Abstract
Future Science and cancer treatment
Professor Eleanor Stride will introduce a way to address the challenge of effective treatments for major diseases such as cancer or stroke.
Today, the vast majority of medicines we take are prescribed in the form of a pill or injection. This means that the drug is transported throughout the body via the blood stream.
For many conditions, this is very effective. But for diseases that require very powerful drugs, it poses a significant problem. Only a very tiny proportion of the drug is actually delivered to the target site. The rest circulates and is eventually absorbed by healthy tissue, often leading to serious side effects.
Responding to the challenge, Professor Stride will describe the innovation of encapsulating the drug in microscopic particles to temporarily deactivate it.
Talking about how she’s designing ‘stimuli-responsive’ particles to be responsive to light, pressure, or a particular chemical, she’ll explain how it’s possible to achieve ‘on demand’ release at a target site, promote uptake of the drug in target cells and reduce the risk of side effects.
10-minute insight
Introducing the evening’s discussions, Dr Jack Kreindler will give his own special take on the main subject of our first EngTalk in the series.
Entitled ‘$1 a day to live to a hundred’, Dr Kreindler’s 10-minute insight will provide another point of view and set the tone for a fascinating, interactive session.
Relax, network, browse the exhibition
Around 8pm, we hope you’ll find time to enjoy a drink as you meet up with colleagues and friends.
It’s also an opportunity to take a look around our Future Science exhibition and get a sense of the range of inspiring themes we intend to explore in EngTalks to come.
