Poo, Pets, and Dangerous Liaisons

The world is covered in a thin layer of poo (!), and in some places it’s much thicker and full of resistant bacteria. In this talk we’ll be exploring how inadequate sanitation systems with poor waste management can increase the spread of resistant bacteria. We’ll discuss how climate change may make the situation worse, and why we need creative solutions to solve this problem, otherwise it could impact on the human, animal and environmental health sectors.

Did you know that humans and animals often suffer from the same conditions? Did you know that doctors, dentists and vets often use the same bits of kit to diagnose patients (both two legged and four), or that treatments can often be very similar? This talk will consider the scientific approach where human and animal healthcare advance hand in paw, known as ‘One Medicine’, and consider what we can learn across the animal kingdom to improve the impact of research.

Why do we need oxygen to live? Like a combustion car engine, cells in your body use oxygen to convert fuel (food) into energy. But what can a cell or organism do when they detect there isn't as much oxygen available? Spring into action, of course! By studying how cells defend themselves against a reduction in oxygen availability, we have uncovered that oxygen does much more in your body than we first thought. Sonia will share how cells protect themselves against low oxygen, but also how oxygen ultimately makes you who you are, and why this is important for both health and disease.

Lung disease and heart disease are some of the most common diseases in the local Liverpool population. However, they are often treated by different specialists, and sometimes even in different hospitals! But what if you have both? Freddy will share his research on how the dangerous liaisons between the lungs and the heart can turn deadly and shed some light on what we can do about it.