PRISM-LT project partners from the University of Glasgow and the University of Aveiro successfully completed a month-long research exchange focused on advancing bacterial minicell encapsulation techniques—a key component in developing the project’s innovative bioprinting platform.

David Mark, Research Associate at Glasgow’s School of Infection & Immunity, spent September at CICECO – Aveiro Institute of Materials testing how minicell-producing strains of E. coli tolerate encapsulation processes. Minicells are tiny, non-dividing bacterial cells that will serve as “helper microorganisms” in PRISM-LT‘s bio-ink, producing growth factors to guide stem cell differentiation during 3D bioprinting.

I was exceedingly fortunate to spend September in CICECO – Aveiro Institute of Materials as part of a research visit for PRISM-LT.

David Mark

The visit combined knowledge transfer with hands-on experimentation. Mark trained the Aveiro team in minicell production techniques while learning about CICECO’s encapsulation methods.

I really enjoyed working together on the minicell experiments and especially loved running the encapsulations and seeing everything come together. It was inspiring to troubleshoot challenges alongside [David] and learn so much from [his] approach.

Marta Filipa Bispo Lousada, researcher at CICECO

Despite the challenges of conducting microbiology experiments in an unfamiliar laboratory setting, the collaboration proved highly productive thanks to support from the Aveiro team, including Maria Clara Gomes, Ana Margarida Almeida, and Bruna Ferreira, who helped navigate technical obstacles throughout the visit.