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Official presentation of the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia

By 7 de November de 2007November 18th, 2020No Comments
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 07.11.2007

Official presentation of the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia

November 7 saw the official presentation of the (IBEC), an interdisciplinary research centre geared toward high-quality research in the field of bioengineering and nanomedicine. The Institute aims to conduct research to the highest international standards in order to improve people's health and quality of life and contribute to the wealth of the country by generating knowledge. The official presentation formed part of the , the first international scientific symposium organised by the IBEC, which was held at the Barcelona Science Park (PCB).

This research centre was set up at the end of December 2005 by the then Department of Universities, Research and the Information Society (DURSI) and the Ministry of Health of the Catalan government, in collaboration with the University of Barcelona (UB) and the Technical University of Catalonia (UPC), and it is located within the Barcelona Science Park. Initially it was built around the Bioengineering Reference Centre of Catalonia (CREBEC), an organisation backed by the Catalan government and set up in 2003 with the aim of coordinating multidisciplinary biomedical research activities in Catalonia. The CREBEC comprised different divisions from the Centre for Biomedical Engineering Research (CREB) of the UPC and the Centre for Bioelectronic and Nanobioscience Research (CBEN) of the UB.

The director of the IBEC, Josep A. Planell, explains that the Institute has since grown and developed its structure, and six research programmes and thirteen research lines are currently up and running, in which 150 national and international researchers are working. All of the research directors in charge of these lines have been chosen from among international candidates on the basis of their expertise in the given field.

Each of the six research programmes being run by the IBEC comprises different research lines: cell biotechnology, which includes systems and solutions for developing new diagnostic techniques; nanobioengineering, which develops new non-invasive technology for early disease diagnosis; biomechanics and cell biophysics, which includes advanced systems for treating respiratory problems such as sleep apnea; biomaterials, implants and tissue engineering, which develops biocompatible materials for repairing or replacing damaged tissues and/or organs; signals and medical instrumentation, which, among other things, is promoting a research line in non-invasive technologies for medical monitoring; and robotics and biomedical images, geared toward research into intelligent systems to help in the rehabilitation of people with physical disabilities, among other lines.

The IBEC is currently working in collaboration with other research centres, universities, hospitals and companies, both nationally and internationally, with the aim of fostering technology transfer to the biomedical sector. It is also taking part in various research projects involving renowned institutes and centres, for example, the European project CellPROM, led by the team of Josep Samitier, director of the Nanobioengineering Laboratory; this project aims to differentiate stem cells and produce cell and tissue cultures that could be used to develop autotransplants in the field of regenerative therapies through the use of nanotechnology techniques.