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Leaders of Braga public companies meet with INL for collaborative discussions

Executives representing five prominent public companies from Braga’s municipality gathered this past Monday, January 22nd 2024, for a pivotal meeting at INL. The visit was marked by a warm welcome from INL researchers and supporting professionals, with INL Director-General Clivia M. Sotomayor Torres hosting the delegation. The primary objectives of the meeting were outlined by Sandra Cerqueira, Executive Board Member of TUB – Transportes Urbanos de Braga, who expressed gratitude to the INL Director-General for the hospitality and extended greetings on behalf of the attending members. The delegation, composed also by representatives Rui Morais and Paula Campos from Agere, Carlos Videira from BragaHabit, Gil Carvalho and Carlos Silva from InvestBraga, Joana Meneses Fernandes from Theatro Circo, and Teotónio Andrade dos Santos from TUB, highlighted the purpose of their visit as a dual-fold initiative: to establish a first meeting of introduction with the recently appointed INL Director-General and to conduct a comprehensive review of past collaborations while exploring possibilities for future engagements. The meeting, deemed essential for fostering strong partnerships between the public companies and INL, marked a significant step in aligning visions and strategies. Sotomayor Torres welcomed the collaborative spirit, emphasising the importance of sustained partnerships and open communication. The […]

Exploring nanotechnology for the health of intestinal microbiota

Researchers at INL are using nanotechnology to develop functional foods that can be consumed by people with food intolerances and allergies. Ana Isabel Bourbon, from the Food Processing and Nutrition research group, explains: “Our society is increasingly changing its eating habits and this has several effects on the intestinal microflora. When eating daily, people are subjected to increasing amounts of different compounds. This promotes microbial changes over the years, which causes diseases that previously did not exist, such as intolerances and allergies, to appear. Trying to understand how we can reduce these intolerances in the future is one of our group’s objectives”. In this context, INL researchers are creating foods with added nutritional value using nanotechnology. The team develops nanostructures enabling the encapsulation and incorporation of active compounds, such as vitamins and antioxidants. The goal is to ensure that, after ingestion, these compounds reach the bloodstream in sufficient quantities to have a positive impact on the consumer. However, obtaining information about the behaviour of these nanostructures during digestion and their effects on intestinal health poses a challenge. The Healthy-Gut project aims to address this gap by evaluating the behaviour of encapsulated systems using in vitro cell models. These models mimic […]

Nanotechnology uncovering the hidden secrets of cancer

Metastasis, the spreading of cancer cells to other parts of the body, contributes to 9 out of 10 cancer-related deaths. However, the intricate mechanisms triggering this process remain a mystery. 3DSecret is on a mission to change that. The European consortium 3DSecret, coordinated by INL researchers from the Medical Devices research group, is approaching metastasis in a new way, focusing on single cells and aiming to uncover hidden patterns that can predict and forecast how cancer spreads. “By studying individual circulating tumour cells, or CTCs, 3DSecret hopes to transform how cancer is diagnosed and/or treated, making significant strides in clinical sciences”, says Miguel Xavier, technical coordinator of the 3DSecret project. In response to this challenge, 3DSecret has outlined specific objectives. At the forefront is the development of the ‘3Dsecret-chip,’ a sophisticated tool designed to facilitate the controlled creation of 3D cancer cell models from individual cells. This innovative approach promises reproducibility and precision, enhancing one’s ability to examine the details of cancer cell behaviour. Furthermore, 3DSecret is incorporating ‘SERS metabolomics profiling’, an advanced technology providing continuous insights into the growth kinetics of these 3D cancer cell models. Sara Abalde-Cela, leader of the Medical Devices research group and coordinator of the […]

Johns Hopkins University visits INL: 8 years of collaborative interchange

It was eight years ago that Johns Hopkins University (JHU) and INL began a very interesting collaboration. Every winter, Hopkins graduate students studying Engineering Management travel from the United States as part of an immersive project-based course called “The Practice of Consulting.” During their visit, students come to INL for one week and stay at our INL Guesthouse. But it is not a regular student visit. The student teams work an intense schedule, deep-diving into what nanotechnology can offer and the potential products that derive from developments done here at INL. As part of their curriculum, the students work closely with one of our research groups throughout that week to deliver a report on go-to-market strategies and business translation opportunities for specific projects. This year they worked with Filipa Lebre and Vânia Vilas-Boas from the Nanosafety Research Group and with Laura Rodriguez-Lorenzo, Begoña Espiña, and Raquel Queirós, from the Water Quality Research Group. The team is accompanied and mentored by Dr. Andy Ross, Senior Lecturer and Associate Director of the Professional Communication Program at JHU. “These projects are exceptional opportunities for students to apply the consulting skills they have cultivated in their coursework,” Ross comments. “The experience of travelling abroad and […]

Looking inside a solar cell

In a ground-breaking study published in Nature Energy, researchers from the Nanostructured Solar Cells group have unveiled critical insights into the optimisation of thin-film solar cells, shedding light on methods to enhance their efficiency and pave the way for more cost-effective electricity generation. Photovoltaic power conversion utilising polycrystalline light-absorbing semiconductors has long been recognised for its potential to revolutionise solar energy. Among these technologies, polycrystalline CIGS (copper indium gallium selenide) stands out as a high-performing option, and recent advances have propelled its efficiency even further through an alkali-fluoride post-deposition treatment, which elevates the charge-carrier concentration. However, the team led by Sascha Sadewasser discovered a previously overlooked challenge in the application of this treatment – inhomogeneities in the conductivity of individual material grains, which they trace back to the charge-carrier concentration. This revelation has significant implications for the efficiency of solar cells and their overall performance. Using an emerging conductive atomic force microscopy tomography technique, the research team at INL literally scratched away material layer by layer, generating three-dimensional conductivity maps. A detailed analysis of these maps provided for a sub-micrometre scale visualisation of the carrier concentration grain by grain, allowing for a detailed look into the inside of the solar […]

INL joins SiNANO, the European Academic and Scientific Association for Nanoelectronics

INL – International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory joins SiNANO Institute. The decision was made official in December 2023 – INL just became the 26th member of the SiNANO Institute, bringing new competencies to the network. According to Clivia Sotomayor-Torres, Director General of INL, “joining SINANO is an important and forward-looking step for the INL towards enhancing our role in the European Research Area. As a researcher, since joining, I have appreciated the role of SINANO in enhancing the activities of the academic and small RTO’s communities in the European landscape. I am a firm believer in the mission of SINANO with emphasis on opportunities for our younger colleagues and students to play their full role in advancing the science in nanoelectronics. The networking and infrastructure projects as well as the internationalisation of the nanoelectronics community are aspects I deeply appreciate. I hope to continue contributing to SINANO working along with my esteemed and respected colleagues and friends towards a better future.” SiNANO Institute, the European Academic and Scientific Association for Nanoelectronics, is a non-profit Association established as a durable EU Network of researchers and brings together renowned European Research Organisations and Universities from 15 European countries and is linked to 20 […]

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