When the body is in crisis: how science fights back

How do scientists understand what really happens in our bodies? When testing new treatments, animal testing is common,but it doesn't always match what happens in the human body. Growing human cells as a model sounds simple, but getting the cells to behave like they normally do in the body is a challenge! In this talk, you will explore the different methods scientists use to help cells grow in 3D outside the body, making realistic human models for research.

Mini lungs in a dish” might sound like science fiction, but these tiny lab-grown models are transforming how we study pulmonary diseases. In this talk, we’ll explore how scientists use innovative cell models to mimic the lung and uncover what goes wrong in conditions like cystic fibrosis. We’ll also look at how small molecules can change cell behaviour, and how this could lead to new ways to slow or stop disease progression.

Sepsis is a life-threatening condition that can turn a simple infection into a medical emergency within hours. It kills over 11 million people each year and is now recognised as one of the greatest threats to humanity. Antibiotics are our only effective treatment, but as antimicrobial resistance rises, these drugs are starting to fail, leaving us with fewer options. This talk brings together a real patient story and the science, exploring what’s happening and what the future holds.

While COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns were very effective in protecting vulnerable groups, such as our CORAL cohort of infants born at the start of the pandemic (March-May 2020), they resulted in unexpected changes to children's gut bacteria and deficits in social skills and language development. In the ongoing FLORAL study, we have brought back this cohort at 5yrs of age to see if these deficits have persisted or gone away. In parallel, we have also established a new cohort of FLORAL infants (born March-May 2025) to compare with our original group.