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23/05/2013

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Home » Leaky Genes

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Susan Greenfield

Leaky Genes

State: 
Declined
Contact Details
I am the event manager: 
I am the event manager
Event Manager Info
1. Event Manager Organisation: 
Inst. for Cell and Molecular Biology, Newcastle University
2. Event Manager First Name: 
Suzanne
3. Event Manager Surname: 
Madgwick
4. Event Manager Address line 1: 
ICaMB
5. Event Manager Address line 2: 
Faculty of Medical Sciences
6. Event Manager Address line 3: 
Newcastle University
7. Event Manager Postcode: 
NE2 4HH
8. Event Manager Telephone number: 
07703738317
9. Event Manager Email address: 
suzanne.madgwick@newcastle.ac.uk
Your event
10. Which of the following areas of science does you event best fit into?: 
Biological Sciences
Event type and format
11. Do you have a preferred day for your event to take place on?: 
Saturday 7 September 2013
Sunday 8 September 2013
Wednesday 11 September 2013
Thursday 12 September 2013
17. Length: 
1 hour
18. What will the format of your event be?: 
Talks/presentations - 1 person presenting new science or for a specific audience with Q & A; or a TED talk
19. Please give any details about the format of your event you feel are relevant.: 
Through this talk, audiences will be introduced to the complex interaction of different molecules and stages governing cell division. However, in order to communicate this complex story to a lay audience the lecture will be highly visual, particularly concentrating on the process of cell division at fertilisation. Watching sperm fertilising an egg followed by chromosome division and the beginnings of a new life is engaging for both children and adults, and can be demonstrated using movies, or live if facilities are available. I would ideally like to show a live fertilisation by projecting images from a microscope onto a screen (using either sea urchin or ascidian eggs fertilisation occurs within 15 mins).
20. Location/venue: 
Venue and location to be allocated by the Festival team
21. Venue requirements: 
A large screen for bright fluorescent movies. Hopefully a desk for the dissection of a sea squirt or urchin, the space for a portable microscope and the ability to be able to project the microscope image onto a screen.
22. Audience Level: 
Families & teenagers ( aged 12+)
Event details
12. Event title: 
Leaky Genes
13. Description of the core message of your event and key topics to be covered (c.100 words): 
Given its vital role in our growth, repair and reproduction, the process of cell division is one which is usually very tightly controlled. Unfortunately though, it is also a process which is particularly accident prone! Cells which make mistakes during their division are a feature of virtually all tumours and in female reproductive cells (eggs) are the number one genetic cause of both miscarriage and birth defects. This talk will explore how our understanding of the processes governing cell division can help advance our understanding of the origins of cell division error, and ultimately underpin treatment strategies.
14. Does the event have particular local relevance?: 
Yes
15. If so, please indicate what this is: 
Local relevance would be our subject material. A lot of the eggs we use for research purposes come from a type of marine invertebrate which lives in our local coastal waters. Blyth harbour in fact.
16. How does your event relate to this year's theme of 'Making waves'?: 
In my talk I would particularly like to highlight not only the pleasure, but the immense value of fundamental research. Like all good science, being a small yet integral part of the bigger picture. Many small waves created by advances in our understanding of the way cells divide will together ultimately point towards the origins of cell division errors and the potential for treatment strategies through problems as diverse as tumours and infertility. Until we understand how bodily events are supposed to proceed normally, we can not begin to understand how to fix them when they go wrong.
Press interest
23. Do you consider that the event will attract press interest?: 
Yes
24. If yes, please summarise up to 4 key points you think will be of press interest: 
The cell errors which I study are associated with a number of negative human health issues, including cancers and particulary where human fertility is concerned. Between 10 and 30% of human pregnancies fail due to a division error, a failure rate which increases with the age of the mother. I believe the nature of my study specifically, makes it a good example of current research which is novel and exciting science, yet with an easily understandable link to problems faced by humans.
25. Do you have any other comments you would like to make or information you would like to include?: 
Given that I would like to talk about reproduction and show images of sperm fertilising eggs, if I am able to present I would like the nature of my talk to be well displayed. I wouldn't like to have to make a judgement call about whether or not to explain reproduction to somebody elses child.

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