ECLectic Doctoral Network Meets at BCMaterials

BCMaterials hosted the second meeting of the Marie Curie ECLectic doctoral network from April 1 to 4. Our center is part of the consortium of 10 European universities, research centers, and companies participating in this project. ECLectic aims to develop electrochemiluminescence (ECL) sensors capable of early detection (within 2-3 hours) of bacteria that cause sepsis. As a doctoral network, ECLectic's mission is to train young researchers in this discipline.

The meeting was divided into three main sections. The first day was dedicated exclusively to training the 10 predoctoral researchers in aspects such as publication in scientific journals, dissemination and scientific outreach of their work, and more. The second day focused on monitoring the progress of the project's various work packages. Finally, the third and fourth days featured an interesting workshop aimed at predoctoral students and researchers in their early careers. The workshop, which focused on the foundations of electrochemiluminescence, featured talks by some of the most prominent international figures in this field.

"We are very satisfied with the progress of this meeting," says Javier del Campo, Ikerbasque Research Professor and lead researcher for ECLectic at BCMaterials. "I think it was fantastic due to the educational content and the great atmosphere and camaraderie among the predoctoral researchers, who also have exceptional talent," he adds.

Sepsis is a disease that affects 50 million people annually, according to WHO data, and has a very high mortality rate. It is estimated to cause 20% of deaths worldwide. Early diagnosis is key to reducing its severity. The ECLectic team believes that using ECL in testing can be decisive, as it significantly reduces the "noise" in the samples.