Ci2B - Center for Research and Innovation in Bioengineering

What Ci2B - Center for Research and Innovation in Bioengineering does

Ci2B (Centro de Investigación e Innovación en Bioingeniería) is a university research center at the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV) in Valencia, Spain, dedicated to interdisciplinary research in bioengineering and biomedical engineering technologies. The center's technical portfolio spans high-resolution quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) piezoelectric biosensors achieving detection limits over 1000 times better than conventional systems; realistic 3D computational models of cardiac electrophysiology used for drug safety and arrhythmia research; flexible concentric ring electrodes for non-invasive bioelectric recording; biomedical signal processing algorithms for cardiac, uterine, intestinal, cerebral, respiratory, and muscular signals; tissue electrical stimulation systems including deep brain stimulation; and 3D bioprinting of cardiac ventricular chambers using iPS-derived cardiomyocytes. The center employs 23 staff including 16 named researchers, led by Director Beatriz Trénor Gomis (since November 2021) and coordinated with founding director Francisco Javier Saiz Rodríguez.

The center's revenue model is multi-stream: competitive public research grants from regional, national, and European funding bodies (including ERC Starting Grants and Marie Skłodowska-Curie fellowships); R&D contracts with pharmaceutical majors (Gilead, Glaxo, AstraZeneca, Novartis, Bayer, Sanofi) and medical device/technology firms (IBM, Medtronic) for collaborative research; technology licensing of patents; and hardware sales through two UPV spin-off companies—AWSensors (Advanced Wave Sensors, founded 2009) for QCM detection instruments and AWSensors Diagnostics for point-of-care and mobile health applications. The center does not publicly disclose pricing; technology transfer arrangements are negotiated case-by-case through the UPV technology transfer office.

Ci2B distributes its work through peer-reviewed publications in high-impact journals (50+ international papers, 200+ conference papers across the team), international research consortia (preDiCT, SimCardioTest, MY-ATRIA, PETRA), clinical collaborations with hospitals including La Fe, and international academic partnerships with Johns Hopkins, Yale, Oxford, POLIMI, UCLA, and Mount Sinai. Strategic intent, per the center's mission statement, is to become an internationally referenced technological and research center fostering technology transfer to companies and institutions to improve health outcomes.

Name

Ci2B - Center for Research and Innovation in Bioengineering

Legal name

Centro de Investigación e Innovación en Bioingeniería

Website

https://ci2b.webs.upv.es

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Ci2B is a university research center at Universitat Politècnica de València conducting interdisciplinary bioengineering and biomedical engineering research, developing piezoelectric biosensors, 3D cardiac computational models, biomedical signal processing, and tissue engineering, serving pharmaceutical firms, medical device companies, hospitals, and academia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Biomedical Engineering Research

NAICS

Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Electromedical and Electrotherapeutic Apparatus Manufacturing (334510)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826), Electromedical & Electrotherapeutic Apparatus (3845)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAHAGAI

Biomedical Sciences & Medical Research Institutes (University-Based)

Education/Higher Education (Colleges & Universities)/Medical & Health Sciences Universities

SECONDARYHLAGAAAJ

Imaging & Cardiac Safety Core Labs (ECOG/EEG/ECG)

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Life Science Tools & Services (CRO/CDMO/Lab Services)/Contract Research Organizations (CRO)

SECONDARYHLAHAFAG

Mechanical Circulatory Support (VAD, IABP, ECMO)

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Medical Devices & Diagnostics/Cardiovascular Devices (Stents, Valves, Rhythm Management)

Keywords

• Biomedical engineering research
• Piezoelectric biosensor technology
• Cardiac computational modeling
• Biomedical signal processing
• Tissue engineering research

