On May 18th, POLYMAT held the “Polymers for Health – Cluster Workshop” at the Bilbao School of Engineering, bringing together researchers from the different groups working within the Polymers for Health node.

The workshop was conceived as a collaborative meeting point to connect research groups, share ongoing work, and identify new opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration in the field of polymers for biomedical and healthcare applications.

The scientific program featured a series of talks covering a broad spectrum of research lines across the cluster. Topics included nanozyme-loaded hydrogels designed to modulate oxidative stress and inflammation responses, platelet lysate-derived nanoparticles for drug delivery applications, and organic mixed ionic electronic conductors (OMIECs) for light-driven ion transport systems.

Additional presentations addressed advances in biodegradable polymeric biomaterials such as polylactide systems, sensing bioinks for in vitro infection modeling, multifunctional nanogels targeting persistent bacterial infections, supramolecular antibacterial bioadhesives, and ultrasound-activated scaffold materials for osteochondral tissue regeneration.

The event also included a coffee networking session, a guided laboratory tour, and a shared lunch aimed at encouraging interaction between researchers from different areas of expertise.

The workshop gathered participants from several POLYMAT research lines, including Responsive Polymers for Therapeutics, Multifunctional Protein-polymer Hybrids, Smart Materials for Tissue Regeneration, Multilayer and Soft Polymers for Biomedicine, Science and Engineering of Polymeric Biomaterials, and Polymers for Bioelectronics, highlighting the multidisciplinary nature of the Polymers for Health ecosystem at POLYMAT.