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IBEC and EMBL brought together more than 200 international experts in the field of bioengineering in Barcelona (Photo: IBEC Barcelona).
 13.02.2020

IBEC and EMBL brought together more than 150 worldwide experts to debate on the medicine of the future

This week, the EMBL-IBEC Winter Conference –organised by the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) and the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL)– brought together more than 200 international experts in the field of bioengineering at La Pedrera building in Barcelona. At the opening of the event, which was led by the mayor Ada Colau, attention was drawn to Barcelona’s consolidation as an international centre of research and knowledge.

 

During the EMBL-IBEC Winter Conference on Engineering Multicellular Systems, which focused on the medicine of the future, the latest advances in emerging fields of bioengineering were addressed, such as the generation of cellular models to study human embryogenesis, biological robots or the derivation of organoids for precision medicine applications, as well as the ethical dimension of these advances and their social impact.

Few areas of research are capable of having such an impact on medicine of the future like that of bioengineering. Recent advances in this field have been key in the design and development of technologies such as organs-on-a-chip, organoids (three-dimensional cultures that simulate the architecture and function of our organs), and other cellular models that capture the early stages of human embryo formation. These approaches help researchers understand the functioning of our tissues, while also posing questions related to human diseases and aging. Another of the key aspects of bioengineering is the identification of possible ethical risks and the social impact of these new technologies on the medicine of the future.

In her speech, Ada Colau stressed the need to increase public spending for research to address the opportunities posed by scientific and technological advances in fields such as bioengineering. In addition, coinciding with the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, celebrated on February 11, the mayor called for the elimination of socio-cultural barriers that make it difficult for women to establish a career in science and defended the need for there to be more women and young people in the world of science.

The conference stems from a collaboration agreement between the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) and the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) and was led by researchers Xavier Trepat, Núria Montserrat and Josep Samitier from IBEC, and James Sharpe, Miki Ebisuya and Vikas Trivedi from EMBL Barcelona. Both institutions conduct excellent and responsible research, developing precision medicine technology and essential knowledge for improving people’s health.

► More information: IBEC website [+]