News

COVID-19 EVENTS FUNDED PROJECTS GENERAL INL PICKS INL STATEMENTS INNOVATION MOST POPULAR PEOPLE RESEARCH SCALE EXPERIENCES SCALE TRAVELS SEMICONDUCTORS SINFONIA PROJECT SPOTLIGHT WOMEN IN SCIENCE WOMEN IN STEM
Using graphene to purify water

Using graphene to purify water

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), in 2020, only 74% of the global population, equivalent to 5.8 billion people, had access to safely managed and accessed drinking water services. Efforts in water filtration and purification are critical for recovering clean water from wastewater effluents containing different classes of pollutants. Traditional water purification methods encompass a combination of processes, which are implemented at various stages of treatment. However, these methods are not effective in completely eliminating pollutants and contaminants from treated water. INL researchers propose the utilisation of layered graphene materials in membrane production to overcome these limitations, while providing high-level performance. Graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms arranged in a two-dimensional honeycomb lattice, possessing remarkable strength, conductivity, and other exceptional properties, making it a strong candidate for a diverse range of applications. These include potential applications in electronics for high-speed transistors, composite materials with enhanced strength and flexibility, and filtration systems due to its unique structure, robustness and flexibility. In a recently published paper in the Advanced Functional Materials journal, INL researchers from the 2DMD and the Water Quality research groups describe an efficient and environmentally-friendly approach to develop graphene-based filtration membranes with micrometre-size. The developed membranes […]

Read more
3DSecret project, coordinated by INL, targets metastasis patterns in breast cancer

3DSecret project, coordinated by INL, targets metastasis patterns in breast cancer

Cancer remains the second most prevalent cause of mortality in developed countries, only behind cardiovascular disease. Critically, rather than the primary tumour, it is estimated that metastases are responsible for up to 9 in every 10 cancer deaths. The 3DSecret project, coordinated by INL, aims to unravel stochastic patterns that drive metastasis by combining a set of bleeding edge technologies: microfluidics, spectroscopy, nucleic acid sequencing, and artificial intelligence. The project, which unites partners from Portugal, Spain, Italy, and the UK, will use a multifactorial approach to study circulating tumour cells from the blood of breast cancer patients and identify patterns of cancer cell aggressiveness. The project kicked off in January, and a team of researchers from the Medical Devices research group at INL have successfully achieved the growth of cancer spheroids containing hundreds of breast cancer cells, originating from one single cell (figure below). The capacity of studying metastasis at the single-cell level avoids the averaging errors introduced by studying large cell populations and has the potential to allow the identification of cell-specific factors that can lead to the establishment of metastasis.  The consortium has also designed a clinical protocol together with 2CA at Braga Hospital, which will allow utilising the […]

Read more
INL Colloquium with Andrew deMello, Professor of Biochemical Engineering at ETH Zurich

INL Colloquium with Andrew deMello, Professor of Biochemical Engineering at ETH Zurich

Today INL hosted another captivating colloquium with Andrew deMello, Professor of Biochemical Engineering in the Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences at ETH Zurich. His work focuses on combining optical microscopy and flow cytometry techniques to enable high-throughput imaging of cells within dynamic environments, offering a wealth of possibilities for biomedical research and diagnostics. At the INL Colloquium, Andrew emphasized that while modern flow cytometers excel at high-speed processing, they often require significant sample and reagent volumes, and they lack spatial resolution within individual cells. In response to these limitations, deMello’s research has revolved around leveraging microfluidic systems for precise manipulation and high-throughput processing of micron-sized objects. He also explores innovative optical detection methods that allow the capture of clear images of swiftly moving objects. Andrew de Mello’s presentation at the INL Colloquium shed light on the cutting-edge technologies and methods that are poised to reshape how we understand and analyse cellular dynamics. The event unfolded at INL’s auditorium with a diverse audience of researchers keen on unravelling the latest developments in the field of microfluidics for blood diagnostics. 

Read more
World Food Day 2023: INL is working towards a sustainable agri-food system

World Food Day 2023: INL is working towards a sustainable agri-food system

World Food Day is an annual event that highlights the importance of addressing global hunger and promoting sustainable agriculture. With the global population expected to reach 9.7 billion by 2050, the need for a robust and sustainable agri-food system has never been more critical. The INL Food Cluster is committed to foster innovation in agriculture and food production. INL researchers are at the forefront of this mission, striving to create a resilient, efficient, and sustainable agri-food system. Their multidisciplinary approach combines nanotechnology, biotechnology, and advanced materials to create solutions that enhance food quality, safety, and availability. This video showcases INL’s nanotechnologies to build a future food system that is sustainable and able to secure healthier, tastier, authentic, and safer foods, optimising and monitoring the processes all throughout the different parts of the whole food value chain.

