Researchers from Cellendes showcase, for the first time, the light-inducible hydrogel technology as a product to be launched, at the “3D Cell Culture 2025 – Functional Precision Medicine” conference in Freiburg from April 08-10.
The “3D Cell Culture 2025 – Functional Precision Medicine” Conference focused on the application areas of functional precision medicine addressing questions related on how 3D cell culture technologies, organoids, cellular aggregates and microphysiological systems could improve patient outcomes and treatments of serious diseases such as cancer, diabetes, cystic fibrosis and complex gastrointestinal diseases, such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Additionally, the researchers also discussed about the potential use of these technologies in the research and treatment of allergies, wound healing disorders, neurodegenerative diseases and development of more efficient blood brain barrier models.
In addition to the scientific presentations in talks and posters, an extensive company exhibition space integrated in the conference offered a unique opportunity to promote technologies, products and services in the 3D cell culture field, completing the conference program.
In this context Christine Blechschmidt and Brigitte Angres from Cellendes presented the new light-inducible hydrogel technology in a stand at the 8th 3D Cell Culture conference in Freiburg, which was very well received. For the first time this product was presented to the research community in a demo where visitors could observe the hydrogel forming under a 395 nm LED lamp. The stand was well attended and researchers got great insight into what scientists would like to do with the hydrogel once available on the market.
The conference provided an excellent opportunity for exchange and networking, contributing to the dissemination of the B-BRIGHTER project and its new 3D bioprinting technology.
A recent study led by B-BRIGHTER researchers investigates the combined effects of ECM stiffness and simulated microgravity on breast cancer progression, aiming to elucidate their potential interplay and underlying molecular mechanisms.
Design, Integration, and Testing of the Custom-Made 96-Well Bioprinting Platform for an Open-Source Stereolithographic (SLA) 3D Printer.
Breast cancer progression is significantly affected by the mechanical properties of the extracellular matrix (ECM), which undergoes increased stiffening during tumour advancement. This stiffening is primarily attributed to elevated secretion of collagen IV and laminin by cancer-associated fibroblasts. Notably, breast cancer cells cultured in two-dimensional systems exhibit reduced aggressiveness under microgravity conditions. In other words, simulating the conditions of space—specifically, microgravity—could change how breast cancer behaves.
A recently published paper led by B-BRIGHTER researchers from GUF was published at Materials Today Bio Journal and explored how the stiffness of the environment surrounding breast cancer cells influences their growth and aggressiveness. As breast cancer progresses, the tissue around the tumor gets stiffer, which actually helps the cancer become more aggressive. The key question researchers wanted to answer here was: what would happen if we changed not just the environment, but the rules of gravity itself?
To find out, they grew small clusters of breast cancer cells, known as spheroids, and placed them inside a gel that mimics the different stiffness levels of human tissue. Then, using a modified 3D printer and a special device called a clinostat, they exposed some of these cell clusters to microgravity—conditions similar to what astronauts experience in space—for seven days.
The results were eye-opening. Cells grown in a stiffer environment usually act more aggressively, but when exposed to microgravity, that aggressive behavior was significantly reduced. In some cases, the cancer cells even behaved in ways opposite to what was expected. The researchers also found changes in how certain genes and proteins were expressed, which could open the door to entirely new cancer treatments.
This kind of research could help scientists discover new ways to treat advanced stages of breast cancer, especially by targeting the way cells respond to their surroundings. While we’re not yet treating cancer in outer space, these findings bring us a step closer to understanding how altering physical forces—even gravity—can affect one of the world’s most challenging diseases.
Reference article: Gravitational forces and matrix stiffness modulate the invasiveness of breast cancer cells in bioprinted spheroids. Louise Breideband, Kaja Nicole Wächtershäuser, Ryan Sarkar, Melosha Puspathasan, Ernst H.K. Stelzer, Francesco Pampaloni. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S259000642500198X?via%3Dihub
One more year, Elena Martinez and Nuria Torras took part in different activities to defend the access of women to STEAM careers and scientific knowledge, in the frame of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science.
Since 2015, the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, proclaimed by the United Nations, has been observed annually on February 11. The primary aim of this global initiative is to eliminate gender stereotypes and entrenched biases that have historically limited the participation of women and girls in scientific fields. This day is dedicated to promoting inclusive and equitable opportunities for women and girls in science. A wide range of activities are organized to support their empowerment, encourage their active involvement in scientific endeavors, and promote progress toward gender equality.