Headquarters

HQ city

Valencia

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Research Project Funding: Competitive research grants from regional, national, and European funding bodies for interdisciplinary research in bioengineering and biomedical engineering.
2. Technology Transfer and Licensing: Revenue from spin-off companies (AWSensors), technology licensing, and commercialization of developed technologies and patents.
3. R&D Contracts with Companies: Direct research contracts and collaborative projects with private companies in pharmaceutical, medical device, and biotechnology sectors.
4. Spin-off Company Revenue: AWSensors (Advanced Wave Sensors) spin-off commercializes QCM instruments and biosensors; AWSensors Diagnostics focuses on Point of Care and Mobile Health Applications.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Ci2B is a university research center at the Universitat Politècnica de València conducting interdisciplinary research in Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering Technologies. It develops and transfers proprietary technologies including high-resolution quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) biosensors, 3D cardiac computational models, biomedical signal processing systems, AI-based clinical decision support, tissue electrical stimulation systems, and 3D bioprinted cardiac structures, commercializing select outputs through spin-off companies and licensing.

Product overview

Ci2B is a research center at Universitat Politècnica de València dedicated to scientific and technical research in Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering. The center operates through multiple interconnected product lines: High Resolution QCM Biosensors and associated spin-offs AWSensors and AWSensors Diagnostics provide label-free detection technology; Cardiac Modeling and Simulation Systems offer computational models for studying arrhythmias and drug effects; Biomedical Signal Processing Systems process various bioelectric signals; AI-Based Decision Support Systems provide machine learning capabilities for diagnosis; Ad Hoc Monitoring Systems deliver custom hardware for signal acquisition; and 3D Bioprinted Cardiac Structures enable tissue engineering research. The center also produces Flexible Concentric Ring Electrodes, ELISA diagnostic kits, and portable monitoring devices. These products form an integrated ecosystem from biosensor technology to computational analysis and clinical decision support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• High Resolution QCM Biosensors Piezoelectric label-free biosensors based on quartz crystal microbalances with very high frequency sensors achieving detection sensitivities over 1,000 times higher than conventional microbalances, used for quantitative real-time detection of biomolecular interactions including antigen-antibody reactions, pathogen detection, cell adhesion, and DNA hybridization.
• Cardiac Electrical Activity Modeling and Simulation Systems Realistic 3D computational models of the heart incorporating genetic characteristics of ionic currents, electrophysiological properties of cardiac cell types, and anatomical structure integrated with torso models for studying arrhythmias, drug effects, and personalized cardiac treatment planning.
• Biomedical Signal Processing and Analysis Systems Systems for processing bioelectric signals from smooth muscle (uterine, intestinal, gastric), skeletal muscle, cardiac, respiratory, and cerebral origin using advanced linear and non-linear techniques in temporal, spectral, and time-frequency domains.
• Tissue Electrical Stimulation Systems Advanced tissue electrical stimulation systems including deep brain stimulation (DBS), nervous, sensory and cortical stimulation, and transthoracic stimulation for treatment of neurological disorders, chronic pain, and cardiovascular conditions.
• AI-Based Clinical Decision Support Systems Artificial intelligence systems using machine learning algorithms (neural networks, SVM, CNN, RNN) for clinical decision support, disease diagnosis, prognosis prediction, and treatment optimization based on biomedical signals and clinical records.
• Ad Hoc Bioelectric Signal Monitoring Systems Customized compact systems for remote monitoring and recording of biological signals (1-16 channels) including intestinal pressure, intestinal and uterine myoelectric signals, intrauterine pressure, respiration, and maternal-fetal electrocardiography.
• 3D Bioprinted Cardiac Structures Cardiac ventricular chambers created through 3D bioprinting with cardiomyocytes derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS), combined with mathematical modeling and computational simulation of growth and remodeling for tissue engineering applications.
• Flexible Concentric Ring Electrodes Flexible annular electrode systems for non-invasive high-performance recording of bioelectric signals including ECG, electrohysterogram (EHG), electroenterogram (EGn), EMG, and EEG with configurable outputs and spatial sensitivity distributions.
• ELISA Diagnostic Kits Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits for rapid, sensitive detection and quantification of pesticide residues in food and environment, comprising 11 individual kits and 5 multianalyte kits for various pesticide families.
• Portable Maternal-Fetal Monitoring Device (ART-MMF) Small, light, portable device for conditioning, digitalization, recording and wireless Bluetooth transmission of bioelectric signals for maternal-fetal monitoring including maternal-fetal cardiac information and uterine muscle activity.

