Biology Symposium 2024
Written by Sixth Former, Agnes Bronska:
On 17th December we welcomed four speakers to take part in the annual Oxford International Biomedical Centre (OIBC) Symposium taking place in The North Wall. Teddies Sixth Formers taking Biology and pupils from our partnership schools attended this event. This year we heard inspiring lectures from Dr Christian Babbs, Dr Lorena Arancibia, Dr Sean Elias and Oliver Featherstone.
The first talk, given by Dr Babbs from the Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine at the University of Oxford, was focused on genome engineering and epigenetics. Dr Babbs explained the fundamentals of the genome, how we can modify it and why it is useful to do so. He also mentioned the ethical complications and life-threatening risks connected with treating diseases by changing the genome of the patient. It was fascinating and enlightening to hear about the latest scientific developments like CRISPR.
The second speaker, Dr Arancibia of the UK Dementia Research Institute at UCL, spoke about her research investigating Alzheimer’s disease. She discussed what Alzheimer’s disease is and how it is distinguished from other causes of dementia. She then went on to explain the complex, purported causes of Alzheimer’s and how the disease slowly develops without it being noticeable for a very long time. Dr Arancibia ended her presentation on a high note by talking about the bright future that the dementia research is bringing, which was very inspirational.
The following lecture was given by Dr Elias, Public Engagement Lead at the University of Oxford’s Pandemic Sciences Institute. He spoke about the hard lessons we have learned about pandemics and vaccine development during the Covid-19 pandemic and how we can use these lessons to prepare better for potential future pandemics. His main focus was on vaccine development and its distribution, including the three key themes for vaccine manufacturing: ease, speed and cost. Mr Elias also taught us that battling a pandemic is not only about improving science or technology but also about politics and public engagement.
After a lunch that was full of stimulating discussions, we then heard from doctoral student Oliver Featherstone from Oxford’s Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, who explored the complexities of studying cancer biology. We learnt about different DNA mutations, how our body repairs them and how our immunity system can both aid and destroy cancers. Featherstone ended his presentation by introducing the different ways the scientists are trying to battle cancer, showing us the many leaps in knowledge and research in recent years.
The event concluded with a lively discussion with all the speakers, led by Teddies’ own Dr Narajos. Questions asked by many pupils ranged from the pathways that the speakers took through university to why they chose to become scientists. A very popular topic was the idea of genetically engineering “designer babies”. We enjoyed the lectures as well as the discussion. It was a great pleasure attending an event like this and having the opportunity to listen to inspirational scientists – it is a real privilege that Teddies pupils and our fellow Sixth Formers from local schools have been able to attend events in partnership with OIBC since 2007. Every pupil that has interests in research in the life sciences will hugely benefit from the Symposium.