About us

The Institute of Biophysics and Biomedical Engineering at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (IBPhBME-BAS) was established in June 2010 as a union of the former Institute of Biophysics and Centre of Biomedical Engineering “Prof. Ivan Daskalov” as their universal assignee. The former Institute of Biophysics was created in 1967 as a Centre of Biophysics and transformed to an institute in 1994. The former Centre of Biomedical Engineering was established in 1994 and later, in 2004, was renamed in honour of its late director Prof. Ivan Daskalov.

The Director of IBPhBME is Prof. Tania Pencheva.

IBPhBME is the leading Bulgarian research institute in the fundamental sciences of biophysics, biochemistry, cellular biology, and physiology. The Institute is in the front line of biomedical technologies R&D in the fields of electrophysiology, mechanics of movement, information technologies and bioactive compounds. The Institute successfully conducts technology transfer to other institutes of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, as well as universities, healthcare clinics and companies. IBPhBME is fully competitive and globally distinguished, and the achievements of its research staff have gained international recognition for their excellence.

The main directions of research of IBPhBME are:

  • Investigation on the structure-functional relations between lipids and proteins in biological membranes;
  • Еlectroinduced and photoinduced events in cells;
  • Bioelectrical processes in excitable cells;
  • Elucidation of the mechanisms underlying membrane-associated pathological processes;
  • Modelling of lipid-protein, pigment-lipid and cellular interactions by model lipid membranes, biophysical molecular and mathematical models;
  • Development of methods and tools for registration, processing and analysis of electrophysiological signals;
  • Motor control and biomechanics;
  • Development of algorithms, software and hardware devices for medicine;
  • Application of information technologies in healthcare;
  • Modeling of quantitative structure-activity relationships of bioactive compounds;
  • Molecular modelling.

The scientific achievements of the Institute’s staff in these directions have been published in a large number of authoritative journals, thus enjoying worldwide recognition. The scientists in IBPhBME are sought partners for joint scientific research, as evidenced by the numerous contracts with leading institutes, universities and laboratories from abroad.

The Institute has a variety of scientific equipment, including:

  • Spectrophotometers
  • Spectrofluorometers
  • Gas chromatograph
  • Scintillation counter
  • Luminometer
  • Centrifuges К-23 and К-24
  • Computerized system for microscopic image analysis and processing
  • Set–up for high-sensitivity differential scanning microcalorimetry
  • Cell culture laboratory
  • Electromyograph
  • Electroencephalograph
  • Computerized stations for analysis of signals from different electrocardiographic leads’ systems
  • Set–up for microelectrode investigations
  • Automated system for electrophysiological and biomechanical studies
  • System for high performance liquid chromatography determination of amino acids after in vivo brain micro dialysis
  • Isometric force measurements in resistant blood vessels (Mulvany’s myography)
  • Polarographic oxygen rate electrode
  • Microplate reader
  • Inverted fluorescent microscope

The Institute of Biophysics and Biomedical Engineering maintains scientific contacts with the British Royal Society, the German Research Foundation (DFG), the Max Planck Institute, the German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg and the Helmholtz Association of Research Centres, the Swedish Royal Academy, the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), INSERM – France, the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) as well as various academic institutes and universities in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, Germany, Hungary, India, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom, etc.

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