Professor Brendon Noble presents 'The Regeneration Game'
Location: The Auditorium, UCS Waterfront Building, Ipswich
Date: 4 July 2012
Time: 5.30pm - 7.30pm
In 400 BC Hypocrates knew how to mend broken bones and that cartilage would not repair. How much more do we know now? Skeletal health affects enormous numbers of people worldwide. In the developed world our increased lifespan and the expectation of an active old age has led to predictions of epidemic proportions of skeletal disease. In the developing world the rapid increase in motor transport and associated road traffic accidents points to a similar healthcare burden.
Professor Brendon Noble will talk on his work in the field of skeletal health and regenerative medicine. The influence of the detailed sub-cellular, molecular activities of cells on distant body parts will be discussed.
In his laboratory in Cambridge University, Professor Noble discovered that the death of particular cells embedded in our bones has as much biological meaning as their birth. These cells, the ‘osteocytes’, once ignored have become a key target for new drug therapies.
He will also discuss the potential of stem cells as sources of regenerative activity for use in conditions of trauma and disease. Stem cell biology is moving from the laboratory bench to the bedside and the UCS Biotechnology Unit is working in this ‘translational research space’ to produce a new generation of medicines.
Profile
Professor Brendon Noble
Brendon Noble is Professor of Regenerative Medicine and Head of the School of Science, Technology and Health at UCS. He also holds a Visiting Professorship at the University of East Anglia and an honorary Professorship at the Royal Veterinary College.
Brendon previously held a Chair of Musculoskeletal Regenerative Medicine in the MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine at Edinburgh University. He has a PhD in protein biochemistry from the University of Aberdeen and developed an international reputation in diseases of the skeletal system at Cambridge University Department of Medicine.
In his previous role he worked collaboratively to develop Scotland’s emerging regenerative medicine industry. He has a particular interest in technology for clinical use and has engaged in translational projects with industry, sits on relevant boards, committees and industry advisory groups and is a supporter of public engagement in science.