From July 9 to 12, the congress “Cutting-edge Nanotechnologies for Good Health and Well-being” was held in Bangkok (Thailand). It was an international meeting focused on the latest advances in nanomedicine, organized by the University of Chulalongkorn (Thailand), CIC biomaGUNE, the Spanish Embassy in Bangkok and the Center for Technological Development and Innovation (CDTI) of the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities of Spain. Dr. Eva Baldrich, head of the Diagnostic Nanotools (DINA) group at Vall d'Hebron Research Institute (VHIR), participated in the congress and in several activities held throughout the week to promote collaboration between Thai and Spanish centers.

A hundred professionals working in the field of nanomedicine, both from a therapeutic and diagnostic point of view, participated in the congress. The Spanish delegation invited by CDTI and the embassy included representatives from ten institutions: five from research centers, including VHIR, four companies, and one from the Spanish Platform in Nanomedicine (Nanomed). On behalf of VHIR, Dr. Eva Baldrich gave a talk showing the advances of her group in the use of nanomaterials as enzyme mimetics, which her group is using in the production of rapid assays and biosensors for the diagnosis of diseases such as malaria in the context of the EuroNanoMed (ISCIII AC21_2/0002)1 and CaixaResearch Health (La Caixa LCF/PR/HR23/52430013) projects.

The event ended with a Spanish-Thai bilateral innovation forum, where Dr. Baldrich participated in a speed dating to meet representatives of Thai centers and companies. In this case, she represented several VHIR groups doing research in nanomedicine from different perspectives, including both the synthesis of nanocomposites and their diagnostic and therapeutic application in pathologies such as stroke, Parkinson's disease, childhood cancer, lupus, ophthalmology, infectious diseases and liver diseases. The ultimate goal was to identify synergies and make contacts for future international collaborations.

Also during the week, the Spanish delegation was welcomed by the Spanish ambassador in Thailand, visited the National Nanotechnology Center of Thailand (NANOTEC/NSTDA) and the company Siam Bioscience, and attended different networking activities.

“Participating in these activities has been a great opportunity to get to know the impressive facilities and professionals working in Thailand, a great unknown for most European researchers, and to establish contacts, both with other research institutes and companies, which will allow us to work together on new research projects”, explains Dr. Eva Baldrich.