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Could selfies be used in disease diagnosis? Christoffer discuss how the use of facial recognition software can be used in diagnosing rare diseases. Nicola will talk about CRISPR, one of the latest hot topics in genome modification. Plus, Pint of Science pint glasses and tshirts to be won! (Please note: event located on the first floor, only accessible via stairs.)
Using selfies to diagnose disease
Christoffer Nellaker
(MRC Methodology Research Fellow)
Each rare disease is… well, rare, but rare diseases all bunched together are surprisingly common. 1 in 17 people experience a type of rare disease. And although getting a diagnosis can be difficult, doctors have noticed many rare illnesses present characteristic changes to the head and face – and think this could be a new way to diagnose them. Researchers including Chris Nellaker are developing facial recognition techniques to help clinicians make faster and better diagnoses, using the latest machine learning to spot disease phenotypes. Who knew selfies could be so helpful?
Beer and CRISPRs
Nicola Beer
(Postdoctoral researcher)
How about night in the pub with beer and CRISPR? But we’re not talking cheese and onion flavour - CRISPR-Cas9 is a state-of-the-art tool for re-writing the DNA within our cells. Nicola Beer is using this exciting new biotechnology to study genomes and DNA, the recipes for the building blocks of life. And CRISPR not only studies the genome, but can ‘edit’ it, changing the recipe and helping us understand how diseases operate at a cellular level. With the help of CRISPR, Nicola’s work could soon lead to the design of new drugs and therapies.
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