Team

Román A. Pérez graduated from the University of Barcelona with a Bachelor’s Degree in Chemistry (2006) and carried out his Doctoral Degree in the field of Calcium Phosphate Cement at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (2011). As a doctoral student, he spent nine months working in a research lab at Harvard University. After completing his PhD, he worked as a postdoctoral researcher at a number of institutions, including the Institute of Tissue Regeneration Engineering in South Korea (2011-2013), University College Dublin (2013) and Ryerson University (2013-2014). In 2014, he became a tenure-track lecturer at Dankook University in South Korea (2014-2016). His research interests include the design and fabrication of biomaterials that incorporate biological molecules and cells to regenerate tissue.

Xavier Gil Mur graduated from the University of Barcelona (UB) with a Bachelor’s Degree in Chemistry and completed his Doctoral Degree in Materials Science at the same university. He has directed more than 35 European projects and 52 national projects in the field of tissue engineering, has published over 225 articles in scientific journals and has 16 patents. He is co-founder of the company Mimetis Biomaterials. His research revolves around the optimisation of dental implant surfaces with a view to enhancing osseointegration and bacterial infection.

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.

Luis M. Delgado graduated from the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) with a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering (2008) and in Materials Engineering (2011). He completed his Doctoral Degree in the field of Bioengineering and Regenerative Medicine at the University of Galway (2018). He has complemented his academic career with work as a product, process and R&D engineer in the medical device industry. He is currently a tenure-track lecturer at UIC Barcelona, as well as a consultant, and his research interests include the design and physico-chemical modification of biomaterials capable of modulating the biological response and optimising the regeneration of damaged tissues.

Xavier Marimón Serra is an industrial engineer specialised in industrial electronics and automation. He holds a Master’s Degree in Biomedical Engineering and has extensive experience in data science, medical image processing and automatic pattern detection in biomedical signals and images using machine learning.

He disseminates biomedical research by leading workshops and seminars for the general public and advocates citizen outreach of home laboratories under the DIY (Do It Yourself) paradigm, as well as FabLabs (Fabrication Laboratories).

He is currently researching the development of new biomarkers for the study of heart rhythm at the cellular level through optical microscopy techniques and machine learning algorithms. He is also researching the mechanical behaviour of dental implants and bridge structures subjected to dynamical loads and exposed to oral bacteria. 

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.

He has previously worked in a research capacity at Minho University in Portugal from 2016 to 2017. Following that, he took on a research position at Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) in Spain from 2017 to 2019. He holds a Ph.D. with the distinction of cum laude in Civil and Construction Engineering from UCLM, which he completed from 2019 to 2023. During his doctoral studies, he developed a low-cost Internet of Things (IoT) monitoring system for deriving thermal parameters of building envelopes. Throughout his academic career, he has secured no less than four competitive grants with public funding in Spain, both at UCLM and UPC. Furthermore, he was honoured with the golden medal at the Third International Invention and Innovation Competition of IFIA in Geneva, Switzerland in 2023. His expertise lies in areas such as Finite Element Method (FEM), low-cost sensors and microcontrollers. Currently his research focuses on characterising Dense Connective Tissues (DCTs) and exploring the mechanical behaviour of prostheses.

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.

Maximilian Jergitsch graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Medical and Pharmaceutical Biotechnology in 2017 (IMC Krems, Austria). Over the course of his bachelor's degree, Maximilian spent a practical training semester with the Biomaterials for Regenerative Therapies Group (Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia). He also holds a Master’s Degree in Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine (Technikum Wien, Austria). As part of his master’s degree thesis with the 3D Printing and Biofabrication group (University of Technology, Vienna), he researched vascularisation strategies for tissue engineering. In January 2021, he started his PhD at the Bioengineering Institute of Technology (UIC Barcelona). His research focuses on the development of a novel bioink to model and treat osteochondral defects.

In January 2020, Marina Perpiñán began her PhD at the Bioengineering Institute of Technology (BIT – UIC Barcelona) to develop biomaterials that mimic bones based on matrices and silica spheres. Combined with the release of different growth factors and ions, these aim to promote bone regeneration.

Èlia Bosch Rué graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Biomedical Sciences from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB, 2013), subsequently completing a Master’s Degree in Cytogenetics and Reproductive Biology 2015) from the same university. She later worked as a researcher with the Cardiac Repair Therapy Group at the Vall d’Hebron Research Institute (VHIR). During this time, she was mainly involved in isolating and characterising adult cardiac stem cells. In January 2017, she began her doctoral studies in the Bioengineering Institute of Technology (BIT – UIC Barcelona), where her research focused on developing biomaterials for blood vessel formation in vitro and systems for the sequential release of molecules aimed at enhancing bone regeneration. In 2021, she defended her thesis on induction strategies for vascularisation: angiogenesis and tissue engineering of blood vessels.

Leire Díez graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the University of the Basque Country (EHU/UPV) and studied a Master’s Degree in Advanced Immunology, specialising in Immunobiotechnology at the University of Barcelona and the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. In November 2016, she began her doctoral studies in the Bioengineering Institute of Technology, where she performs research on the development of biomaterials aimed at modulating inflammatory responses and stimulating bone regeneration. In 2021, she defended her thesis on inflammatory modulation using a membrane guide for bone regeneration with dual capacity for drug delivery.

Bàrbara Giordano graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Dentistry from the University of Barcelona (2009) and completed a Postgraduate Degree in Endodontics and Conservative Dentistry at the Università degli Studi di Siena (2010-2011) . She completed a Master’s Degree in Research in Dentistry from the Universitat Internacional de Catalunya (2015). Her research focuses on optimising and manufacturing biomaterials in the field of endodontics and bone regeneration. She is a clinical practitioner in endodontics and restorative dentistry. In 2021, she defended her thesis on dentistry strategies and minimum invasive for bone regeneration on endodontic treatments.

He defended his thesis in April 2023 entitled "Development of novel bioinks formulations based on supramolecular self-assembled hydrogels for tissue regeneration"
 

Raquel Rodríguez graduated in Biotechnology at the University of Oviedo and studied the Master's in Applied Microbiology taught by the Autonomous University of Barcelona. In January 2019, he began his PhD studies at the Bioengineering Institute of Technology (BIT), where he conducts research on the development of printable silica-based biomaterials to stimulate bone regeneration. He defended his thesis in February 2023 entitled "Development of ceramic based 3D printing inks for bone regeneration"