In this context, Elena Martínez took part in a very special activity: the screening of the documentary Picture a Scientist, that shows the growing movement of researchers who are shaping a new narrative for women in science. Biologist Nancy Hopkins, chemist Raychelle Burks, and geologist Jane Willenbring guide viewers through their personal journeys in the scientific world, which encompass experiences ranging from severe harassment to persistent, understated discrimination. Throughout this journey—from confined laboratory spaces to striking field stations—the film introduces leading figures in science, including experts in social science, neuroscience, and psychology, who provide insightful perspectives on how to foster a scientific community that is more diverse, equitable, and inclusive.
The projection took place at the Barcelona Scientific Park (PCB) and was organized by the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) in collaboration with the Barcelona Biomedica Research Institute (IRB) on February 13. After the film, Elena Martínez participated in an insightful roundtable in a conversation with two other female researchers, where they shared their experiences and reflections on gender disparities in research. These was a space for dialogue, reflection, and awareness to contribute to foster a more inclusive and equitable scientific community.
Nuria gave her talk on March 7th, also coinciding with the International Women’s Day. She went to the Escola Schola in Rubí, a city near Barcelona, and talked to a class of 26 students (11-12 years-old). She started the dialogue talking about some of the women scientists and thinkers in history (from Hypatia of Alexandria to Hedy Lamarr and Margarita Salas), who had to face different stereotypes of their time (racialisation, gender, beauty, …) so that their ideas/discoveries could be considered.
Nuria also gave a presentation about herself and what she does in the lab, focusing on B-BRIGHTER project and in the development of in vitro models using 3D bioprinting. Some of the very interesting and original questions Nuria had to answer were: What do cells eat? What colour are cells? What is the cell nucleus? Can cells of different species be mixed? Why do the inks (in the printer) have different colours?
Hopefully these two activities will help inspiring girls and women to be excellent scientists in the future!
Last 23rd of January, Nuria Torras took part at the Investors Day, the final ceremony of the program “Industry of Knowledge” and gave a pitch to explain READY-GUT, a project strongly related to B-BRIGHTER that is developing intestinal 3D tissues models in a plate ready to be used.
The “Investors day” took place at the Automonous University od Barcelona (UAB) and was inaugurated by the rector of the UAB, Javier Lafuente, and the Deputy Director of the General Directorate of Knowledge Transfer and Society at the Government of Catalonia, Mireia de la Rubia. This event is included in the Knowledge Industry Programme of the Department of Research and Universities from Catalonia as part of the support plan for projects financed under the Innovators and Products modality. READY-GUT project has received funding under the Products modality, aimed at obtaining prototypes and the valorisation and transfer of research results generated by research teams in Catalonia.
In this context, Nuria Torras from B-BRIGHTER project, together with Maria García Díaz, presented READY-GUT, a ready-to-use bioprinted 3D in vitro model that mimics the architecture of the small intestine for 3D cell culture assays. Both researchers work at the Biomimetic Systems for Cell Engineering laboratory, led by Elena Martínez, principal investigator in charge of B-BRIGHTER project at IBEC who also participates in READY-GUT.
By using hydrogels, these 3D intestine models provide relevant geometric, mechanical and physicochemical properties, being easy-to-use and compatible with standard culture procedures. READY-GUT is closely related to B-BRIGHTER as it can benefit in a very near future from the 3D bioprinting device developed in the project.
Researchers propose READY-GUT as an easy-to-use solution that better recapitulates the intestinal tissue complexity and is compatible with standard culture and testing procedures. This can reduce in a considerable way the problems from standard in vitro assays, which does not reproduce the 3D architecture of the intestine, lack cellular microenvironment and have mechanical properties far from the in vivo situation. Moreover, READY-GUT is a robust, reliable and more predictive tool that will help reduce animal testing in research, both in academia and industry, and has the advantage of no need of specific training to be used, neither an expensive equipment.
In summary, READY-GUT aims to address the market need for low-cost and easy-to-use cell substrates that would accelerate the early stages of drug discovery, improve disease modelling and reduce the use of animals in research.
On October 23–24, 2024, the OpenLab at Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) in Stockholm hosted the B-BRIGHTER BioInnovation Entrepreneurship Workshop, a dynamic and collaborative event aimed at guiding young researchers in transforming academic innovations into real-world solutions. The workshop brought together early-career scientists, industry experts, and innovation professionals to explore the entrepreneurial journey from scientific discovery to societal impact.
