Give us a Hand!

Nerves are the vital means of communication between our brains and the world we live in. However, peripheral nerve injury is common and can result in permanent disability. Cell engineering approaches have demonstrated promise, including microtopography ('cell braille'), stem cell therapy and local delivery of growth factors and pharmacological support. This exciting talk will cover current methods of nerve surgery and the novel tissue engineering strategies which are the future of nerve repair.

Nanotechnology has garnered a dubious reputation, from legitimate health concerns as well as nonsensical sci-fi predictions, but has the potential to revolutionise modern medicine. Ross will discuss some of the ways nanotechnology can be harnessed to improve the efficiency of treatments, open up new ones and mitigate nasty side-effects.

When you hold your hand up in front of your face it is obvious that the five-fingered thing in front of you is your hand, and the empty space next to it is not. But this ability to recognise your own body is more complicated than it first appears. Isa will talk about how we come to sense that we own our body and show how easily the brain can be tricked into claiming ownership of a fake limb.