Quantifiable outcome

• Detection limit improvement of over 1000 times (3 orders of magnitude) compared to conventional QCM microbalances
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability7 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• AWSensors (Advanced Wave Sensors)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUPV spin-off company created by Ci2B researchers (Antonio Arnau, Yolanda Jiménez) specializing in design, development, production and marketing of high-precision QCM detection instrumentation. Commercializes sensor technology developed at the research center.
• AWSensors DiagnosticscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpin-off company focused on Point of Care, Point of Diagnostics and Mobile Health Applications market, created by Ci2B researchers.
• Johns Hopkins University (USA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing research collaboration in cardiac modeling and computational electrophysiology. Multiple researchers conducted postdoctoral training and collaborative research at Johns Hopkins.
• Yale University (USA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch collaboration with Department of Biomedical Engineering. Marcos Latorre completed 2017-2021 postdoc focusing on computational models of growth and remodeling for cardiovascular tissue.
• University of Oxford (UK)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead partner in European preDiCT project for cardiac modeling. Lucía Romero conducted research stays; collaborative work on atrial fibrillation simulation.
• Polytechnic University of Milan (POLIMI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMY-ATRIA consortium partner; Guadalupe García Isla conducted PhD with Marie Skłodowska-Curie fellowship; teaching collaborations in applied AI in biomedicine.
• SimCardioTest ConsortiumflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerEU-funded project for in silico simulations for certification of cardiac devices and drugs involving multiple European institutions.
• La Fe HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClinical collaboration for cardiac modeling, biomedical signal processing research, and healthcare technology development.
• Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (USA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMaite Mora conducted 2019 research stay focusing on cardiac modeling and calcium handling in heart failure.
• Various Spanish HospitalscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative clinical research in obstetrics, cardiology, and gastrointestinal fields for biomedical signal processing validation.
• PETRA European NetworkflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPiezoElectric TRansducers and Applications European network coordinated by Antonio Arnau Vives for acoustic wave sensor research.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• AWSensors (Advanced Wave Sensors): Spin-off of Ci2B commercializing the high-resolution QCM biosensor technology developed at the center. Most directly comparable entity for Ci2B's biosensor IP and product commercialization pathway.
• Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC): University-based Spanish bioengineering research institute with comparable interdisciplinary scope (biomedical signal processing, biosensors, tissue engineering) and similar public-grant funding model.
• Biolin Scientific (Q-Sense): Commercial provider of QCM instruments directly competing with AWSensors in the same high-sensitivity detection market that Ci2B's biosensor research targets.
• Imperial College London - Institute of Biomedical Engineering: Top-tier European university research institute conducting comparable interdisciplinary bioengineering research with strong cardiac modeling, biosensor, and signal processing programs.
• ETH Zurich - Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering: Swiss university-based bioengineering research department with analogous scope spanning tissue engineering, biomedical signal analysis, and computational modeling.
• Inria (cardiac modeling teams): French national research institute with active cardiac electrophysiology and 3D heart modeling teams that overlap Ci2B's computational cardiac work, including partners in SimCardioTest.

Emerging players

• InsilicoTrials Technologies: Commercial in silico trial platform for cardiac safety assessment, overlapping with Ci2B's drug cardiotoxicity modeling services for pharma; positioned as commercial counterpart to Ci2B's research offering.

Broad incumbents

• Medtronic: Large medical device incumbent collaborating with Ci2B on cardiac devices and AI for cardiovascular disease diagnosis; operates broadly across cardiac rhythm management with substantial commercial scale.
• Siemens Healthineers: Major medical imaging and diagnostics incumbent with cardiac modeling/digital twin capabilities as part of broader portfolio, providing commercial-grade counterpart to Ci2B's cardiac modeling research.
• Philips Research (Biomedical Signals): Global healthcare technology incumbent with biomedical signal processing, ECG/EEG monitoring, and clinical decision support offerings that overlap Ci2B's AI-driven diagnostic programs at industrial scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Ci2B - Center for Research and Innovation in Bioengineering