Rooted in the understanding that many scientists aspire to make tangible contributions to society, the B-BRIGHTER BioInnovation Entrepreneurship Workshop was designed to equip participants with the tools and knowledge needed to navigate the innovation-to-market pathway. While the initial scope focused on training junior researchers within the project on how to take a concept through proof-of-concept, application testing, and commercialization, the ambition of the initiative soon expanded. The revised objective was to include not only internal participants, but also external bio- and med-tech researchers, thereby fostering a broader and more diverse innovation community.
The target audience for the BioInnovation Workshop consisted of doctoral and postdoctoral researchers with early-stage ideas grounded in their scientific work. By maintaining a selective group size of 10 to 15 attendees, the organizers ensured a supportive and dynamic environment conducive to meaningful interaction and tailored mentorship.
Drawing on models such as the Business Model Canvas, the workshop addressed key topics fundamental to commercializing research-based ideas: Intellectual Property Rights (IPR), Investment, Pitching, and Entrepreneurship.
The event was developed in close collaboration with leading innovation organizations, including Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) and Karolinska Institute (KI), both of which played instrumental roles in shaping the content and format of the program. Experts from these institutions, alongside invited speakers, led sessions that combined theoretical frameworks with practical applications.
The workshop’s format was centered around a pitch competition, encouraging participants to refine and present their innovative ideas. The two-day agenda blended seminars and interactive sessions, covering essential entrepreneurial skills. Participants received hands-on guidance on building pitches, identifying IPR opportunities, understanding user needs, and financing innovation journeys. The program culminated in a final pitch session judged by a panel of experts, followed by networking opportunities that aimed to foster future collaborations.
The B-BRIGHTER BioInnovation Entrepreneurship Workshop exemplifies the growing movement to bridge academic research with societal application through entrepreneurship. By fostering innovation literacy among emerging researchers and providing structured pathways to commercialization, the workshop supports the mission to offer young researchers insight into how to foster innovation and propel them to societal use and commercial success.
As every year, the European Researchers’ Night takes place in the last week of September, and once again the B-BRIGHTER project was present. This year, Marcel Sorribas took part in a round table on the use of animals in research. In addition, an infographic explaining the project is available on the Catalan website of the event.
Last 25th of September, Marcel Sorribas, B-BRIGHTER researcher at the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) participated in the round table titled “Animal welfare VS human welfare: To what extent do we want to protect them?”. The event was held at the awarded library Gabriel García Márquez in Barcelona and counted with the participation of five researchers from different fields.
The discussion began with examples of the use of animals in the time of Aristotle, then in the last century with the discovery of antibiotics, insulin… Afterwards one of the participants explained the procedure that both the researcher and the project have to go through before being able to work with animals. They also pointed out that national drug agencies no longer require animal testing if there is an alternative to validate the new drug.
One of the assistants raised the question of the extent to which we humans have the right to use other animals for our own progress as a society, sparking off a very interesting debate: would it not be more ethical to move more slowly but without having to slaughter animals?
Finally, the floor was opened to show the alternatives to animal testing that exist today. In this context, Marcel Sorribas shared his experiences with the use of animals in research and introduced the concept of 3D bioprinting to the audience. He gave examples of the B-BRIGHTER project and the printing of skin and intestines in the laboratory to replace animals in experiments. He emphasised that these are also tissues made from human cells and that they are much closer to reality than experiments on animals of other species. Another example cited by other researchers was the use of organs on a chip, in which we can ‘simulate’ different organs, study the connections between them and analyse their response to different treatments.
In addition, B-BRIGHTER project was also showcased on the Catalan website of the European Researchers’ Night, which offers information about several European projects being carried out in the region. To access this website (in English) click here.
The demand for engineered skin tissues has surged for both in vitro and in vivo applications, and one of the key points to succeed is to choose an appropriate scaffold material. In this scenario, B-Brighter researchers at IBEC has just published a work describing a new bioink designed for engineering human skin constructs using norbornene-pullulan-based hydrogels.
Researchers from the Biomimetic Systems for Cell Engineering group at IBEC (from the left): Angela Cirulli, Núria Torras and Elena Martínez.
Engineered skin tissues have versatile applications in clinical settings, such as skin substitution and advanced wound dressings, as well as in pre-clinical scenarios to test new drugs, disease modeling, and cosmetic studies. An ideal engineered skin tissue should be easy to prepare, resistant to mechanical shear forces, and conducive to cell adhesion, growth, and vascularization, in both the epidermal and dermal compartments. It must strike a balance between elasticity and mechanical stability while providing a suitable cell microenvironment to support the different compartments of the human skin.
