Pint of Science with Exeter medical researchers

Tuesday 8th October 2019 7:00PM – 9:00PM
Location/Venue: Kingswood and Devoran Hotel The Esplanade Sidmouth EX10 8AX

From acid reflux to … via how micro organisms move… to diabetes!

Harry Green from Exeter IBD Pharmacogenetics, University of Exeter Medical School will talk about What really causes reflux: weight or body shape?

It is commonly reported that a high BMI is linked with acid reflux (a common cause of heartburn and indigestion) because people with higher BMI are more likely to have reflux. However, there’s a lot that can go wrong with this kind of logic; my research uses genetic techniques to test which factors actually cause reflux and which are just linked with other things that do. Our results tell us that it’s not how heavy you are, but where you distribute your fat, which is the important factor.

Harry is a mathematician by background, starting with a degree in mathematics at the University of Portsmouth followed by a PhD in mathematical simulations of the electrical activity of heart tissue, which can be used to give doctors more information during surgery.Now he works for the Medical School in the Exeter IBD Pharmacogenetics team, and his research deals with genetics, treatment failure and preventable causes of digestive conditions.

Daniel Galvis will tell us about Creepy crawlies and gaming computers – how computer simulations help us understand how microbes move

Microbes move through their environment in various ways. Some swim through liquid, others crawl over surfaces. Superficially, swimming and crawling appear to be very different forms of locomotion. Astonishingly however, microbes use tiny ropes made of protein for crawling and swimming. How do microbes use these tiny ropes in order to crawl or swim? And why are some these ropes used for swimming and others for crawling? We used powerful “gaming” computers to find out.

Danny is a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Exeter, where he focuses on the application of mathematics to biology. His primary interest is in how networks of moving and interacting parts leads to the emergence of complex behaviours.

Alice Carr‘s talk will be on: ‘What’s your type: Tackling diabetes misdiagnosis

Did you know that someone is diagnosed with diabetes every 2 minuets? But why don’t we get the diagnosis right every time? In the UK about 7-15% of people with diabetes are misclassified as type 1 diabetes or type 2 diabetes. The treatment and care for these two main subtypes of diabetes are drastically different, and misdiagnosis can have a huge impact on someones life. I’ll talk about research that we do to help minimise this misdiagnosis problem. 

Alice is a PhD student at the University of Exeter Medical School and an interdisciplinary scientist. She has studied for her undergraduate degree at the University of Exeter in Natural Sciences, and is now a PhD student at the University of Exeter Medical School researching type 1 diabetes. 7 years ago now she was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes herself which has driven her to pursue the career I am now in today.  

The event is free but do buy a drink.