Prof. María Ángeles Pérez Ansón

Structural Mechanics, Mechanical Engineering Department, University of Zaragoza, ES

Precision Strategies in Cancer Research: From Miniaturized 3D Cultures to Digital Twins

Cancer research is a critical area of study today. Advances in precision engineering and nanotechnology are revolutionizing the field of cancer research, offering new avenues for understanding complex tumor biology and optimizing patient-specific treatments. This presentation will explore two cutting-edge strategies where precision technologies are playing a pivotal role.

First, we will focus on the tumor microenvironment (TME) and the use of miniaturized 3D cultures developed through microfluidic technologies. These in-vitro models provide highly controlled environments to replicate the intricate cellular interactions of the TME. Precision engineering allows for the manipulation of these systems at the micro and nanoscale, enabling researchers to study how tumor cells interact with their surroundings and test how modifying the TME can enhance treatment efficacy.

Secondly, we will investigate into the rapidly evolving concept of digital twins in oncology. By leveraging advanced computing and precision simulations, digital twins allow for the creation of highly accurate, patient-specific models of cancer. These models integrate data from diagnostics, including imaging biomarkers or data from previous in-vitro models, to simulate tumor growth and treatment responses. This enables researchers and clinicians to test various therapeutic strategies virtually before applying them to the patient, thereby personalizing and optimizing cancer treatment.

Together, these approaches showcase the synergy between precision engineering and cancer research, ultimately driving innovation in both cancer diagnosis and treatment. The intersection of these fields is leading to breakthroughs that may reshape the future of oncology.

Biography

María Ángeles Pérez is a Professor at the School of Engineering and Architecture at University of Zaragoza (Spain) and researcher at Engineering Research Institute of Aragon (I3A). She obtained her PhD in Computational mechanics (2004), afterwards she was a postdoctoral fellow at the Trinity College Dublin (Ireland) and at the Ecole de technologie supérieure Montreal (Canada). She is a member of the European Society of Biomechanics since 2007. Her present research and collaborations mainly focuses on computational biomechanics and mechanobiology, design of prostheses and implants and experimental and computational tissue engineering. She is an author of more than 50 publications in peer- reviewed journals, and more than 150 contributions to International and National Conferences. She has been part of the Council of the European Society of Biomechanics (ESB) during 8 years (2012-2020), being President of the ESB (2018-2020). She is the principal investigator of the research group Multiscale in Mechanical and Biological Engineering (University of Zaragoza) and of many research projects (tissue engineering, design of prosthesis and implants and creation of digital twins). She has been also the Director of the MSC in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Zaragoza and actively took part of the PhD program in Biomedical Engineering. She is now coordinating the Bachelor in Biomedical Engineering.

Prof. Wei Gao

Department of Finemechanics, School of Engineering, Tohoku University, JP

Advanced optical sensor technologies for precision metrology

Precision dimensional metrology, or simply precision metrology, is one of the cornerstones to support precision engineering. It is the science and technology of measurement for quantifying physical quantities derived from the SI base quantities of length and time, including geometrical properties of an object such as length, angle and surface topography, as well as kinematic properties such as displacement, velocity and acceleration. Such a measurement is particularly important for precision manufacturing industries including semiconductor manufacturing. This keynote will present advanced optical sensor technologies for measurement of length-related quantities, such as linear and angular displacements, positions, etc. The first part of the keynote will be focused on multi-axis optical sensors using diffracted beams. The development of a multi-axis autocollimator and a multi-axis surface encoder will be presented, followed by the related technologies for fabrication and calibration of the diffraction gratings used in the sensors. The second part of the keynote will be focused on optical sensors using white-light lasers. After an explanation of the unique characteristics of white-light laser in time-domain as ultrashort optical pulses, and in frequency domain as optical frequency comb, examples of optical sensors that have been developed by taking use of such characteristics will be presented.

Biography

Wei Gao received his Bachelor from Shanghai Jiao Tong University in 1986, followed by MSc and Ph. D from Tohoku University in 1991 and 1994, respectively. He is currently a professor in Tohoku University. His research interests lie primarily in precision nanometrology. He served as a vice president of JPSE in 2015 and the chairman of STC-P of CIRP in 2015-2018. He is an author of the books “Precision Nanometrology” (Springer), “Surface Metrology for Micro- and Nanofabrication” (Elsevier), “Optical Metrology for Precision Engineering” (De Gruyter). He was awarded the Prize for Science and Technology from the Japanese Government (MEXT) in 2019. He is a Fellow of CIRP, ISNM, JSPE and a Fellow of The Engineering Academy of Japan (EAJ).