Recently, B-Brighter researchers at IBEC have published a work in the International Journal of Bioprinting that will help address and solve these issues. Concretely, they introduced a novel photocrosslinkable bioink designed for engineering human skin constructs, based on thiol-norbornene-pullulan (N-PLN) formulations combined with various crosslinkers. This new bioink was effectively used in a customized direct laser writing setup to mimic epithelized dermal skin constructs. The dermal compartment was formed by photocrosslinking a pre-gel solution containing human fibroblasts, while the epidermal compartment was developed by seeding human keratinocytes on the fibroblast-laden hydrogels.
Using visible light, 2.5 mm³ cell-laden hydrogels could be printed in just 10 seconds. The thiol-ene photocrosslinking chemistry employed here created a well-defined extracellular matrix with orthogonal crosslinks, maintaining high cellular viability rates for encapsulated fibroblasts.
This study proposes a promising strategy for developing an epithelized dermal human skin model using a custom-made 3D light-based bioprinting system and novel N-PLN polymers. The hydrogels formed after brief exposure to low-dose visible light exhibit the physicochemical properties necessary to support excellent cell viability, proliferation, matrix protein secretion, and elongation, which are crucial for cellular network formation. Additionally, the fibroblast-laden hydrogels support the culture of keratinocytes, enabling the formation of epithelized dermal constructs.
This method represents an optimistic starting point for developing photocrosslinkable hydrogel-based human skin constructs using thiol-ene norbornene chemistry, paving the way for the creation of complex in vitro models of human tissues. By combining visible light photopolymerization with N-PLN-based materials, this approach represents an alternative method for developing ready-to-use skin models that are easy, fast, reproducible, and cost-effective, which could be particularly beneficial for pre-clinical in vitro assays in cosmetic and pharmaceutical research.
Inés Roucou, a 16-year-old student, could benefit from a 2-week stay at the Laboratory of Biomimetic Systems for Cell Engineering at IBEC in Barcelona. She learned about bioengineering and topics related to B-BRIGHTER project, guided by the researchers Núria and Marcel.
From left to right: student Inés Roucou, Núria Torras and Marcel Sorribas.
Once again, the Biomimetic Systems for Cell Engineering laboratory, led by Elena Martínez at IBEC, reinforced its commitment to educating young students and helping to inspire scientific vocations. This time, Núria Torras and Marcel Sorribas participated in a professional observation internship, developed in collaboration with the Lycée Français de Barcelona, a French school near IBEC.
This program aims to help young students choose their future careers by giving them first-hand experience of the work of professionals from different fields. In this context, Inés Roucou, who is passionate about medicine, chose Elena’s laboratory to learn about how scientific research is at the core of medical advances. She spent June 10th to 21st in the lab, gaining insight into what it’s like to be a researcher in biomedicine.
She learned about stem cells and 3D bioprinting of organs and tissues—advances that aim to reduce animal testing and have the potential to shorten transplant waiting lists in the future. She also had the opportunity to put into practice what she had learned at school about the scientific method.
In addition to the science, Núria and Marcel showed her what their day-to-day lives are like and how a laboratory operates. They also provided guidance on the studies and training needed to become a researcher.
Undoubtedly, it was a great and unforgettable experience for Inés!
The Würzburg Initiative 3R celebrated its first International Conference to provide a broad communication platform to enable exchange about “3R” among researchers from the diverse sectors related with animal experimentation. It represented an effort to improve the welfare of animals in research, and Brigitte Angres and Louise Breideband were there to talk about the 3D bioprinting technology from B-BRIGHTER.
Despite their indispensability in research, animal experiments should be kept to a necessary minimum or better avoided altogether. The ethical 3Rs principle – Replace, Reduce and Refine – serves as a guideline to limit the number of experiments as well as to reduce animal suffering to an indispensable level.
The Würzburg Initiative 3R (WI3R) bundles the Bavarian activities in the field of 3R from science, regulatory authorities, and industry and networks with existing 3R centers in Germany, Europe and worldwide. In addition to the quality-assured provision of alternatives to animal experiments, the research network is also active in the field of science communication and education.
The aim of the 1st International Conference of the Würzburg Initiative 3R (WI3R) was to offer a comprehensive communication platform for a multidisciplinary community, facilitating exchange among researchers in the field of 3R research. Also, they intended to identify synergies and foster new research ideas and collaborations, focused on promoting research to develop and validate 3Rs methods to replace, reduce and refine animal tests.
