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Inflammation is like a fire in your body you cannot see or feel. When under control this can be beneficial to the human body but can also wreak havoc with devastating effects. Researchers at Cardiff are trying to understand how inflammation initiated by the immune system can lead to Alzheimer’s disease, and life-threatening blood clots and inflammatory disease. Come, have a pint and find out how Cardiff University is tackling these diseases that currently have few available treatments.
Blood clots: life savers and harbingers of doom
Professor Valerie O'Donnell
(Professor)
Do you know what a clot is? We call it the “inflammation hub”, a collection of immune cells required for healing to take place. Clots can be essential for life, but in certain cases can also be a big threat. In fact, 1 in 4 people will die due to heart attacks or strokes caused by clots. In my lab, we have discovered over 100 new lipids (fats) that regulate clotting, and this work is already leading to new drugs for diseases that currently have no available treatments. Come to find out more about the good and bad side of lipids and their role in the treatment of inflammatory disease.
Can Infections cause Dementia?
Dr Matthew Clement
(Research Associate)
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of Dementia in the UK that results in a group of related symptoms that is associated with the decline of brain function, which then progresses into more complicated and severe conditions. The aim of my research is to undertake novel experimentation to examine the role that the immune system plays in Alzheimer’s disease. This is primarily by studying the role of Neuroinflammation that is initiated by the immune response upon exposure to infection.
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