The main aim of the AFM BioMed 2025 international conference , which will take place from 8 to 11 April in the Aula Magna of the University of Barcelona's Historic Building, is to learn about the latest advances in the applications of atomic force microscopy in biomedicine. This meeting will bring together experts from all over the international academic and business world to explore how atomic force microscopy (AFM) can provide efficient and innovative solutions to relevant issues in life sciences and health.
The atomic force microscope is a highly versatile piece of equipment covering a wide range of length scales - from single molecules, membranes and cells to multicellular systems and interfaces - and is applied in various fields of research (biological samples, materials characterization, microelectronics, etc.).
AFM BioMed 2025, now in its eleventh year, will provide a platform for a detailed look at AFM advances in biomedicine through keynote presentations, lectures, poster sessions and discussion forums. The conference, promoted by the UB and the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), is organized locally by a committee made up of UB lecturers Marina Inés Giannotti, from the Faculty of Chemistry and IBEC, Núria Gavara, from the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Annalisa Calò, from the Faculty of Physics, and Mireia Oliva, from the Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences. The organizing committee is completed by the experts Jean-Luc Pellequer, from the Institute of Structural Biology (IBS Grenoble), and Felix Rico, Lorena Redondo-Morata, and Claire Valotteau, from the University of Aix-Marseille and the National Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM).
The opening lecture, "Exploring cell mechanics: implications for disease and therapy", will be given by Professor Małgorzata Lekka, head of the Department of Biophysical Microstructures at the Institute of Nuclear Physics in Kraków, member of the Polish Academy of Sciences (Poland) and distinguished expert in the application of atomic force microscopy for disease diagnosis. Also participating in the programme will be Georg Fantne from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, Martin Pešl from Masarik University (Czech Republic), Nancy Forde from Simon Fraser University (Canada) and Alexander Cartagena-Rivera from the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering of the National Institutes of Health (United States).
The conference is supported by the UB Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (IN2UB) and the companies Bruker, Micro®, Nanosurf, NanoAndMore GMBH i Park Systems.
As a parallel activity, on 7 April at 6.00 pm, the Foix room of the Casa Orlandai Civic Centre will host the scientific lecture open to the public "Observant l'invisible i minúscul món de les nanotecnologies" , which will be given by the expert Jordi Díaz, from the UB Scientific and Technological Centres (CCiTUB).
