Team

Begoña holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Pharmacy from the University of Barcelona (2009-2014). Upon completion, she began writing her doctoral thesis at the Universitat Internacional de Catalunya. During this time, she was involved in a project focused on regenerating the corneal endothelium through dental pulp stem cell expansion and differentiation. She has completed two research stays in the Regenerative Medicine Lab at the University of Miami’s Bascom Palmer Eye Institute.

Emilio Castro graduated with a Master’s Degree in Environmental Nanotechnology from the University of Zaragoza (UNIZAR, 2016) and in Physics from the University of Santiago de Compostela (USC, 2002). He completed his Doctoral Degree in Materials Science and Technology at the University of Santiago de Compostela (USC, 2006). Emilio was a postdoctoral fellow at the Laboratoire de Chimie des Polymères Organiques (University of Bordeaux–CNRS, France) and at the 3B’s Biomaterials, Biodegradables and Biomimetics Research Group of the Polymer Engineering Department (University of Minho, Portugal). He also works as a quality assurance manager in the metrology industry. His research interests include block copolymer and corecombinamer micelles, nano and microvesicles, hydrogels, microcapsules and polymersomes as drug delivery systems in nanomedicine, cell-like multifunctionality and complex hierarchy with metal, metal oxide nanoparticles in magnetic force-based tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.

Miguel Angel Mateos holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Chemistry Sciences from the University of Salamanca (1999). He went on to complete a PhD in Supramolecular Chemistry at the University of Twente and the Institute MESA+, in Enschede, the Netherlands (2005). Subsequently, he undertook a postdoctoral research stay at the same university in the field of biodegradable polymers for gene therapy (2005-2007). In 2007, he joined the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) as a senior researcher, hired by the Centre for Biomedical Research Network in Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine (CIBER-BBN). His research focuses on the development of new inks for 3D bioprinting and development of micro/nanoparticles for tissue regeneration.

Jennifer Olmos graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Biology from the University of Barcelona (UB) having specialised in Health Biology (2009). She belonged to the Neuroengineering research group at the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) and also to the research team at Aleria Biodevices (2008-2011). Subsequently, she continued her academic training obtaining a Double Master’s and Doctoral Degree in Tissue Regeneration Engineering at Dankook University, South Korea (2012-2019). During her doctoral studies she spent two months at Columbia University (USA). Her research is based on the development of biomaterials and how their application can direct mechanotransduction mechanisms at the cellular level and thus modulate tissue regeneration.

Soledad Perez Amodio studied Biochemistry at the University of the Republic of Uruguay (UDELAR). After completing her degree, she moved to London, to the Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Bart's Hospital, Queen Mary University with a grant from the ALFA program (Latin AMERICA-university training). Two years later she began a PhD in Cellular and Molecular Biology at the department of Oral Cell Biology, University of Amsterdam.

After completing her doctorate, she worked as a postdoctoral fellow at the Department of Cell Biology, Free University of Amsterdam. She then joined the Tissue Regeneration group at the University of Tweente, Enchede (2005-2007). In 2007, she joined the department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam. In 2012, she began as a Senior Researcher at the Bioengineering Institute of Catalonia.

Her research is based on the design of bioactive biomaterials for tissue regeneration.

Alejandro Portela holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Electronics and Telecommunications Engineering and a Master’s Degree (MSc) in Digital Systems (Biomedical Engineering, 2005) from the Instituto Superior Politécnico José Antonio Echevarría in Havana (CUJAE). He also has a PhD in Bioengineering from the University of Tokyo (2014). He has trained in the medical devices industry as an R&D engineer, leading projects on therapy and diagnostic equipment for the fields of cardiology and pulmonology. His career then led him to work on micro- and nanofabrication techniques with a focus on designing optical and microfluidic systems for lab-on-a-chip (LOC) biosensors. His current research interests are biosensor design for in vitro diagnosis (IVD), medical telemetry systems and material characterisation for odontology and cellular biology.

PhD student in Bioengineering at Universitat Internacional de Catalunya (UIC Barcelona), where she is developing a research project focused on the development of new biomaterials for tissue regeneration. Specifically, her work explores the use of extracellular vesicles and their interactions to understand how they can contribute to tissue reconstruction processes.

She holds a Master's degree in Biomedical Engineering from Politecnico di Torino (Italy). For her Master’s thesis, she conducted research at the Institute for Advanced Chemistry of Catalonia (IQAC-CSIC), where she studied gold nanoparticles of
different shapes and sizes and investigated their detection using the DNA-PAINT technique.

Her academic background bridges engineering and biology, with the aim of contributing to the development of innovative therapeutic strategies through bioengineering and nanotechnology.

Graduated in Bioengineering (UIC Barcelona). During her undergraduate studies, she had the opportunity to carry out her Bachelor's thesis in the Pluripotency for Organ Regeneration group, led by Dr. Montserrat (Institute for Bioengineering of
Catalonia, IBEC), where she focused on the generation and functional characterization of kidney organoids derived from human pluripotent stem cells. She continued in the same group during her Master's studies, investigating the pathological development of kidney organoids under different culture
conditions. As part of the Master in Multidisciplinary Research in Experimental Sciences (MMRES, BIST), she also joined Prof. Trepat’s group (IBEC), where she explored how physical constraints influence cell differentiation. Her PhD research,
initiated at the Bioengineering Institute of Technology (UIC Barcelona), focuses on the development of an angiogenic platform by combining the bioprinting of tissue-engineered blood vessels with an angio-conductive and -inductive gel to promote
endothelial sprouting and capillary network formation.

Graduated in Bioengineering from Universitat Internacional de Catalunya (UIC Barcelona), where he completed his Bachelor's thesis in Istanbul working with 3D printing technologies (2022). He then obtained a Master's degree in Molecular Biotechnology from the University of Barcelona, completing his thesis in Dr.
Àngel Raya’s group at Bellvitge Hospital, focused on 3D bioprinting of cardiac organoids.

In 2024, he joined a research group at Hospital Clínic (University of Barcelona) as an assistant researcher on a bioprinting project. In January 2025, he began his PhD at the Bioengineering Institute of Technology (UIC Barcelona), developing a 3D migration model for breast cancer research. 

Graduated in Chemical Engineering from Universidad de La Sabana (Colombia), where she also completed a Master’s degree in Biotechnology. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Health Sciences at Universitat Internacional de Catalunya (UIC
Barcelona), where her research focuses on solid cosmetics, evaluating the efficacy, stability, and sensory experience of innovative formulations aimed at sustainability.

She has over nine years of experience in the cosmetics industry, working closely with the Colombian sector in leading projects for the development of dermocosmetic products using natural and innovative ingredients, as well as scaling-up processes and biotechnological optimization. Her background combines
academic research, project management, and international collaboration in cosmetic regulation for markets such as the EU, United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.

Graduated in Bioengineering from the International University of Catalonia (2020–2024). Currently engaged in research and teaching at the Department of Bioengineering at the same university. His research focuses on the design and development of microphysiological environments for the stimulation and study
of nervous tissues.