Nunilo Cremades participates in the development of a Next-generation microscope for in vivo imaging of cell and tissue mechanics
The BIFI researcher at the University of Zaragoza is part of the international team that has achieved European funding of €3M for the European project ivBM-4PAP
The new device will facilitate the understanding of both physiological and pathological processes, such as those involved in neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental diseases .
Nunilo Cremades, researcher of the Institute of Biocomputing and Physics of Complex Systems ( BIFI) of the University of Zaragoza, participates in the development of a New generation Micro4PAP microscope, capable of obtaining in vivo images of the mechanical properties of cells (stiffness, viscosity), which will undoubtedly facilitate the understanding of both physiological and pathological processes, such as those involved in neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental diseases .
This device will be possible thanks to the €3M funding granted by the European Union for the development of the ivBM-4PAP project, led by the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia ( IIT), within the framework of the Horizon Europe program for research and innovation.
The microscope will use light to study biological molecules without interfering with theibifir nanometer structure, allowing scientists to image basic living mechanisms in an acquisition time of less than a millisecond.
The name “Micro4PAP” is a simplification of the technical title of the project, “IVBM-4PAP”, which stands for “In-Vivo Brillouin Microscope with application to pathologies based on protein aggregation”. It arose from the need for a new tool to investigate the mechanical properties of biological cells and tissues and acquire information to identify better diagnoses and treatments of disorders.
The group led by Nunilo Cremades at the BIFI Institute of the University of Zaragoza will contribute its experience in protein aggregation processes associated with neurodegenerative diseases in order to identify new methods for diagnosing these diseases through the use of Micro4PAP.
The Micro4PAP consortium includes research institutes, universities and companies in Italy (IIT, Università di Trento, Crestoptics SpA ), France ( Université d’Angers ) and Spain (University of Zaragoza).
The ivBM-4PAP project is part of the research projects funded by the European Innovation Council through its Horizon program Europe Pathfinder under grant agreement #101098989.
The project website: https://ivbm4pap.eu/
