Posts on Jan 1970

Hands-on Course on 3D Bioprinting for Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Applications

Hands-on 3D Bioprinting course at UPV/EHU on Oct 23–24, 2025, covers pharma and biomedical applications with expert-led demos and training.

Vitoria, September, 2025 — The University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) will host a Hands-on Short Course on 3D Bioprinting for Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Applications on October 23–24, 2025, at the Lascaray Ikergunea Research Center in Vitoria-Gasteiz. This training program is designed to provide participants with both fundamental knowledge and practical skills in 3D bioprinting, a rapidly emerging technology with applications in drug development, regenerative medicine, and biomedical research.

Program highlights

Over two days, the course will combine lectures and demonstrations by international experts from academia and industry. The program includes:

• Introduction to 3D bioprinting.
• Biomaterials, cells, and bioink formulation.
• Cell imaging in 3D microenvironments.
• Extrusion-based bioprinting and its applications.
• Bioprinting for pharmaceutical sciences.
• Bioprinting in regenerative medicine.
• Two live bioprinting demonstration sessions.

The course concludes with an assessment and evaluation session to consolidate learning.

International faculty

The course brings together a prestigious group of instructors, including:

• Dr. Murugan Ramalingam (UPV/EHU) – Course Director
• Prof. José Luis Pedraz (UPV/EHU) – Course Director
• Dr. Denis Scaini, Dr. Sandra Ruiz Alonso, and Dr. Jon Zarate (UPV/EHU),
• Nicola Paccione (Tecnalia)
• Dr. Andrew Shevchuk (Imperial College London, UK)
• Dr. Thomas Webster (InnoShapes Inc., USA)
• Dr. Yu Shrike Zhang (Harvard University, USA)
• Dr. Sean Murphy (Wake Forest University, USA)
• Dr. Deepak Kalaskar (UCL, UK)

NANBIOSIS Unit 10: Drug Formulation

This initiative is also aligned with the work of NANBIOSIS Unit 10: Drug Formulation, led by Prof. José Luis Pedraz, who serves as one of the course directors. Unit 10 provides advanced services in drug delivery systems, nanomedicine, and bioink development for pharmaceutical and biomedical applications. Through its cutting-edge infrastructure, the Unit supports both academic research and industrial projects, fostering innovation in personalized medicine and advanced therapies.

Practical details

• Dates: October 23–24, 2025
• Venue: Lascaray Ikergunea Research Center, UPV/EHU Campus de Álava, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain
• Fee: €84.96
• Registration deadline: October 20, 2025
• Register here: Official link for registration

This short course offers a unique opportunity to gain hands-on training in 3D bioprinting technologies, learn from global leaders, and explore future collaborations between academia and industry.

What is NANBIOSIS?

The goal of NANBIOSIS is to provide comprehensive and integrated advanced solutions for companies and research institutions in biomedical applications. All of this is done through a single-entry point, involving the design and production of biomaterials, nanomaterials, and their nanoconjugates. This includes their characterization from physical-chemical, functional, toxicological, and biological perspectives (preclinical validation).

Leading scientists

The main value of NANBIOSIS is our highly qualified and experienced academic scientists, working in public institutions, renowned universities and other research institutes.

Custom solutions

Designed for either scientific collaboration or the private industry, we adapt our services to your needs, filling the gaps and paving the way towards the next breakthrough.

Cutting-Edge facilities

Publicly funded, with the most advanced equipment, offering a wide variety of services from synthesis of nanoparticles and medical devices, including up to preclinical trials.

Standards of quality

Our services have standards of quality required in the pharmaceutical, biotech and medtech sectors, from Good Practices to ISO certifications.

In order to access our Cutting-Edge Biomedical Solutions with priority access, enter our Competitive Call here.

NANBIOSIS has worked with pharmaceutical companies of all sizes in the areas of drug delivery, biomaterials and regenerative medicine. Here are a few of them:

NANBIOSIS Researchers Present Advances in Nanomedicine at Nanomat 2025

Prof. Villaverde and Prof. Vázquez present nanomedicine advances in cancer therapy and drug delivery at Nanomat 2025, supported by NANBIOSIS.

