🎥 Piezo4Spine featured in an RTVE episode about life after spinal cord injury
The Spanish national broadcaster RTVE has released a powerful and emotional episode of “De seda y hierro – Mirar hacia adelante”, highlighting the resilience, challenges and daily lives of people with spinal cord injuries.
One of the central voices in the episode is Sergio Martín, a former professional cyclist who sustained a spinal cord injury after a traffic accident. Today he uses a wheelchair, gives motivational talks, and continues to reinvent his relationship with sport and independence.
The episode follows Sergio’s journey and personal reflections — offering an honest look at mobility, identity, adaptation and the courage it takes to “look ahead.”
Later in the programme (minute 13:25), Sergio visits our coordinator María Concepción (Conchi) Serrano at her laboratory at the Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid (ICMM – CSIC), where she explains cutting-edge biomaterials research connected to Piezo4Spine. This includes a short scene featuring graphene oxide-based scaffolds, a material her group studies to understand how nano-scale structure and mechanical properties can influence cell behaviour and potentially support spinal cord regeneration.
Sergio then speaks with Conchi about his daily experience with SCI, his hopes for future treatments and the importance of linking research to real human needs. Conchi introduces the project’s 3D-printed, mechanically active “theramesh”, designed to deliver controlled mechanical cues that foster a pro-regenerative environment in injured spinal tissue.
Also our researchers from SESCAM, Elisa López-Dolado and Juan Aguilar, join their conversation, explaining their work on preclinical testing, tissue response studies and neurophysiological evaluations.
👉 The episode is in Spanish, but the message, humanity and strength behind these stories are universal.
Watch here: https://www.rtve.es/play/videos/de-seda-y-hierro/mirar-hacia-delante/16816921/
A heartfelt thank you to Sergio Martín for sharing his story — and thank you to RTVE that Piezo4Spine was featured! ❤️