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Hello! My name is Juliana. I enjoy traveling and discovering new places, exploring, spending time with my family and friends, cooking desserts, training, and playing volleyball. I also love reading and doing my own nails. I’m passionate about crafts and anything that involves creativity.

For this course, I hope to learn and become more familiar with tissue engineering, as well as better understand this area within biomedical engineering and how and why the OoC process works.

About my academic process, I’ll be starting my 7th semester next term. I’m formally enrolled in Electronic Engineering, which is the undergraduate program I started with. However, I decided to switch to Biomedical Engineering and began taking its courses a year ago. I haven’t made the official change yet for personal reasons, but I hope to do so soon. Meanwhile, I have Biomedical Engineering as an academic option.

Additionally, I’m pursuing a double major in Physics, and I’m currently around the 5th semester in that program, as well as an academic option in Astronomy.

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Helloo! My name is Juliana Soler Murcia, and I’m currently studying Biomedical Engineering. Since the beginning of my academic journey, I’ve been interested in topics that connect technology, biology, and medicine. I’m really passionate about genetics, personalized medicine, and biomedical research.

Beyond academics, I really enjoy working out at the gym, traveling, spending time with my family, listening to music, going out with friends, and baking desserts.

I decided to take this course because it’s a fascinating area that brings together several of my interests. I’m excited to learn more about OoC systems and their potential applications in disease modeling, drug testing, and the development of personalized therapies.

Next semester will be my final one in the program. Throughout my career, I also completed an academic option in neuroscience. I’m currently exploring opportunities for my internship to continue growing in the biomedical field and maybe dive into new areas I haven’t discovered yet.

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Hi everyone, my name is Juan Manuel Palacios, I’m 21 years old, and I’m currently in my eighth semester of Biomedical Engineering. I recently finished an academic option in Neuroscience, which gave me the chance to explore subjects I’m really passionate about, especially the connections between brain function, technology, and clinical applications.

Right now, I’m getting ready for my professional internship, which is a stage I’m really looking forward to. I see it as an opportunity to apply everything I’ve learned in a more practical and meaningful way, and also to figure out what specific areas of biomedical engineering I’d like to focus on in the future.

Outside of academics, I’m very into sports. I enjoy playing, training, and following different disciplines. I also really like reading, both for personal growth and curiosity, and I’m a big fan of movies of every genre, but my favorites are science fiction.

From this course, I hope to gain insights that are truly applicable to both research and professional environments. I’m excited to learn from the professors, but also from all of you. I think working together and sharing different perspectives can lead to a lot of growth, and I’m looking forward to building strong connections with my classmates.

It’s great to be here, and I hope this experience brings valuable lessons and opens new opportunities for everyone.

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Hi, my name is Catalina Peña. I’m an anthropologist, and I’m currently studying Biomedical Engineering with a focus on neuroscience. As a hobby, I love dancing. I’ve danced with two folkloric dance groups for 10 years, and I also enjoy contemporary dance and other forms of artistic movement. I like traveling, being in nature, and spending time with my family, friends, and my boyfriend.

I chose this course because it combines science, technology, and clinical applications in a unique way. I’m deeply interested in tissue engineering as an innovative branch of biomedical engineering, especially in relation to the design and function of OoC systems. I see this course as a valuable opportunity to understand how these technologies replicate physiological processes on a microscale and how they could transform modern medicine by helping study diseases, test new treatments, and support personalized medicine.

Finally, this subject allows me to deepen my knowledge and build a stronger foundation for the research project I’m working on with Professor Juan Carlos and Cristian. That way, by the time I finish my degree, I’ll have a clearer direction and know how to apply what I’ve learned in my future professional career.

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Hello! I'm Carolina, a biologist with MSc and PhD degrees in biological sciences, currently serving as an Associate Professor and Director of the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Universidad de los Andes, Colombia. I'm passionate about developing in vitro strategies and emerging technologies, such as 3D bioprinting and organ-on-chip models, to advance alternatives to animal testing and improve human health.

In my everyday life, I'm also a proud mother and enjoy exploring how science, family, and community can come together to create a meaningful impact. I love building spaces where young researchers can grow, collaborate, and innovate.

In this summer course on organ-on-chip, I’m excited to contribute by sharing our experience in 3D bioprinting skin models, leading discussions on hydrogel synthesis and cellular engineering, and collaborating with you to envision the future of translational biomedical technologies.

Let’s connect and learn together!

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I’m Juan C. Cruz, Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Universidad de los Andes and head of the Nanobiotechnology & Advanced Biomaterials group. For more than two decades I’ve woven materials science, microfluidics and data-driven design into therapeutic and diagnostic platforms, work that today spans both my academic lab and industry collaborations .

