Juanma Fernandez Costa

Juanma Fernandez Costa is a Researcher at the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), leading the Biosensors for Bioengineering research group. His work focuses on advancing bioengineering solutions for muscular dystrophies through innovative 3D in vitro models and tissue engineering platforms. Key contributions include developing xeno-free skeletal muscle tissues, functional Duchenne muscular dystrophy models, and organ-on-a-chip systems to study disease mechanisms and therapeutic interventions.

Research interests span biosensor integration in tissue models, regenerative medicine applications, and translational research bridging bench and clinical settings. Notable projects include muscle-atrophy studies linked to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, drug testing platforms for steroid myopathy, and miRNA-based therapies for myotonic dystrophy type 1.

Collaborations involve multi-organ systems to explore metabolic interactions, such as muscle-exercise effects on insulin secretion. His lab pioneered plasmonic biosensors for real-time fibrosis monitoring and functional skeletal muscle models enabling preclinical drug evaluation. Current efforts emphasize scalable bioengineered tissues and systems integration for complex disease modeling.