Barcelona, September, 2025 — Two leading scientists from the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB), Prof. Antonio Villaverde and Prof. Esther Vázquez, participated last week as invited speakers at Nanomat 2025, an international conference on nanomaterials and nanobiotechnology. The event brought together experts in nanomedicine, healthcare, energy, and advanced materials to foster scientific debate, collaboration, and innovation.

Targeted Protein Nanoparticles for Cancer Therapy

Prof. Esther Vázquez Gómez, Senior Researcher at the Institute of Biotechnology and Biomedicine (IBB-UAB) and Principal Investigator of the Nanobiotechnology group at CIBER-BBN, presented her lecture: “Targeting metastatic CXCR4+ cancers through self-assembled, self-delivered cytotoxic proteins.” Her presentation included results derived from the project PID2022-136845OB-I00.

Her team develops protein-based drug delivery systems with the goal of translating innovative nanomedicines into clinical practice. Prof. Vázquez is also co-founder of Nanoligent, a UAB spin-off focused on therapeutic nanomedicine. With more than 190 high-impact publications, 11 patents (six licensed), and extensive collaborations with industry, her work is a reference in cancer nanotherapeutics.

Implantable Depots for Sustained Drug Release

Prof. Antonio Villaverde, Chair of Microbiology at UAB, leader of the Nanobiotechnology group at IBB-UAB, head of the Innovative Biodrugs Team of the Catalan Government, and Strategy Director of NANBIOSIS Protein Purification Platform, presented the talk: “Artificial amyloids as implantable depots for the slow delivery of protein nanoparticles and therapeutic proteins.”

His research focuses on protein nanomaterials for controlled drug release and long-term therapeutic delivery. With over 340 peer-reviewed articles, several books and patents, and as founder of the Open-Access journal Microbial Cell Factories, Prof. Villaverde is recognized internationally as a pioneer in biopharmaceutical nanotechnology.

NANBIOSIS Contribution: Protein Production Platform (PPP)

Both research lines showcased at Nanomat 2025 are supported by NANBIOSIS through its Unit 1: Protein Production Platform (PPP).

The PPP is a state-of-the-art service that provides recombinant protein production, purification, and characterization for biomedical and nanobiotechnology applications. It supports both academic and industrial projects, ensuring access to high-quality protein biomaterials for nanomedicine, biopharmaceutical development, and preclinical research.

As Strategy Director of Unit 1, Prof. Antonio Villaverde plays a key role in shaping the scientific strategy of the Unit he leads, and ensures the impact of NANBIOSIS on nanotechnology innovation, cancer therapy, and drug delivery solutions.

What is NANBIOSIS?

The goal of NANBIOSIS is to provide comprehensive and integrated advanced solutions for companies and research institutions in biomedical applications. All of this is done through a single-entry point, involving the design and production of biomaterials, nanomaterials, and their nanoconjugates. This includes their characterization from physical-chemical, functional, toxicological, and biological perspectives (preclinical validation).

Leading scientists

The main value of NANBIOSIS is our highly qualified and experienced academic scientists, working in public institutions, renowned universities and other research institutes.

Custom solutions

Designed for either scientific collaboration or the private industry, we adapt our services to your needs, filling the gaps and paving the way towards the next breakthrough.

Cutting-Edge facilities

Publicly funded, with the most advanced equipment, offering a wide variety of services from synthesis of nanoparticles and medical devices, including up to preclinical trials.

Standards of quality

Our services have standards of quality required in the pharmaceutical, biotech and medtech sectors, from Good Practices to ISO certifications.

In order to access our Cutting-Edge Biomedical Solutions with priority access, enter our Competitive Call here.

