Biomaterials Science and Engineering Lab

Laboratory fully prepared for synthesis and modification of polymeric materials. A set of equipments is devoted to processing biomaterials into distinct shapes and sizes, including: electrospray/electrospinning apparatus, microfluidic station, spot controlled UV curing system, ultra-turrax, plasma reactor, 3D printer, freeze-dryer, sonifier and glove box with N₂ atmosphere. Specific instruments are also available for characterization of biomaterials, such as a quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring (QCM-D), rheometer equipped with a UV/visible curing system and universal mechanical testing machine (Instron).

Bioengineering and Cell Characterization Lab

Laboratory designed to work with mammalian cells, equipped with class II flow chambers that assure aseptic conditions during cell culture handling, plus temperature and CO₂ controlled incubators. Here, biomaterials are used to grow and/or differentiate cells using either static or dynamic conditions with bioreactors. Additionally, the laboratory is also equipped with state-of-the-art quantitative real-time PCR, conventional PCR equipment, as well as a microtome sectioning equipment for histological studies, a cryo-miller for grinding biomaterials at ultra-low temperatures, hypoxia chamber and inverted microscope with a digital camera.

Bioengineering Laboratory

This is a shared laboratory with other CICECO colleagues, primarily designed to work with mammalian cells. It is fully equipped with class II flow chambers that assure aseptic conditions during cell culture handling, plus a temperature and CO₂ controlled incubator. Here, biomaterials are used to grow and/or differentiate cells using either static or dynamic conditions with bioreactors. Additionally, the laboratory is also equipped with state-of-the-art quantitative real-time PCR, for different biomedical applications and development of living materials.

Bioprocessing Lab

This lab is designed to process biomaterials at different lengths, scales and shapes (from the nano- to the macro-scale). It is equipped with a 3D printer and a 3D bioprinter that allows for high resolution printing with different bioinks and bioink-cell combinations, coupled with a UV lamp for photo-crosslinking. This space also contains a class II flow chamber, temperature and CO₂ controlled incubators for cell culture, flow cytometer and inverted microscope with a digital camera. Additionally, the lab is equipped with two automatic dipping robots that enable the development of robust and innovative biomedical devices by exploring combinations of natural building blocks in a layer-by-layer fashion. Moreover, the laboratory is equipped with a robotic arm coupled with a micro-aspiration system, used for biomaterials testing in a in vivo-like environment.

Imagin(g)ative Laboratory

This laboratory contains a space dedicated to image attainment. It is fully equipped with a confocal microscope that allows for high resolution visualization of celular environments in 3D, in real-time. Concerning microscopy, this space also contains a fluorescence microscope with a high resolution digital camera that allows for analysis of biomaterials with cells marked with fluorescence in 2D and/or 3D. Researchers can also access a scanning electron microscope (SEM) that allows for analysis of high resolution images of the surface of biomaterials at a micro-scale. Moreover, Master students can also freely access and use this space to develop their own creative projects (individually or in groups) in the bioengineering field; for this end, they have an entire range of dedicated laboratory equipments. For this end student are welcome to Click here to download the Project Submission Form.