From 5 to 7 June, almost 200 participants converged in Würzburg, Germany, to discuss about, among other subjects, biofabrication and 3D printing, human iPSC and organoids, emerging technologies, new approach methods, disease modeling, and regulatory acceptance. The scientific program was composed of 20 lectures and 80 posters, with researchers from all areas in the life sciences, which rely on the use of experimental animals, including pharmaceutical, cosmetics, and chemical industry, regulatory and basic sciences.
Louise Breideband from GUF presented a talk titled “Laser patterning bioprinting using a light sheet-based system equipped with light sheet imaging produces long-term viable full-thickness skin constructs”. She introduced to the audience the new B-BRIGHTER 3D bioprinter that combines live imaging of the bioprinted tissue with high resolution and high-speed capabilities.
In her talk, she highlighted that this novel light-based bioprinting technique enables fast and high-resolution biofabrication, coupled with the possibility to image cells and hydrogel before, during, and after the bioprinting procedure with light sheet fluorescence imaging. At the end of the presentation, she pointed out that producing physiologically relevant tissues helps reduce the need for animal testing in the drug discovery process, aiming ultimately to replace them
Brigitte Angres from Cellendes, on her side, presented a poster titled “Biomimetic thiol-norbornene functionalized hydrogels for photolithographic bioprinting and tissue fabrication”. Brigitte centered her participation on explaining the extent to which hydrogels are well suited for the development of tissue models to replace animal experiments.
She presented the highly versatile and controllable light-inducible biomimetic hydrogel system devoid of animal components based on the thiol-ene chemistry, developed in the frame of the project. Brigitte also underlined that this hydrogel is well applicable in bioprinting devices and microphysiological systems to yield highly diversified microarchitectures for complex tissue model fabrications.
In Brigitte’s words: “It was a very interesting meeting, exploring possibilities to apply our hydrogels for the 3R approach”.
The event was organized by the Fraunhofer, supported by some funded research clusters from the German Research Foundation (DFG) focused on i) developing new cell-based tissue models and test systems, scalable manufacture processes, prototypes and biological vascularized implants; ii) exploring the fundamentals of biofabrication and its systematic exploitation with the aim to generate functional human tissue models and iii) development of human 3D tissue models for infection research aiming to identify molecular mechanisms within the host that control the course of infectious diseases.
The conference stimulated excellent scientific discussions about novel approach methodologies as complemental or alternative methods to animal testing and experimentation, with a view to validate 3Rs methods to replace, reduce and refine animal tests. It was certainly a great scenario for creating new collaborations for B-BRIGHTER project!
B-BRIGHTER project was present at the third edition of the EMBL-IBEC conference in Barcelona through the participation of Levin Hafa and Louise Breideband from GUF. This event, organized by the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) and the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), has it focus on emerging and advanced therapies.
The third edition of the EMBL-IBEC Conference on Engineering Multicellular Systems took place at the
Barcelona Biomedical Research Park (PRBB) in Barcelona last 24, 25 and 26 April. This biennial conference focuses on emerging and advanced therapies and addresses the state-of-the-art advances in emerging fields of bioengineering, such as organ-on-chip, cell mechanobiology, stem cell biology, and 3D bioprinting, and how all these advances have revolutionized our ability to design and assemble multicellular living systems, from organoids to embryos.
This year, the conference featured 20 invited experts from Europe, Canada, USA, Japan and India, and brought together around 150 international experts in different fields of bioengineering, who spent three days discussing the forefront research on engineering of multicellular living systems.
In the context of this event, Louise Breideband presented a poster titled “Upgrading a Consumer Stereolithographic 3D Printer to Produce Physiologically Relevant Cancer Models”, showcasing the open-source device based on a consumer-grade 3D stereolithography apparatus (SLA) printer, developed in the frame of B-BRIGHTER project.
On the other hand, Levin Hafa presented a poster that was also selected for a short talk, titled “Laser patterning bioprinting using a light sheet-based system equipped with light sheet imaging produces long-term viable full-thickness skin constructs”. This presentation summarizes the work being done in the project as well as the main results obtained to date.
The EMBL-IBEC Conference on Engineering Multicellular Systems is being consolidated in Barcelona as an international benchmark, shedding light on the function of tissues and organs, with applications in drug modelling, disease detection and tissue engineering, and their applications in advanced therapies.
