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Nobel Prizes are awarded in recognition of the most interesting achievements in a certain field. In science, they distinguish breakthrough discoveries and have an impact on how the science field moves forward. On this evening you can watch two Cardiff University researchers talking about the advances in the field of Immunotherapy and Stem Cells. This last topic granted the Nobel Prize in 2007 to a group of scientists from which Sir Martin Evans, a Cardiff University researcher, was part of. Grab a beer and join us to learn a bit more about these outstanding discoveries.
Stem cells: how to regenerate our ageing bodies – hope or hype?
Professor Phil Stephens
(Professor)
Historically, stem cells have had a pretty bad press, but with each passing year we understand more and more about what they can be crafted into and importantly how we can control them. This coupled with exciting developments in understanding and recreating the body’s natural scaffold for these cells (the extracellular matrix) means we can now make tissue/organ-like structures in the lab in a matter of days. However, are these true organ replacements or are we getting ahead of ourselves and promising too much, too soon?
Can the immune system cure cancer?
Professor Awen Gallimore
(Professor)
The last decade has seen exciting new developments in our understanding of how the body can use its own immune defences to fight cancer. With new knowledge, new cancer therapies have emerged and now represent highly successful treatments for certain cancer types, giving the pioneers of the work, Jim Allison and Tasuku Honjo, recognition for their efforts by the award of the Nobel prize for Medicine in 2018. There is much left to do however, with most cancers in most patients still not responding to these treatments. So, what is Cancer Immunotherapy? How does it work and can we make it better?
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