ORGANIZED BY
CONTACT
ibeccommunications@ibecbarcelona.eu
EMBL and IBEC aim to contribute to the discussion on challenges and opportunities in the expanding field of engineered multicellular systems.
Recent breakthroughs in stem cell biology, organ-on-chip assays, 3D bioprinting, and cell mechanobiology have revolutionized our ability to design and assemble multicellular living systems, from organoids to embryos.
This biennial series will focus on how engineering such systems is advancing our understanding of tissue and organ function, with applications in disease modeling, developmental biology, and regenerative medicine.
#EMBL_IBECConf
Abstract submission: 09/12/2025 → 06/01/2026
For late submissions contact ibecevents@ibecbarcelona.eu
Notification of acceptance: 12/01/2026 → 23/01/2026
Early registration: 20/01/2026 → 05/02/2026
Late registration: 25/02/2026
| EARLY BIRD RATE Payment before/on 05/02 |
480€ |
| LATE RATE Payment after 05/02 |
570€ |
VAT included
The registration fee covers attendance to all sessions, lunches and coffee/tea breaks during the conference and conference materials
For any queries about the conference, including opportunities for collaborations or sponsorship, please contact with: ibeccommunications@ibecbarcelona.eu
Or fill in the contact form below and we will be in contact with you shortly:
SPEAKERS
| 08:30 – 09:15 | Registration |
| 09:15 – 09:45 | Opening remarks |
| Session 1 | Chair: James Sharpe |
| 09:45 – 10:15 | Scott Fraser – Multimodal imaging of complex biological events in their normal contex |
| 10:15 – 10:45 | Nicolas Rivron – Tissue crowding maintains the pool of trophoblast stem cells during mouse and human blastocyst implantation |
| 10:45 – 11:00 | Short Talk: Andrea Iglesias-Ramas – Bioelectric regulation of epithelial tissue organization |
| 11:00 – 11:30 | Coffee Break |
| Session 2 | Chair: Josep Samitier |
| 11:30 – 12:00 | Manuel Salmeron – Engineered hydrogels to capture ECM viscoelasticity |
| 12:00 – 12:15 | Short Talk: Shailaja Seetharaman – Mechanosensitive regulation and prediction of vascular dysfunction in disease |
| 12:15 – 12:45 | Hannah Stuart – Reconstitution of minimal requirements for neural tube self-organisation |
| 12:45 – 13:15 | Flash talks
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| 13:15 – 14:45 | Lunch and Poster session (odd numbers) |
| Session 3 | Chair: Vikas Trivedi |
| 14:45 – 15:15 | Eduard Hannezo – Robustness of multicellular morphogenesis |
| 15:15 – 15:30 | Short Talk: Carlos Pérez – Self-organization of tumor heterogeneity and plasticity |
| 15:30 – 16:00 | Coffee break |
| 16:00 – 16:30 | Meritxell Rovira – Shedding light on pancreas regeneration and PDAC cell of origin with organoids single cell sequencing |
| 16:30 – 16:45 | Short Talk: Viola Introini – Modelling complex host-parasite interactions in 3D microvessels |
| 16:45 – 17:15 | Ewa Paluch – Morphogenesis across scales: from cell shape to tissue organisation |
| 17:15 | Cockatil for all the atendees |
| Session 4 | Chair: James Sharpe | |
| 9:30 – 10:00 | Renske Vrooman – Evolutionary models to understand multicellular systems | |
| 10:00 – 10:15 | Short Talk: Jordi Comelles – Emergent 3D morphogenesis of epithelial sheets via mechanically-driven phase transitions on planar matrices | |
| 10:15 – 10:45 | Elena Camacho – Dynamic signalling and cell fate transitions in early human development | |
| 10:45 – 11:15 | Coffee Break | |
| Session 5 | Chair: Kristina Haase | |
| 11:15 – 11:45 | Eduard Batlle – Plasticity and therapy resistance in metastatic colorectal cancer | |
| 11:45 – 12:00 | Short Talk: Ricard Alert – Internal durotaxis and asymmetric shapes of cell clusters | |
| 12:00 – 12:30 | Mingxia Gu – Unveiling the Mysteries of Vascular Development and Regeneration with Advanced Human Organoid Models | |
| 12:30 – 13:15 | Flash talks:
| |
