The Chronicle January 2020

19 ST EDWARD’S CHRONICLE

Cutting Edge Science By Sixth Former Amir Jaafari Sometimes, it is difficult to appreciate the true depth and brilliance of the scientific world within the confines of the classroom. In September, we were able to hear from an array of scientific professionals covering a variety of topics at our very own Biology Conference here at Teddies. The presentations were a wonderful opportunity for pupils to discover more about cutting edge scientific developments at first hand.

The Conference was energetically launched with an interesting lecture from Dr Richard Jabbour, from Imperial College, who gave us a real insight into the use of stem cells to treat heart failure and the research currently being conducted to make treatments even more effective. Especially interesting was the section about pluripotent stem cells, a relatively new discovery presently being tested and researched with a wide range of potential applications. This talk gave us a deeper understanding of the constant forward motion in medicine, where scientists around the world are continuously working on new ways to improve our lives. This idea of improving lives was echoed by the next speaker, Dr Keith Foster, from Ipsen Pharmaceuticals, who talked about the medical applications of the botulinum neurotoxin (botox), the world’s deadliest toxin. The audience was amazed at the myriad applications of botulinum toxin, ranging from correcting crossed eyes and curing chronic migraines to reducing the appearance of wrinkles and removing forms of spasticity. We were left with a real understanding of the power of medicine in society as a medium for improvement and innovation. The conference was concluded by a presentation from Dr Philip Hublitz, from Oxford University, regarding CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats) technology and its potential. The talk highlighted the heights medical developments have reached: scientists are now able to delete and insert genes, and edit the bases of our DNA. Importantly, we were also made aware of the ethics of CRISPR: any scientific discovery, no matter how groundbreaking, should

be pursued with caution to ensure that it remains ethical. Overall, the Biology Conference was informative, enjoyable and a great way to inspire young minds - it really fired pupils’ interest in biology. I believe that a subject only becomes truly interesting when you are allowed to engage with it and this conference provided the opportunity with

its engaging and fascinating insights into some of the most revolutionary ideas in modern biology.

The Conference was jointly organised by St Edward’s and the Oxford International Biomedical Centre.

Amir Jaafari