Read more
Spintronics for neuromorphic computing: a breakthrough in energy-efficient information processing

Spintronics for neuromorphic computing: a breakthrough in energy-efficient information processing

In a recently published paper, the Spintronics research group describes a spintronic circuit as a basic programmable computing unit for neuromorphic computing. This circuit connects multiple spintronic devices with different functionalities in one circuit using a single fabrication process, which paves ways to fabricate complex neuromorphic computing systems. Neuromorphic computing offers a hopeful way to tackle some significant problems we face in technology, like the high energy consumption when processing a lot of data at once, which is similar to how our brains work. The idea behind neuromorphic computing is to handle information using many small processing units all at once. These units can be quite simple and can be set up in different ways. So, a good implementation needs to be energy-efficient, take up less space, and work quickly. It should also be able to grow and adapt for use in networks with millions of devices. INL researcher Tim Böhnert explains that “the computer memories should keep their memory over long periods and the processing units should activate above a certain threshold value. Thus, we are looking for other important properties such as non-volatility of the memories and non-linearity of the processing component.” In this paper, researchers investigated one […]

Read more
Winners of the #ERN2023 Photo Competition

Winners of the #ERN2023 Photo Competition

The #ERN2023 Photo Competition celebrated science, technology and art in the most creative way and the most eclectic mix of ideas, disciplines and perspectives creating the most far-reaching conversations, in-depth debates, and inspiring developments and playing an important role in making science accessible to a wide audience. This initiative occurred under the European Researchers’ Night 2023 event that took place on September 29, 2023, in different cities of Portugal – Braga, Coimbra, Lisboa and Évora and around Europe. In Braga, the main event happened at Altice Fórum Braga. This year’s motto was Science for Everyone – Sustainability and Inclusion. The #ERN2023 Photo Competition was an open competition and everyone was encouraged to capture scientific phenomena happening all around us and submit up to two original photographs in a unique category: ‘Science for Everyone – Sustainability and Inclusion’ (nano/micro images obtained through microscopes, images related to the labs, setups, sample preparation, simulations, everyday life related to science, etc.) All selected photos were evaluated by a jury composed of internal and external representatives from different areas. Please, find below the 3 winners: First place: HÉLDER FONSECA, PHOTO 30  2073: The ghost yellow room Second place: FREDILSON MELO, PHOTO 52  Bloom, Algae! Bloom! […]

Read more
September 29, marked the return of the European Researchers’ Night

September 29, marked the return of the European Researchers’ Night

Last Friday, September 29, marked the return of the European Researchers’ Night — the annual celebration of innovative research taking place simultaneously in more than 30 countries and 300 cities throughout Europe. The diverse programme gathered more than 400 researchers and included games, hands-on activities, interactive experiences, a ‘nano-quizz’ and ‘workshops’, where different areas such as chemistry, biology, physics, geology, mathematics, optometry, and biotechnology were crossed. These were just a few of the possible applications that ECUM – University of Minho and International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory (INL), many other partners introduced to more than 1400 visitors at Altice Fórum Braga. The audience defied all researchers with relevant questions and expressed genuine wonder as they saw “magic” happening before their eyes. This year, ‘Science for Everyone – Sustainability and Inclusion’ was the motto that framed an event committed to raising awareness about the role of science in achieving sustainability and inclusion goals among school students and different audiences, while identifying key societal concerns about climate change and sustainable growth and linking them to science-oriented solutions and proposals. This European project consortium includes as partners the National Museum of Natural History and Science of the University of Lisbon, the Nova School of […]

Read more
OPTIRAS: Advancing Sustainability in Aquaculture

OPTIRAS: Advancing Sustainability in Aquaculture

Today we are celebrating World Maritime Day! This celebration holds immense significance as it serves as a global platform for recognizing and celebrating the pivotal role of the maritime industry in connecting nations, facilitating international trade, and ensuring the world’s prosperity. INL continues to play a pivotal role in driving innovation and sustainability in various sectors, and one of the initiatives towards aquaculture sustainability is the OPTIRAS project. OPTIRAS, short for ‘Optimising RAS (Recirculating Aquaculture Systems) Technology in Europe’, is a pioneering project that focuses on enhancing the efficiency and sustainability of recirculating aquaculture systems. RAS technology is vital not only for efficient fish farming but also for minimising the environmental impact of aquaculture operations. These systems reduce water usage and help maintain water quality, ensuring the health of aquatic species and reducing pollution. OPTIRAS project aims to promote the adoption of cutting-edge technologies and best practices in recirculating aquaculture systems across Europe. Renato Gil, an INL researcher working on the project, recently gave an interview where he shed light on the innovative approaches being taken. To learn more about Renato Gil’s insights and the OPTIRAS project’s impact, you can watch his interview here.  On World Maritime Day, and as an […]

Read more
Conference on Tools and Tests for Safer-by-Design Nanomaterials at INL

Conference on Tools and Tests for Safer-by-Design Nanomaterials at INL

The Conference on Tools and Tests for Safer-by-Design Nanomaterials, took place, this week, in Braga – Portugal, at INL – International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory. This conference was organised by the SBDToolbox Project team and addressed the most promising methods and tools to obtain the relevant data encompassing the specific properties that differentiate nanomaterials from chemicals. We paid special attention to the particular needs of the diverse impact and application areas, namely health, food or environment and their relationship in the integrative context of ONE HEALTH. This unique event on Tools and Tests for Safer-by-Design Nanomaterials brought together researchers, policy-makers and industry in a full programme with insightful plenaries, invited talks, and networking opportunities.

Read more
1 … 12 13 14 15 16 … 51

INL in the Media

All Clippings

Press Inquiries

Press Corner

If you are interested to learn more about INL, share our news, or visit our Communication team, please contact us!