwhile, Accanto’s Nonlinear photonics for neuroscience group is developing advanced optical technologies to help us understand the mechanisms that govern neuronal activity.