Beatriz’s research in the multidisciplinary domain of bioinspired nanotechnologies involves the design and integration of emerging nanostructures into a new class of devices for the early diagnosis of infectious diseases. She is conducting research on Si-based nanotechnologies, such as the fabrication of arrays of multi-layered nanochannels with site-specifically displayed receptors, and tunable electrochemical features. These highly versatile materials with advanced properties can be fine-tuned to suit diagnosis at the various stages of the dynamic process of infection: host-immune response assessment, pathogen identification, antimicrobial resistance testing, and therapeutic drug monitoring. Her research aims to strengthen the scientific and societal impact of One Health approach by using this new suit of diagnostic tools to spur a paradigm shift in the current clinical workflow.

My main research is focused in “organs-on-a-chip” development, technology that has become of extreme importance in the last years. The idea is to integrate biosensor devices and nanotechnology with stem cell research and with tissue engineering. Engineered tissues are integrated with biosensing technology to obtain microdevices for detecting cellular responses to external stimuli, monitoring the quality of the microenvironment and supporting diverse cellular requirements. This research on 3D-functional engineered tissues is expected to develop knowledge of tissue construction and their functions and relation with some human diseases. Integration of fully functional tissues with microscale biosensor technology allowed us to obtain the aforementioned “organs-on-a-chip” platforms. These chips could be used in pharmaceutical assays and could be a step toward the ultimate goal of producing in vitro drug testing systems crucial to the medicine and pharmaceutical industry.