![\"{%ALT_TEXT%}\"](\"https:\/\/cimne.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/XTrepat_PGuillamat_MArroyo.jpg\")
De izquierda a derecha: Xavier Trepat, Pau Guillamat y Marino Arroyo.<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/p>\n
Un estudio liderado por el Instituto de Bioingenier\u00eda de Catalu\u00f1a (<\/strong>IBEC<\/a><\/strong>)<\/strong>, la Universitat Polit\u00e8cnica de Catalunya \u2013 BarcelonaTech (<\/strong>UPC<\/a><\/strong>)<\/strong> y el Centro Internacional de M\u00e9todos Num\u00e9ricos en Ingenier\u00eda (<\/strong>CIMNE<\/a><\/strong>)<\/strong>, en colaboraci\u00f3n con el European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL<\/a>) de Barcelona<\/strong>, permite obtener tejidos vivos capaces de deformarse de forma controlada<\/strong> para generar estructuras tridimensionales reproducibles.<\/p>\n La investigaci\u00f3n, publicada en la revista Science<\/em>, presenta una nueva estrategia para \u201cprogramar\u201d los cambios de forma de los tejidos, controlando, mediante patrones qu\u00edmicos, c\u00f3mo se orientan las c\u00e9lulas. Los expertos plantean los objetivos del estudio como una v\u00eda para dise\u00f1ar superficies vivas que cambian de forma por s\u00ed mismas<\/strong>, con potenciales aplicaciones que van desde la ingenier\u00eda de tejidos hasta la rob\u00f3tica bioh\u00edbrida.<\/p>\n Imagen confocal de una monocapa celular nem\u00e1tica<\/p><\/div>\n Los tejidos biol\u00f3gicos formados por c\u00e9lulas alargadas tienden a autoorganizarse generando dominios multicelulares donde todas las c\u00e9lulas se orientan en la misma direcci\u00f3n, como las fibras de un hilo en un tejido textil. Este es el denominado orden nem\u00e1tico<\/strong>.<\/p>\n En ocasiones, este orden se rompe en puntos concretos, llamados defectos topol\u00f3gicos, que act\u00faan como puntos de concentraci\u00f3n de fuerzas, capaces de influir en c\u00f3mo crecen, migran o incluso se deforman los tejidos. \u201cLa orientaci\u00f3n de las c\u00e9lulas controla las fuerzas, y las fuerzas pueden controlar la generaci\u00f3n de una forma en tres dimensiones<\/strong>\u201d, explica Pau Guillamat<\/strong>, investigador del grupo de Din\u00e1mica Integrativa de C\u00e9lulas y Tejidos<\/a> del IBEC, y primer autor del estudio.<\/p>\n Para guiar estas fuerzas, el equipo utiliz\u00f3 el micropatronaje qu\u00edmico<\/strong>: \u201cdibujaron\u201d sobre superficies planas unas l\u00edneas de una prote\u00edna a la que las c\u00e9lulas se adhieren, rodeadas de zonas con un pol\u00edmero al que las c\u00e9lulas no se adhieren. Gracias a estos patrones, las c\u00e9lulas se alinean siguiendo las l\u00edneas, creando el \u201cmapa\u201d de orientaciones deseado. Esto permiti\u00f3 imponer defectos topol\u00f3gicos en posiciones exactas, algo que la naturaleza genera de forma espont\u00e1nea, pero de manera desordenada.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_video src=\u00bbhttps:\/\/cimne.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Guillamat_etal_MovieS23.mp4″ admin_label=\u00bbA video showing a tissue transforming into a 3D shape reminiscent of a rose.\u00bb _builder_version=\u00bb4.27.6″ _module_preset=\u00bbdefault\u00bb width=\u00bb50%\u00bb width_tablet=\u00bb50%\u00bb width_phone=\u00bb100%\u00bb width_last_edited=\u00bbon|desktop\u00bb module_alignment=\u00bbcenter\u00bb global_colors_info=\u00bb{}\u00bb][\/et_pb_video][et_pb_text admin_label=\u00bbCaption\u00bb _builder_version=\u00bb4.27.6″ background_size=\u00bbinitial\u00bb background_position=\u00bbtop_left\u00bb background_repeat=\u00bbrepeat\u00bb text_orientation=\u00bbcenter\u00bb custom_margin=\u00bb0px||25px||false|false\u00bb custom_padding=\u00bb0px||||false|false\u00bb global_colors_info=\u00bb{}\u00bb]<\/p>\n V\u00eddeo de un tejido transform\u00e1ndose en una forma 3D que recuerda a una rosa.