Group leader
Samuel Sánchez, Group Leader at the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) co-authored this piece, alongside world-renowned experts in bioengineering and cell synthesis.
An international committee has elected Samuel Sánchez, the European referent in nanomotors, as one of the new 13 researchers, among 185 candidates, who will be a member of the Young Academy of Spain.Last Thursday, May 28, the General Board of the Young Academy of Spain elected 13 new academic members. An independent international committee composed of highly prestigious researchers from different areas of knowledge participated in the selection process.
Alex’s work, entitled ‘The secret of oncological medicine hidden in the nanoworld’, is one of the 25 school research projects tutored last year by IBEC researchers.
An international committee has elected Samuel Sánchez, the European referent in nanomotors, as one of the new 13 researchers, among 185 candidates, who will be a member of the Young Academy of Spain.
The highly sought-after ERC Consolidator grants are awarded to EU-based principal investigators with at least seven and up to twelve years of experience after his PhD who have demonstrated talent and scientific potential.
José Antonio del Río, principal investigator of the Molecular and Cellular Neurobiotechnology Group at IBEC, is one of the winners of the second edition of the call for applications in biomedicine and health. Del Río’s project focuses on analysing the molecular mechanisms involved in the genesis and propagation of tau protein in brain cells. This protein is linked with several neurodegenerative processes and is present in numerous diseases such as Alzheimer’s.
Pau Gorostiza, principal investigator of the Nanoprobes and Nanoswitches Group, also received an award at the second edition of the call for applications for research projects in biomedicine and health. In this case, for his project on degenerative eye conditions such as retinitis pigmentosa, which causes blindness due to the progressive degeneration of the cones and rods, which are the light sensitive cells.
A study led by researchers at the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) opens the door to moving new microscopic objects using an entire library of enzymes According to experts, these microrobots will be able to be used in the near future for environmental and biomedical purposes.Swallowing a pill to cure a serious disease or adding a pinch of a synthetic powder to purify water seemed like concepts from science fiction up to only a few generations ago. However, the appearance of new disciplines, such as bioengineering, is raising the level of sophistication and specialisation of new materials to unforeseen limits.
IBEC’s Smart Nano-Bio-Devices group – the institute’s experts in micro- and nanorobots – have used 3D bioprinting to produce ‘biorobots’ made of biological elements such as muscle tissue. These bio-inspired soft robotic devices could offer many more capabilities for movement and performance – such as real-time bio-sensing, self-organization, adaptability, or self-healing – than existing systems, which use solely artificial materials.
“Bio-inspired soft robotics is an exciting new discipline, as it may help us overcome the limitations of traditional robotic systems, such as flexibility, responsiveness and adaptability,” says Samuel Sanchez, group leader at IBEC and ICREA research professor.