During “Organ-on-Chip: From Tissue Engineering to Technology” I’ll guide the session on Materials-science aspects for the rational design of bioinks . We’ll move from rheological fingerprints and polymer–cell crosstalk to scalable printing workflows. My classroom style is conversational and hands-on: I invite questions early and connect every concept to a real-world translational hurdle.

I’ll also share insights from our latest publication in Scientific Reports (2025). In that study, we coupled a phase-field model with magnetically guided 3D bioprinting to shrink spheroid-fusion times from seven days to just two while maintaining >99 % predictive accuracy, a leap that speeds organ-chip assembly and strengthens the 3Rs agenda in drug testing.

Beyond these sessions, I’ll be available throughout the week for project clinics and informal “chalk-talks” on bioinks, magnetic manipulation, and AI-assisted design. I’ve mentored more than sixty master’s and three PhD researchers, secured over two million US dollars in competitive funding, and sit on several editorial boards, so I’m keen to help participants refine their science-communication pitch.

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Delighted to meet motivated Colombian scientists and discuss the subject of organs on chips

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Hi everyone!
My name is Abril Serna, I’m 23 years old, and I’m currently in the final semester of my Master’s in Biomedical Engineering. I also completed my undergraduate degree at the university, with a option in biology.

For my Master’s thesis, I’ve been working on cancer immunotherapy—specifically, vaccine strategies for breast cancer—at the IDCBIS institute. I’m still actively involved in research there, which has given me hands-on experience with cell cultures and a deeper interest in how we can apply this knowledge in innovative ways.

That’s why I’m really excited about this course and the topic of organ-on-a-chip (OoC) systems. I see it as a great opportunity to explore new applications of what I’ve learned and dive into a fascinating area of biomedical engineering.

Outside the lab, I love traveling and trying new foods. I’m looking forward to connecting with all of you and learning more about the exciting possibilities in this growing field.

See you soon!

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Physician (UTP), Doctor of Pharmacy (UNAL), and completed postdoctoral studies in Tissue Engineering at Hepia University in Geneva, Switzerland.

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Hello everyone! I am María Camila Rincón García and in this opportunity, I will be your lab teacher. I am a Biomedical Engineer and Microbiologist with a Master in Biomedical Engineering. I am passionate about working on 3D bioprinting, tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, cell culture (2D and 3D), peptides with anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties, and gene expression. I developed my master's thesis under the guidance of Professors Carolina Muñoz and Juan Carlos Cruz, in which I evaluated electrostimulation as a potential tool to control the differentiation of adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells embedded within a 3D bioprinted matrix from SISMA with PEGylated graphene oxide.

I hope to support you and transmit you this passion during the course in the topics we will work on, and motivate you to generate new proposals and be part of the research groups to support the development of meaningful and positive technologies and solutions in health care.

As for my hobbies and personal life, I like dancing (kpop), reading, learning languages, watching anime and crocheting. Lastly, I have ten little dogs that are my life <3.

Welcome to the course!

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Hello! My name is Alan Santacruz, and I’m excited to be part of the course as a monitor. I hope to support you with any questions you may have and help you perform at your best throughout the class.

I’m currently a seventh-semester Biomedical Engineering student. I’ve had the opportunity to work on a special project and to attend classes taught by Professors Juan Carlos Cruz and Carolina Muñoz, where I gained hands-on experience with cell cultures, magnetite nanoparticles, and carbon quantum dots. I’ve also studied the theoretical aspects of magnetoliposomes in depth. I’m very passionate about this field of Biomedical Engineering and look forward to being part of more projects and courses that allow me to continue learning and expanding my experience. That’s why I’m truly excited about this class.

On a more personal note, I enjoy working out at the gym, traveling, watching movies and series, and listening to music.

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Hello, my name is Alejandra Osorio and I’m a biomedical engineering major;  my interests include physiology and mathematical modeling of biological systems. I’m eager to learn a lot from this course as OoC systems are a fascinating, yet unfamiliar subject to me.

In my free time, I enjoy hiking, reading, and playing tennis.

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Hey everyone, my name is Mateo Valbuena, and this will be my final class to complete my undergrad in Biomedical Engineering. My main academic  interests are neuro-engineering, cognitive neuroscience, machine learning, bioethics, digital humanities, and I have research experience in experimental design and signal decoding for BCI technologies. In my free time I enjoy doing long distance running, reading philosophy, playing guitar, drawing, photography and speed cubing.

I am very passionate about learning across interdisciplinary areas, and I am excited to study and explore the topic of OoC’s and its applications based on the little I already know!