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=\u00bb4.27.6″ background_size=\u00bbinitial\u00bb background_position=\u00bbtop_left\u00bb background_repeat=\u00bbrepeat\u00bb global_colors_info=\u00bb{}\u00bb]<\/p>\n Marino Arroyo<\/a>, catedr\u00e1tico de la UPC, investigador del CIMNE y col\u00edder del estudio, lidera el grupo Interfaces de materiales blandos y vivos<\/a><\/strong> del CIMNE, que desarrolla modelos computacionales de c\u00e9lulas, tejidos y materiales bioinspirados<\/strong> para estudiar la invasi\u00f3n del c\u00e1ncer, la mec\u00e1nica epitelial y la morfog\u00e9nesis, uniendo la mecanobiolog\u00eda con aplicaciones biom\u00e9dicas.<\/p>\n Para profundizar en el origen de las fuerzas y formas de los tejidos, as\u00ed como para poder predecirlas, el equipo de Arroyo<\/strong> desarroll\u00f3 modelos te\u00f3ricos y simulaciones que permiten anticipar c\u00f3mo un patr\u00f3n concreto de orientaciones celulares acabar\u00eda transform\u00e1ndose en una forma tridimensional espec\u00edfica.<\/p>\n Seg\u00fan explica, \u201cnuestros modelos nos han permitido examinar diferentes hip\u00f3tesis y finalmente identificar el mecanismo por el que la orientaci\u00f3n de las c\u00e9lulas conduce al plegado tridimensional de los tejidos. Adem\u00e1s, proporcionan una relaci\u00f3n cuantitativa entre patr\u00f3n nem\u00e1tico y forma<\/strong>\u201d, lo que confirma que el sistema puede utilizarse como una plataforma predictiva de dise\u00f1o morfol\u00f3gico de tejidos.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_video src=\u00bbhttps:\/\/cimne.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MovieS28.mp4″ admin_label=\u00bbDeformed cellular monolayer, shown as a rendered visualisation.\u00bb _builder_version=\u00bb4.27.6″ _module_preset=\u00bbdefault\u00bb width=\u00bb50%\u00bb width_tablet=\u00bb50%\u00bb width_phone=\u00bb100%\u00bb width_last_edited=\u00bbon|desktop\u00bb module_alignment=\u00bbcenter\u00bb global_colors_info=\u00bb{}\u00bb][\/et_pb_video][et_pb_text admin_label=\u00bbCaption\u00bb _builder_version=\u00bb4.27.6″ background_size=\u00bbinitial\u00bb background_position=\u00bbtop_left\u00bb background_repeat=\u00bbrepeat\u00bb text_orientation=\u00bbcenter\u00bb custom_margin=\u00bb0px||25px||false|false\u00bb custom_padding=\u00bb0px||||false|false\u00bb global_colors_info=\u00bb{}\u00bb]<\/p>\n Monocapa celular deformada, mostrada como una visualizaci\u00f3n renderizada<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=\u00bb4.27.6″ background_size=\u00bbinitial\u00bb background_position=\u00bbtop_left\u00bb background_repeat=\u00bbrepeat\u00bb global_colors_info=\u00bb{}\u00bb]<\/p>\n Esta investigaci\u00f3n es una prueba de concepto, pero abre la puerta a muchas aplicaciones, como la ingenier\u00eda de tejidos<\/strong>, para crear estructuras tridimensionales sin necesidad de andamios artificiales; la rob\u00f3tica bioh\u00edbrida<\/strong>, que podr\u00eda utilizar tejidos vivos deformables como actuadores biol\u00f3gicos; o el dise\u00f1o de materiales vivos inteligentes<\/strong>, superficies vivas capaces de reconfigurar su forma y, potencialmente, sus propiedades funcionales.<\/p>\n Adem\u00e1s de sus posibles aplicaciones, esta metodolog\u00eda permite estudiar fen\u00f3menos presentes en la biolog\u00eda real, como la formaci\u00f3n de \u00f3rganos o el comportamiento de algunos tumores. \u201cEs una herramienta perfecta para entender c\u00f3mo los patrones de orientaci\u00f3n celular influyen en la mec\u00e1nica y evoluci\u00f3n de tejidos complejos<\/strong>\u201d, afirma Xavier Trepat, profesor de investigaci\u00f3n ICREA en el IBEC y col\u00edder de la investigaci\u00f3n.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Art\u00edculo de referencia<\/strong><\/p>\n Pau Guillamat, Waleed Mirza, Pradeep K. Bal, Manuel G\u00f3mez-Gonz\u00e1lez, Pere Roca-Cusachs, Marino Arroyo, Xavier Trepat. Guidance of cellular nematic elastomers into shape-programmable living surfaces.