IF Oxford is an opportunity for people to explore innovative ideas and creative research in and around Oxford, and we were excited to offer the following activities:
Cutting edge science
On Saturday 12 October, members from the Oxford Radcliffe Biobank (ORB) and the Oxford Centre for Histopathology Research (OCHRe) connected with visitors of all ages at their stand in the EXPLORAZONE at Wesley Memorial Church in the centre of Oxford. The team's aliquot blood challenge - with separate (pretend) serum and blood derivatives - was very popular. Children also loved touching the squishy paraffin embedded blocks with real (gummy) hearts.
The following weekend on Saturday 19 October, visitors to the NDS stand in TECHWORKS at ARC Oxford were invited to learn about deep brain stimulation (DBS). Using two raspberry jelly brains, pick and mix sweets and a fibre optic light set, Jessica Scaife brought DBS to life and the power to neuromodulate into the hands of trainee surgeons. Both young and old discussed neural networks, brain imaging and how we test medical devices in clinical trials. The future of brain stimulation will increasingly be non-surgical, eg. High Intensity Focussed Ultrasound and Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation. These could rival drug treatments for common conditions and provide hope for many for whom there is no effective treatment. As devices evolve, there are emerging debates around data ownership, the role of AI and what counts as a ‘disorder’, and these were hot topics for discussion with visitors.
In addition, participants took part in the Glo Germ activity, which demonstrated the sticking power of germs and the necessity of good hand washing techniques before surgery - and in general. They also learnt about the human anatomy with our interactive life-sized torso.
Have you thought of a career in medical research?
On Wednesday 23 October, biobank coordinator Eve Warner, along with two other speakers from the Medical Sciences Division, spoke about what it's like to support or undertake research today and how they started their medical journey. This webinar is part of an on-going series, which aims to highlight the wide range of different careers available in medical research and some of the surprising ways that people have got there.