Dr. Albert Espona

Short Bio

Albert Espona-Noguera (1992, Barcelona) is currently a Postdoctoral Researcher of the project "Atmospheric Pressure plAsma meets biomaterials for bone Cancer HEaling - APACHE", led by Dr. Cristina Canal, within the research line of Plasmas for Biomedical Applications in the Polytechnic University of Catalonia.

Before his predoctoral period, Albert Espona-Noguera has worked as a fellow in the Group of Structures and Materials Modeling Group (GEMM) of the Institute of Engineering Research of Aragon (I3A) of the University of Zaragoza, where he obtained a degree in Biotechnology. Later, he worked at the Center of Regenerative Medicine in Barcelona (CMRB)-University of Barcelona, where he obtained the Master's Degree in Molecular Biotechnology. Later, he carried out his predoctoral stage within the doctoral program "Research and Evaluation of Drugs. Application of Pharmaceutical Technologies to the Development of Advanced Therapies” in the NanoBioCel group of the University of the Basque Country, under the direction of Dr. Laura Saenz del Burgo and Dr. José Luis Pedraz. In November 2019, he obtained the doctor's degree with the international mention and Cum Laude qualification for his doctoral thesis entitled "Micro- and Macroencapsulation technologies for advanced B-cell replacement in Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus". During his time as a predoctoral researcher, Albert Espona-Noguera contributed to generating 10 scientific papers (Q1), being the first author in 5 of them. The publications have been relevant in the field of pharmaceutical technology and polymer science. Besides, during his predoctoral stage, he participated in 6 R&D national and international projects involving private and public entities and organizations.

Throughout his career, he has acquired a deep understanding of the use of biomaterials as therapeutic cell carriers for advanced therapies, highlighting the development of an artificial pancreas for the treatment of Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus during his doctoral thesis. In addition to acquiring knowledge in a large number of experimental techniques in the field of pharmaceutical technology and cell therapy, he has also been trained in highly innovative techniques applied to regenerative medicine such as 3D bioprinting and stem cells handling.