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One area of cutting-edge research is how we can grow organs, like the skin and heart, in the lab. In the future could we replace organ transplantation from other people using our own organ parts grown in the lab? So what do you think - cool or creepy? Julian and Carolyn will provide some intriguing insights... Plus, Pint of Science pint glasses and tshirts to be won! (Please note: ground floor event, easily accessible)
Growing a thick skin
Julian Dye
(Lecturer at Oxford Institute of Biomedical Engineering)
Tissue engineering combines cell biology and materials science to generate new tissues and organs for the treatment of disease and injury. A major challenge for researchers in this field is finding suitable materials for tissue scaffolds that guide and promote the right environment for tissue growth. Julian Dye will tell us –over a pint – about how to grow human skin for the reconstruction of skin loss wounds using a bio-intelligent material that supports the formation of new blood vessels.
Mending a broken heart
Carolyn Carr
(Associate Professor of Biomedical Science)
Heart disease remains to date the leading cause of death in most countries. The main treatment option is heart transplantation which presents several disadvantages such as poor survival, limited number of donors, etc. Carolyn will talk about ways of improving the function of the heart and why tissue engineering can be considered an attractive alternative to heart transplantation.
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