Brains in the Balance: A deep dive into how biology breaks, and how science rebuilds...

We can now turn back the clock on our cells and create stem cells from adult human cells. These stem cells can then turn into any cell in the body! Stem cells have revolutionised how we study disease in the lab and our understanding of embryonic development and ageing. In this talk we will explore how stem cells can help us understand how different brain systems communicate and interact, simulating what happens in a real-life brain. However, this also raises important questions about sentience, cell immortality, and ethical concerns! Can we use stem cells to live forever? And can mini-brains go on to develop sentience...

Stress produces different molecules in the body that overtime may lead to increased chances of developing a mental (or physical) condition. In my research, we investigate these mechanisms and try to find ways we can reduce the effects of stress in our health. In my talk, I will take you through a road of discovery on how we test the hypothesis that stress changes our genes and leads to disease, and what you could do to prevent this from happening to you!