A group of 25 undergraduate students and two professors from DIS Copenhagen – Study Abroad in Scandinavia visited the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) as part of their Medical Biotechnology and Drug Development course, gaining first-hand insight into innovative biomedical research, including the PHOTOTHERAPORT project.
The Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) welcomed, last 19 of March, a group of 25 undergraduate students and two professors from DIS Copenhagen – Study Abroad in Scandinavia, Denmark, for a two-day educational visit to Barcelona focused on biotechnology, drug development and translational research.
The students, primarily from universities across the United States and enrolled in the Medical Biotechnology and Drug Development course, visited several leading research and innovation centres to learn more about the scientific ecosystem that connects fundamental discoveries with clinical applications.
As part of the programme, the group attended an introduction to IBEC’s research activities and participated in discussions with researchers, followed by visits to three laboratories and innovation initiatives working at the forefront of biomedical science.
Among the highlights of the visit was the Nanoprobes and Nanoswitches Group, led by Pau Gorostiza, coordinator of the PHOTOTHERAPORT project. During his presentation, Gorostiza introduced students to the emerging field of photopharmacology and explained how photoswitchable drugs can be used to control biological processes with light. He also discussed the potential of these technologies for the treatment of conditions such as epilepsy, chronic pain and blindness caused by photoreceptor degeneration.
The session also provided an opportunity to present the PHOTOTHERAPORT project, its scientific rationale, main objectives and recent achievements. Through the project, researchers are developing innovative light-based therapeutic approaches that could enable more precise and less invasive treatments for neurological and sensory disorders.
The students additionally visited Lumiris Spectral Solutions, a company developing medical technologies to improve oocyte and embryo selection in assisted reproduction, and Nanobots Therapeutics, a biotechnology company creating nanorobotic systems designed to enhance targeted drug delivery.
The visit offered students a unique opportunity to engage with cutting-edge biomedical research and explore potential career paths in science and innovation. Throughout the stay, students were able to interact directly with researchers and entrepreneurs, gaining valuable insights into how scientific discoveries are translated into innovative healthcare solutions.
By introducing future scientists and healthcare professionals to pioneering initiatives such as PHOTOTHERAPORT, we foster scientific outreach and inspire the next generation of researchers working at the interface of basic and translational research.
