A Gene Bill of Health

Bacteria quickly evolve resistance to antibiotic drugs, causing antimicrobial resistance (AMR) which kills 5 million people a year. Bacteria have predators called Bacteriophages ‘bacteria-eaters’, the most abundant organism on the planet. Discovered 100 years ago, bacteriophages are now used to cure AMR infections in people (phage-therapy). In this talk, we’ll explore how to make bacteriophages synthetically: by breaking bacteria apart and harnessing their internal machinery to produce bacteriophages, in order to treat patients more effectively.

Having high blood pressure can mean someone is more at risk of having serious health issues, such as a heart attack, stroke or other illness. Measuring blood pressure is important as it helps to identify these health risks. But did you know that blood pressure should be measured in both arms? Find out why this is and why it is such a common health care measurement and what you can do to keep your blood pressure healthy.

23andMe, CRISPR and Designer Babies. We constantly hear about the novelties of gene editing and the dystopian future that awaits us, but is there any truth to that or is the media just exaggerating? In my talk, I will showcase the amazing scientific advances of the last decade and explain the details of this technology that make it both revolutionary and potentially harmful to our society.