<\/strong> Science<\/em> (2026). DOI: 10.1126\/science.adz9174<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Un estudio liderado por el Instituto de Bioingenier\u00eda de Catalu\u00f1a (IBEC), la Universitat Polit\u00e8cnica de Catalunya \u2013 BarcelonaTech (UPC) y el Centro Internacional de M\u00e9todos Num\u00e9ricos en Ingenier\u00eda (CIMNE), en colaboraci\u00f3n con el European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) de Barcelona, permite obtener tejidos vivos capaces de deformarse de forma controlada para generar estructuras tridimensionales reproducibles.La […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":256743,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":" \u00a0<\/p>[caption id=\"attachment_256710\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"800\"] \u00a0<\/p> A study led by the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (<\/strong>IBEC<\/a><\/strong>)<\/strong>, the Polytechnic University of Catalonia \u2013 BarcelonaTech (<\/strong>UPC<\/a><\/strong>)<\/strong> and the International Centre for Numerical Methods in Engineering (<\/strong>CIMNE<\/a><\/strong>)<\/strong>, in collaboration with the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL<\/a>) in Barcelona<\/strong>, has made it possible to obtain living tissues capable of deforming in a controlled manner<\/strong> to generate reproducible three-dimensional structures.<\/p> The research, published in the journal Science<\/em>, presents a new strategy for \u201cprogramming\u201d tissue shape changes by controlling, through chemical patterns, how cells orient themselves. The researchers present the goals of the study as a way to design living surfaces that can change shape by themselves<\/strong>, with potential applications ranging from tissue engineering to biohybrid robotics.<\/p>[caption id=\"attachment_256711\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"500\"] Biological tissues composed of elongated cells tend to self-organise into multicellular domains in which all cells are oriented in the same direction, much like the fibres of a thread in a textile. This is known as nematic order<\/strong>.<\/p> Sometimes, this order breaks down at specific points, known as topological defects, which act as points of force concentration and can influence how tissues grow, migrate or even deform. \u201cThe orientation of the cells controls the forces, and the forces can control the generation of a three-dimensional shape<\/strong>,\u201d explains Pau Guillamat<\/strong>, a researcher in the Integrative Cell and Tissue Dynamics<\/a> group at IBEC and first author of the study.<\/p> To guide these forces, the team used chemical micropatterning<\/strong>: they \u201cdrew\u201d lines of a protein to which cells adhere on flat surfaces, surrounded by areas containing a polymer to which cells do not adhere. Thanks to these patterns, the cells align along the lines, creating the desired \u201cmap\u201d of orientations. This made it possible to impose topological defects at exact positions, something that nature generates spontaneously, but in a disordered way.<\/p> [video width=\"1644\" height=\"1644\" mp4=\"https:\/\/cimne.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Guillamat_etal_MovieS23.mp4\"][\/video]<\/p> A video showing a tissue transforming into a 3D shape reminiscent of a rose.<\/p> Marino Arroyo<\/a>, full professor at UPC, researcher at CIMNE, and co-lead author of the study, leads the Soft and Living Material Interfaces<\/a><\/strong> group at CIMNE, which develops computational models of cells, tissues, and bioinspired materials<\/strong> to study cancer invasion, epithelial mechanics, and morphogenesis, bridging mechanobiology and biomedical applications.<\/p> To gain deeper insight into the origin of tissue forces and shapes, as well as to predict them, Arroyo<\/strong>\u2019s team developed theoretical models and simulations capable of anticipating how a specific pattern of cell orientations would eventually transform into a specific three-dimensional shape.<\/p> According to Arroyo, \u201cour models have allowed us to examine different hypotheses and ultimately identify the mechanism by which cell orientation leads to the three-dimensional folding of tissues. Furthermore, they provide a quantitative relationship between the nematic pattern and the shape<\/strong>,\u201d confirming that the system can be used as a predictive platform for tissue morphological design.