NANBIOSIS has worked with pharmaceutical companies of all sizes in the areas of drug delivery, biomaterials and regenerative medicine. Here are a few of them:

NANBIOSIS contributes to translational project developing protein-based therapy for brain hemorrhage recovery

NANBIOSIS supports IdiPAZ project to develop protein-based therapy from extracellular vesicles to improve recovery after brain hemorrhage.

Barcelona, September, 2025 — The Protein Production Platform (PPP, NANBIOSIS Unit 1) has joined an innovative translational research project led by the Neurology and Cerebrovascular Diseases Group at the Health Research Institute of Hospital Universitario La Paz (IdiPAZ).

The project, funded by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) under grant PI23/00436, focuses on the development of a new protein-based treatment to improve recovery after brain hemorrhage. The strategy involves the administration of encapsulated therapeutic proteins, representing a novel approach to enhance functional outcomes in patients. The study is coordinated by Dr. María Alonso de Leciñana and Dr. María Gutiérrez.

Proteins derived from extracellular vesicles

The therapeutic concept stems from a promising clinical observation. Proteins of interest were identified by analyzing extracellular vesicles in the peripheral blood of patients with spontaneous favorable recovery after brain hemorrhage. Previous research by the IdiPAZ group demonstrated that these vesicles carry higher levels of proteins involved in cellular repair and regeneration, particularly in patients with better neurological outcomes.

Role of NANBIOSIS Unit 1 in protein production

The selected proteins are currently being synthesized at NANBIOSIS Unit 1, and the optimization of their purification in soluble and biologically active form is in progress. Unit 1 is specialized in protein production and purification services for biomedical research. These proteins will then be encapsulated using advanced formulations developed by Diversa Technologies, a Spanish biotech spin-off created from the Health Research Institute of Santiago de Compostela (IDIS).

Collaborative research for biomedical innovation

The identification of therapeutic proteins was made possible through the collaboration of Dr. Susana Bravo, from the Proteomics Unit of IDIS. Following preclinical validation in experimental models, this strategy could open the way to a novel therapy to enhance neurological recovery in brain hemorrhage patients.

This initiative highlights the role of NANBIOSIS research infrastructure in advancing translational medicine, nanomedicine, and biotechnology. By providing state-of-the-art protein production capabilities, NANBIOSIS fosters collaborations that transform promising laboratory discoveries into potential clinical applications.

What is NANBIOSIS?

The goal of NANBIOSIS is to provide comprehensive and integrated advanced solutions for companies and research institutions in biomedical applications. All of this is done through a single-entry point, involving the design and production of biomaterials, nanomaterials, and their nanoconjugates. This includes their characterization from physical-chemical, functional, toxicological, and biological perspectives (preclinical validation).

Leading scientists

The main value of NANBIOSIS is our highly qualified and experienced academic scientists, working in public institutions, renowned universities and other research institutes.

Custom solutions

Designed for either scientific collaboration or the private industry, we adapt our services to your needs, filling the gaps and paving the way towards the next breakthrough.

Cutting-Edge facilities

Publicly funded, with the most advanced equipment, offering a wide variety of services from synthesis of nanoparticles and medical devices, including up to preclinical trials.

Standards of quality

Our services have standards of quality required in the pharmaceutical, biotech and medtech sectors, from Good Practices to ISO certifications.

In order to access our Cutting-Edge Biomedical Solutions with priority access, enter our Competitive Call here.

NANBIOSIS has worked with pharmaceutical companies of all sizes in the areas of drug delivery, biomaterials and regenerative medicine. Here are a few of them:

María Sancho, NANBIOSIS researcher, and Ana Serrano, awarded ERC Starting Grants

NANBIOSIS Unit 9 researcher María Sancho wins ERC Starting Grant to develop nanotherapies targeting cancer metastasis with extracellular vesicles.

