Raquel Aires-Barros receives international award for biopharmaceutical research

Raquel Aires-Barros, a professor at the Instituto Superior Técnico of the University of Lisbon, has been honored with the Per-Åke Albertsson Award. The award was presented during the Biopartitioning and Purification Conference 2026 held in Slovenia.

The distinction recognizes her career in separation science and her contributions to the purification of biological products, specifically the development of processes for producing biopharmaceuticals. These products are critical for treating cancer, autoimmune diseases, and rare conditions.

Aires-Barros's research focuses on the essential stage of separating and purifying biomolecules to ensure quality and safety for therapeutic or industrial use. Her work aims to integrate process stages, explore continuous production and small-scale technologies, and utilize modeling, automation, and artificial intelligence. Additionally, her research addresses the need for more efficient and sustainable production by reducing the consumption of water, energy, and materials. She currently coordinates the Bioprocess Engineering research group at the Institute of Bioengineering and Biosciences (iBB).