Venue

The course will be held at i3S – Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, University of Porto.
Rua Alfredo Allen, 208; 4200-135 Porto, Portugal
Tel: +351 226 074 900 | E-mail: events@i3s.up.pt
GPS coordinates: 41º 10’ 30.008’’ N, 8º 36’ 12.488’’ W.

Program

The program is divided into lectures, hands-on sessions, and a live demonstration of a high-throughput nanoindentation system integrated with imaging capabilities. The following topics will be addressed:

Fundamental concepts of AFM
Methodologies for calibrating cantilever sensitivity and spring constants
Analysis of systematic and random errors affecting force measurements in soft biological materials
Analysis of AFM Power Spectral Density and force-distance curves
Application of computational fitting models (e.g., Hertz, Sneddon) in AFM data analysis
Mechanical analysis of 3D biological samples (such as spheroids, organoids, and hydrogels using AFM)
Simultaneous mapping of nanomechanical properties and imaging of sample topography using the Quantitative Imaging^TM (QI^TM) mode in AFM
Fundamental concepts of rheology
Bulk rheology and mesorheology of spheroids
Microrheology using Optical Tweezers and AFM as complementary tools to investigate viscoelastic properties of subcellular structures such as chromosomes
Oscillatory shear testing and interpretation of experimental data (frequency sweep analysis and model fitting)
Viscometry and flow curve characterization through shear rate vs. viscosity analysis
Mechanobiology: Understanding the role of mechanics in health and disease
Live equipment demonstration: High-Throughput nanoindentation integrated with imaging, applied to the characterization of 3D engineered constructs

Speakers

Manfred Radmacher

Manfred Radmacher has studied physics at the Technical University of Munich, Germany. He continued there for his PhD, which was entitled “AFM of soft samples“. After a post-doc at the University of California Santa Barbara in Paul Hansma’s group, he returned to the group of Hermann Gaub at the Ludwig-Maximilians University in Munich. In 1999 he finished his habilitation there and continued as a researcher until he got his first professorship in Göttingen in 2000. He accepted a full professorship at the University of Bremen in 2002, where he has been teaching and doing research since then. His main research interests are the mechanical properties of cells and tissue, especially their relation to diseases. He has authored 95 peer-reviewed journal articles, 20 book chapters, 2 books as editor, 2 patents (one in Germany and one in the US), and achieved an h-index of 53.

Jacob Hanna Manlio Tassieri

Manlio Tassieri is a Reader within the Division of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Glasgow. He is a Council Member of the British Society of Rheology, a Member of the Institute of Physics, an Associate Member of the Institute of Non-Newtonian Fluid Mechanics, a Full College Member of the EPSRC Peer Review College, an Editorial Board Member of Scientific Reports, an Advisory Board Member of Physics of Fluids, and an Associate Editor for Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology – Biomaterial An internationally recognised expert in rheology and soft-matter physics, he previously served on the Executive Board of the European Society of Rheology (2023–2025). After earning a Laurea (MEng equivalent) in Chemical Engineering from the University of Naples “Federico II” and a PhD in Physics from the University of Leeds, he was awarded a Royal Academy of Engineering Research Fellowship (2010–2015). His research bridges microrheology, microfluidics, and biomedical engineering, focusing on the development of innovative tools for the viscoelastic characterisation of complex fluids and soft solids In 2025, Dr Tassieri received the British Society of Rheology Annual Award for outstanding contributions to experimental rheology. The same year, the KTP project with Soapworks Ltd that he led achieved a unique double success, winning both the Technical Excellence and Future Leader awards at the national KTP Awards. He currently leads the development of i-Rheo, a suite of technologies designed to make rheological measurements faster, simpler, and more accessible across research and industry.

Manuel Salmeron Rúben Pereira

Rúben F. Pereira is an Assistant Professor in biomaterials and bioengineering at the Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar (ICBAS, University of Porto) and researcher at the Biofabrication Group at i3S (Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, University of Porto). He is graduated in Biomechanics (2009) and holds an MSc in Product Design and Engineering (2011), both from the Polytechnic Institute of Leiria (Portugal). Rúben Pereira completed his PhD in Biomedical Sciences in 2018 with the support of a FCT PhD fellowship. During the PhD he specialized in the design and synthesis of biofunctional biomaterials capable of instructing skin morphogenesis within bioprinted 3D cell microenvironments. Then, he developed his post-doctoral research at i3S focusing on advanced biofabrication strategies to create hierarchical 3D in vitro tissue models for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine applications. As a result of the impact of his research in the field of biomedical engineering, Rúben Pereira was awarded with the prestigious "Professor Francisco Pulido Valente Prize 2018" by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) and Fundação Professor Francisco Pulido Valente. Rúben Pereira has been involved in +10 research projects supported by the industry, national, and international agencies in the fields of bioengineering, 3D bioprinting, tissue engineering and medical engineering. He has also been invited as a consultant for the pharmaceutical industry, providing advice on the design novel biomaterials for skin repair. He has solid experience in supervising team members, including the (co)supervision of 1 PhD student, 9 MSc students and 4 BSc students. Overall, his research attracted more than 1400 citations (h index = 15; source: G. Scholar). His research aims at developing bioengineered hydrogels that closely mimic the biophysical and biochemical features of cell microenvironment as biomimetic platforms for biomedical applications. By exploring bioprinting technologies and smart hydrogels, is research focuses on the fabrication of advanced 3D in vitro skin models as biologically functional platforms to address relevant challenges in skin healthcare.

