About us

ISCIII BIOBANKS AND BIOMODELS PLATFORM

The ISCIII Biobanks and Biomodels Platform is an initiative of the Carlos III Health Institute.

The Coordination team has organised the Platform’s structure into four scientific-technological HUBS, which include: Biobanks, Organoids, Animal Models and 3D Printing. This structure makes it possible to manage and supply biological samples and associated clinical data. In the interest of promoting and incrementing scientific-technological resources in biomedical research, the PISCIIIBB’s services include organoids, animal models and 3D printing.

The ISCIII Biobanks and Biomodels Platform has joined the European Biobanking Infrastructure (BBMRI-ERIC) as an observing member, acting as the national node in BBMRI-ERIC, one of the most relevant research platforms in the European Union.

Mission

The mission of the ISCIII Biobanks and Biomodels Platform is to offer the highest level of quality and cutting-edge services to facilitate and advance in the definition of better therapy for the patient and thereby close the cycle from basic research to the execution of the clinical application.

Vision

The vision of the ISCIII Biobanks and Biomodels Platform is to become a national and international model for companies, clinical institutions, and research and administrative bodies as an infrastructure able to perform, from a scientific, technological and regulatory perspective, a complete preclinical validation which ranges from the design to the validation of the product in vivo.

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PISCIII_BB COORDINATOR

ELENA GARRETA BAHIMA

Dr. Garreta holds a PhD in Chemistry from Ramon Llull University-Sarrià Chemical Institute (IQS), where she specialized in biomaterials design and tissue engineering. She subsequently completed several postdoctoral fellowships, participating in pioneering studies on the generation of human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and the development of differentiation strategies into various cell lineages. Since 2015, she has been a senior researcher at the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), in the Pluripotency for Organ Regeneration group. She is also an associate professor at the University of Barcelona. In August 2024, Dr. Garreta was appointed Acting Junior Group Leader of the Pluripotency for Organ Regeneration group at IBEC. The group’s research focuses on the development of human organoids combined with bioengineering strategies for disease modeling and applications in precision medicine. Dr. Garreta has contributed to pioneering studies on pluripotent stem cells and the development of human organoids, with publications in high-impact journals such as Nature Biotechnology, Nature Materials, Materials Today, Cell, and Cell Metabolism, among others. Since December 2024, she has been the Coordinator of the ISCIII Biomodels and Biobanks Platform at PT23 and Alternate Coordinator of the National Node at BBMRI-ERIC.

Coordination Office

AURORA GARCÍA ROBLES

She holds a PhD in Psychology from the University of the Balearic Islands (2023), a Master’s degree in Psychological Intervention and Mental Health (a postgraduate degree), and a Master’s degree in Introduction to Research in Mental Health from the University of Cantabria. Her professional career has primarily focused on management and administration within the healthcare sector, and since November 2018, she has worked at the Coordination Office of the National Biobank Network (RNBB). There, she collaborates on managing sample and service requests, supports biobanks and platform members in their collaborative activities, assists in implementing processes and procedures, and supports the Coordination of the National Platform of Biomodels and Biobanks at the ISCIII (Carlos III Health Institute).