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Join us for a tour of our bodies, using cutting-edge super-resolution microscopy to zoom into the brain and heart up to four times their normal size. We’ll then delve into the underworld of the guts to examine the legions of disease-influencing microbes within, and how mouth bacteria may trigger arthritis before symptoms ever appear in the joints.
From Heartbeat to Heartbreak
Dr Miriam Hurley
(PhD, FHEA, Experimental Lead in Systems Physiology)
What keeps your heart beating - and what happens when it breaks? We’ll explore how everyday life shapes your heart, then zoom deep inside using cutting-edge microscopy to reveal a hidden world of change, damage, and repair. Using smartphone microscopes, real heart samples, and even a little help from “beer goggles,” discover how seeing the invisible could transform how we understand and treat heart disease and how it could help keep your heart beating for longer.
Blowing up brains!
Felecia Sutton
(PhD researcher in Neuroscience )
In your brain, protective sugary coats wrap around nerve cells which contribute to learning and memory. These effects on memory could be used as potential treatments for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. However the intricate structure of these protective sugary coats are too small to be seen by standard microscopy techniques… Instead, we can use expansion microscopy to physically ‘blow up’ or enlarge portions of brain to four times their normal size. This allows us to see the structure of the sugary coat as it has never been seen before and to better inform future treatments.
Word of mouth- how your oral microbes talk to your whole body
Professor Thuy Do
(Professor of Molecular Microbiology)
Could the secret to your future health be hiding in your gums? Your mouth is teeming with life, it is home to a large community of microbes, but when the balance shifts, it does more than just cause cavities. Using sophisticated tools, my lab decodes the genetic "chatter" of these microbes to find early warning signs of disease. In a local Leeds study, we’ve even found that certain mouth bacteria might trigger the onset of rheumatoid arthritis before symptoms ever appear in the joints. Join us to discover how your oral microbiome acts as a crystal ball for your body’s wellbeing.
Getting to the guts of the matter – shedding light on the microbial dark matter in our intestines
Professor Kieran Tuohy
(Professor of Energy Metabolism and Microbiome)
Our gut speaks to us constantly, telling us we’re hungry, reacting to our mood, reminding us it matters with bloating, gas, sometimes pain and of course waste disposal! But who is doing the talking, our cells or the 500 different species of microorganisms living in our intestine? Work is underway at the University of Leeds to better understand how the foods we eat shape the composition and activity of our gut microbiome, and its cross-talk with our bodies and minds. Plus, we investigate its influence on health and the risk of diabetes, heart disease, autoimmune diseases, cancer and dementia.
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