Zaragoza, September, 2025 — María Sancho, researcher at NANBIOSIS Unit 9 (Synthesis of Nanoparticles Unit), has been awarded a prestigious European Research Council (ERC) Starting Grant to lead a groundbreaking project in nanomedicine. Dr. Sancho, who we had the pleasure to intervew, works at the Nanoparticles and Nanostructured Films (NFP) group of the Institute of Nanoscience and Materials of Aragón (INMA, CSIC-Unizar), the Aragón Health Research Institute (IIS Aragón), the CIBER-BBN and NANBIOSIS.

Her project, SEVEN (Screening metastasis targeting properties of Extracellular Vesicle’s biomolecular corona for Engineering therapeutic biomimetic Nanoparticles), has received €1.5 million plus €343,500 for specialized equipment, bringing the total to nearly €1.85 million. Over five years, Sancho will establish her own team of three PhD students, two postdoctoral researchers, and a laboratory technician.

Pioneering nanomedicine against metastasis

SEVEN will investigate how nanomaterials and extracellular vesicles (natural nanocarriers produced by cells) interact with biological fluids. These interactions lead to the formation of a biomolecular corona, a layer of proteins and molecules that alters the surface identity of nanoparticles. This phenomenon often reduces their ability to selectively reach tumor cells.

By understanding and engineering this corona, Sancho aims to redesign therapeutic nanoparticles and extracellular vesicles to efficiently target cancer metastases, paving the way for personalized nanomedicine and improved drug delivery systems.

Sancho explains: “ERC Starting Grants are an exceptional opportunity for young researchers because they provide the technical and human resources needed to test new ideas and hypotheses. It is a dream for any young scientist at the beginning of their career, as it allows us to consolidate our research path.”

Scientific excellence and international recognition

María Sancho holds a PhD in Chemical Engineering (University of Zaragoza, 2020, Extraordinary Doctorate Award). She completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Mario Negri Institute of Pharmacological Research in Milan under Prof. Luisa De Cola, supported by the Italian Association for Cancer Research (AIRC). Since 2023, she has been supported by an AECC Postdoctoral Talent Grant and a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowship, which brought her back to Zaragoza. Her career has been recognized with distinctions such as the Premio Tercer Milenio and recognition of her thesis among the top ten in Spain by the Royal Academy of Doctors.

Ana Serrano also awarded an ERC Starting Grant

Alongside Sancho, Ana Serrano, professor at the Institute for Engineering Research of Aragón (I3A) and member of the Graphics and Imaging Lab, has also secured an ERC Starting Grant. Her project PROXIE (Perceptual Realities: Optimizing XR through Perceptually-Informed Experiences) explores how people perceive and interact with immersive extended reality (XR) environments, with applications in telemedicine, aerospace, cultural heritage, and education.

Boosting the international research profile of Zaragoza

With these new awards, the University of Zaragoza increases its ERC-funded projects to 22 since 2009, consolidating its role as a hub for cutting-edge biomedical and engineering research.

What is NANBIOSIS?

The goal of NANBIOSIS is to provide comprehensive and integrated advanced solutions for companies and research institutions in biomedical applications. All of this is done through a single-entry point, involving the design and production of biomaterials, nanomaterials, and their nanoconjugates. This includes their characterization from physical-chemical, functional, toxicological, and biological perspectives (preclinical validation).

Leading scientists

The main value of NANBIOSIS is our highly qualified and experienced academic scientists, working in public institutions, renowned universities and other research institutes.

Custom solutions

Designed for either scientific collaboration or the private industry, we adapt our services to your needs, filling the gaps and paving the way towards the next breakthrough.

Cutting-Edge facilities

Publicly funded, with the most advanced equipment, offering a wide variety of services from synthesis of nanoparticles and medical devices, including up to preclinical trials.

Standards of quality

Our services have standards of quality required in the pharmaceutical, biotech and medtech sectors, from Good Practices to ISO certifications.

In order to access our Cutting-Edge Biomedical Solutions with priority access, enter our Competitive Call here.

NANBIOSIS has worked with pharmaceutical companies of all sizes in the areas of drug delivery, biomaterials and regenerative medicine. Here are a few of them: