Glasgow Skeptics

Glasgow, United Kingdom

646 members
Public group

and 1 other

What we're about

Glasgow Skeptics promote science, reason and critical thinking in Glasgow and Scotland.

We hold regular Monday night events, so come along if you enjoy thought-provoking talks, discussions and friendly social meets.

Most events are free, but we ask for donations to cover costs such as speakers' travel and accommodation.

Please RSVP - it helps us estimate numbers. Unfortunately space is often limited, so if you are late we may not be able to hold your place.

http://glasgowskeptics.com/ .

Upcoming events (1)

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Can you 3D-print bone marrow? Using engineering approaches to tackle disease

Tue, Oct 18, 2022, 7:15 PM BST

Can you 3D-print bone marrow? Using engineering approaches to tackle disease

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View event on Facebook here

Animal models and culturing cells on flat plastic surfaces have been crucial in discovering new
medicines, however, these methods can fall short, as over 90% of possible medicines fail when
given to humans. Why? Because humans and animals harbour many differences, and because
plastic cell culture dishes are such a different environment compared to the human body. Can
we replace these with new, cheaper and more human-relevant models?
Tonight’s speaker, Lauren Hope, will introduce the concepts behind some of this new research,
and will discuss her PhD project: developing a 3D-printed model of the bone marrow for drug
screening against Acute Myeloid Leukaemia, an aggressive blood cancer. This involves printing
materials known as hydrogels, which can have a similar stiffness compared to human bone
marrow. Therefore, this project aims to answer: can we 3D-print bone marrow?

Lauren completed her Bachelor’s degree in Genetics at the University of Glasgow, and is in the
final year of her PhD at the University of Glasgow with the LifETIME (Engineered Tissues for
Discovery, Industry and Medicine) Centre for Doctoral Training. Before starting her PhD, she
completed a placement at the University of Glasgow studying the growth of bone cancer cells
on titanium surfaces, and has completed a three-month-long placement with Animal Free
Research UK as part of her PhD.
Twitter handle: @laurenhope97

Additional Details:
This is event is free to attend, although we will be asking for donations at the end of the talk. Participants are under no obligation whatsoever to donate, however please rest assured that the money we collect doesn't end up in anyone's pocket - it is used to fund our overhead costs, and travel/accommodation for our speakers who come from further afield.

Accessibility:
As per the policy of the Admiral Bar, access to the venue “can only be provided to patrons who are sufficiently mobile and capable of independently evacuating premises, or with the minimum of assistance”. Unfortunately, this leaves the basement inaccessible to most wheelchair users.