<\/p> [video width=\"500\" height=\"500\" align=\"aligncenter\" mp4=\"https:\/\/cimne.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MovieS28.mp4\"][\/video]<\/p> Deformed cellular monolayer, shown as a rendered visualisation.<\/p> This research is a proof of concept, but it opens the door to many applications, such as tissue engineering<\/strong>, to create three-dimensional structures without the need for artificial scaffolds; biohybrid robotics<\/strong>, which could use deformable living tissues as biological actuators; or the design of smart living<\/strong> materials, living surfaces capable of reconfiguring their shape and, potentially, their functional properties.<\/p> Beyond its possible applications, this methodology also makes it possible to study phenomena found in real biology, such as organ formation or the behaviour of certain tumours. \u201cIt is a perfect tool for understanding how patterns of cell orientation influence the mechanics and evolution of complex tissues<\/strong>,\u201d says Xavier Trepat, ICREA Research Professor at IBEC and co-lead author of the research.<\/p> \u00a0<\/p> Pau Guillamat, Waleed Mirza, Pradeep K. Bal, Manuel G\u00f3mez-Gonz\u00e1lez, Pere Roca-Cusachs, Marino Arroyo, Xavier Trepat.Guidance of cellular nematic elastomers into shape-programmable living surfaces.\u00a0<\/strong>Science<\/em>\u00a0(2026). DOI:\u00a010.1126\/science.adz9174<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>","_et_gb_content_width":"","slim_seo":{"title":"Crean tejidos vivos capaces de cambiar de forma de manera programada - CIMNE","description":" De izquierda a derecha: Xavier Trepat, Pau Guillamat y Marino Arroyo. Un estudio liderado por el Instituto de Bioingenier\u00eda de Catalu\u00f1a ( IBEC ) ,"},"footnotes":""},"categories":[60,343,50,329,339],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-256745","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured-es","category-interfaces-de-materiales-blandos-y-vivos","category-investigacion-news","category-investigacion","category-mecanica-computacional-en-ingenieria-medica-y-materia-viva"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cimne.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/256745","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cimne.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cimne.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cimne.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cimne.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=256745"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/cimne.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/256745\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":256762,"href":"https:\/\/cimne.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/256745\/revisions\/256762"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cimne.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/256743"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cimne.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=256745"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cimne.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=256745"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cimne.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=256745"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"{%ALT_TEXT%}\"](\"https:\/\/cimne.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Nematic_cellular_monolayer-rotated.jpg\")
C\u00e9lulas que se alinean y dan forma a tejidos<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Simulaciones que predicen la forma final<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Un abanico de aplicaciones<\/strong><\/h5>\n
\n
From left to right: Xavier Trepat, Pau Guillamat and Marino Arroyo.[\/caption] Confocal image of a nematic cellular monolayer[\/caption]Cells that align and shape tissues<\/strong><\/h3>
Simulations that predict the final shape<\/strong><\/h3>
A wide range of applications<\/strong><\/h3>
Referenced paper<\/strong><\/h4>