| 13-15 – 13:30 | Group photo | |
| 13:30– 14:45 | Lunch and Poster session (even numbers) | |
| Session 6 | Chair: Zaida Alvarez | |
| 14:45– 15:15 | Barbara Treutlein – Reconstructing human brain organoid development with single cell technologies | |
| 15:15 – 15:30 | Short Talk: Marion Raich – Multi-cellular rosette formation guides epithelial tissue assembly in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma cell organoids | |
| 15:30 – 16:00 | Jianping Fu – Bioengineering Human Embryo and Organ Models | |
| 16:00 – 16:30 | Cofee break | |
| 16:30 – 16:45 | Short talk: Daniel Selma Herrador – MorphoChip: A Minimalistic In Vitro Assay To Study Cell Intercalation In Morphogenesis | |
| 16:45 – 17:00 | Short talk: Paula Belska – Curvature and its role on the morphology of tissues. | |
| 17:00 – 17:15 |
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| Session 7 | Chair: Xavier Trepat |
| 9:30 – 10:00 | Lorenzo Moroni – Design of 3D scaffolds with intrinsic and controllable mechanical instructions to steer tissue regeneration |
| 10:00 – 10:15 | Short Talk: Benoit Sorre – Engineered morphogen gradients applied basally to human embryonic stem cells to control and dissect tissue patterning |
| 10:15 – 10:30 | Short Talk: Daniel Krueger – Epithelial tension controls cell extrusion |
| 10:30– 10:45 | Short Talk: Sandra Petrus – Immune and Mutational Profiling of Low-Immunogenic Human Primary Cholangiocyte Organoids for Bile Duct Disorders |
| 10:45 – 11:45 | Coffee break and Poster session |
| 11:45 – 12:15 | Lauren Saunders – When fates collide: lineage-specific programs in shared tissues revealed by embryo-scale studies of single cells |
| 12:15 – 12:30 | Short Talk: Clara Delahousse – Mechanically triggered fate reversion in mouse embryonic stem cells using microfluidics |
| 12:30 – 13:00 | Sebastian Streichan – Engineering structured active matter with stem cells |
| 13:00 – 13:15 | Closing remarks and farewell |
The conference includes poster sessions and contributed oral presentations where you will have the opportunity to present your work and discuss it with your colleagues.
Abstract submission deadline: 21/01/2024
Notification of acceptance: 13/02/2024
Scientists at EMBL Barcelona explore how tissues and organs function and develop, in health and disease.
We combine a number of themes and approaches to achieve this:
Using these approaches, EMBL Barcelona studies a variety of multicellular questions:
The Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) is a leading-edge multidisciplinary research centre based in Barcelona that conducts excellent research at the frontiers of basic and life sciences linked with engineering to generate new knowledge and applications that helps to enhance health and quality of life.
IBEC create wealth by putting together biophysics, cell engineering, nanomedicine, biomaterials, tissue engineering and the applications of information technology to health.
IBEC is a non-profit-making foundation set up in 2005 by the Departments of Health and Innovation, Universities and Enterprise of the Government of Catalonia, the University of Barcelona and the Technical University of Catalonia.
At IBEC, frontier research is combined with specific transfer targets to produce new applied technologies to be used in life and health sciences. We have the versatility to generate excellent research and, at the same time, work with clinicians and industry to develop new diagnostic or treatment systems. The model envisaged by IBEC is inspired by a creative, innovative new ecosystem based on interaction between research experts in different enabling technologies (nano-bio-info-cogno) to generate new knowledge and engineering solutions in health technology.
The knowledge that exists in IBEC is placed at the service of science and society to progress in three major research programmes: