Name: Living Well with Chronic Pain & Plastic Antibodies
Start: 2026-05-18T19:30:00
End: 2026-05-18T21:30:00
Location: Man of Kent

Join us to learn:

How people with chronic pain can still live meaningful lives using practical strategies, strong support networks, and new ways of managing their condition beyond just reducing pain.

How natural antibodies fight germs and how new “plastic antibodies” — tough, man-made versions — can spot targets and are transforming research, testing, and treatments.

Thriving with Chronic Pain: Lessons from Real Lives

Ethel Carboni Jardim (PhD student, School of Social Sciences, University of Kent)

Chronic pain affects around 1 in 4 UK adults and can disrupt daily life, yet care often focuses only on reducing pain, which may not help long term. My research investigates how people live well despite ongoing pain, sharing real strategies for coping, resilience, and support. Through a short talk, myth-busting quiz, and interactive card game, attendees will match everyday challenges to practical solutions, discuss findings, and learn how focusing on living well—not just pain relief—can improve quality of life and patient-centred care.

Plastic antibodies

Dr Andrew J Hall (Senior Lecturer in Chemistry, Medway School of Pharmacy, Universities of Greenwich and Kent)

Antibodies are natural proteins our bodies use to find and fight germs, and they are widely used in tests, research, and treatments. Scientists have now developed “plastic antibodies” — tough, man-made versions built from common materials like those in clothing and nappies. These can be designed to recognise specific targets, from small molecules to whole cells, and are becoming useful alternatives to natural antibodies in research, diagnostics, and healthcare. Attendees will have the chance to “make their own plastic antibody”.

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