Impetux Optics is a 2012 spin-out of the institution.
Barcelona University has become a shareholder in its spin-out Impetux Optics. The deal was made through Innovative and Scientific Culture (CIC-UB), a UB Group company.
Barcelona University is part of – and responsible for – the UB Group, an umbrella organisation for all the different legal entities of Barcelona University, which operate their own, independent budgets. CIC-UB is the group’s proprietorship to hold, manage, administer and make calls on shares. CIC-UB is monitored by the Bosch i Gimpera Foundation, the university’s technology transfer office. The chair of UB Group is the university’s rector.
Impetux is based on research by Mario Montes, professor of the Department of Applied Physics and Optics. The company has been awarded several grants since its incorporation, including from the Bosch i Gimpera Foundation, which commercialised the company in 2012.
Impetux develops instruments for measuring the force of optical tweezers. These optical tweezers allow the trapping and moving of microscopic objects using a beam of light. The samples can be manipulated within living cells without causing biological damage. Measuring the applied force of the optical tweezers is essential in understanding the mechanical processes behind the elasticity of DNA, protein folding, or cell division. This could lead, for example, to a better understanding of degenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s.
The global biophotonics market is estimated to be worth an annual $25bn. Impetux Optics’ target market, advanced optical microscopy, has been experiencing a technological revolution in recent years.