Markus Feuerer Silvia Ferreira

Silvia Ferreira is Assistant Investigator at i3S. She completed her PhD in Biomedical Engineering, in 2012, at University of Minho. Then, she was Research Associate, at King's College London, until 2018, and then she moved to Imperial College London, where she was Research Fellow until 2021. She has developed expertise in advanced therapies, biomaterials, cell-matrix interactions, cellular crosstalk, mechanobiology, stem cell biology, basic immunology and neovascularization.

Lara Pereira (Optics11Life)

Lara Pereira is a Field Application Scientist at Optics11 Life, a life-science instrumentation company based in Amsterdam. Optics11 Life develops high-precision tools to measure the mechanical properties of cells, tissues, and biomaterials, supporting applications in mechanobiology, regenerative medicine, and drug development. In her role, Lara provides scientific training to users, application support, and instrument demonstrations. Lara holds a Master’s degree in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Aveiro (2022).

Manuela Brás (i3S, Porto, Portugal)

Manuela Brás graduated in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering and holds a Master’s and a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from FEUP, with a thesis entitled “Mechanobiology of Cancer Cells Using Atomic Force Microscopy.” Her first professional experience was in the mechanical industry at A. Brito Engrenagens, Lda, where she served as Head of the Quality Department. She began working at INEB in 1996 with a fellowship provided by FCT, serving as a laboratory technician. In 1999, she was hired by INEB. She is currently the Head of the Advanced Biomaterials and Biointerfaces Characterization Scientific Platform at i3S.

Ricardo Vidal (i3S, Porto, Portugal)

In 2007, Ricardo Vidal finished his bachelor's in Biochemistry at the Faculty of Sciences and ICBAS of the University of Porto. He has a post-graduation in Food, Science and Technology obtained in 2008 from the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto and the Biological Department of the University of Minho. He worked in the food industry at the Port Wine Cellars before joining INEB in 2008 (and I3S in 2023), where he has worked until now as a research technician belonging to the core scientific facility BN - Biointerfaces and Nanotechnology. In 2023, Ricardo concluded his master's degree in Innovation and Technological Entrepreneurship from the Faculty of Engineering (FEUP) of the University of Porto. In his dissertation, he studied Service design for better communication and management practices - in the context of scientific services in core facilities, namely, at the core facility where he belongs - BN. At BN, he is responsible for training, assistance, disclosure and the analysis of samples in several techniques, such as Dynamic Light Scattering, Ellipsometry, FTIR, Electro Kinetic analyzer, Optical Contact Angle, Rheology, Dynamic mechanical analysis, Gel Permeation chromatography, among others.

Registration

The registration fee includes coffee breaks and materials for hand-on sessions. Lunch is not included. Maximum number of participants: 20.

Fees:

Registration and payment deadline: 15^th December 2025
i3S members & P.CCC Raquel Seruca members - 250€
External participants – 350€

Registration form >>

Certificate Issuance:
A certificate of attendance will be issued to participants who attend 100% of the course sessions.

Cancelation policy:
The i3S will apply the following cancelation policy.

Cancellation by the course participant
In case a registered participant wishes to cancel a payed registration or does not attend the course, the registration fee will not be refunded.
Substitutions will only be made in exceptional circumstances at the discretion of the course organizers.

Cancellation by the Institution
The i3S reserves the right to cancel the course, in case of an insufficient number of participants, organizational reasons, or other unforeseeable events that render the execution of the course impossible. In case of cancelation by the organization the fee will be refunded.
In addition, i3S reserves the right to amend course times, dates or published prices if absolutely necessary. The organizer shall immediately inform the pre-registered participants of these alterations. Any cancellation or substitution requests should be requested by e-mail.

Information

More information:
Advanced Training Unit | E-mail: training@i3s.up.pt | Tel: +351 226 074 900

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