The Hallifordian - 2016-2017

42 Bio-engineering Lecture Eager to enrich our lives with precious, new knowledge in a completely foreign subject matter, Mr Slocock’s “Slugs” group attended Imperial Col- lege London’s June, 2017 Bioengineering Lecture. Titled The Power of Miniaturization in Med- icine , MIT’s Professor Sangeeta Bhatia outlined her vital research and gave us all an insight into this spe- cialist field. We also had the pleasure of being joined by Mr da Costa, whose research skills were dem- onstrated by the masses of notes formulated on his Apple Mac in a subject area also unknown to him. Conversely, even the A-Level chemists and biolo- gists could not fully appreciate Professor Bhatia’s explanations, understanding only the occasional word. Her three degrees in medicine, biomedical engineering and mechanical engineering are truly something to be marvelled at, undoubtedly provid- ing an aspirational goal for many of us in the future. Nevertheless, we were all able to learn some- thing new, such as the fact that the liver is the only organ in the body that can easily replace damaged cells. Extensively discussing treatment of general illness such as hepatitis, Professor Bhatia framed treatment research into three categories: monitor, model, treat. Developments in this frontier are truly remarkable, such as through the use of probiotics in mice to turn their urine pink in the case of any major medical problem. This could be refined for future use in humans, often negating the need for invasive surgical procedures. Issues are also modelled using ‘micro’ livers, whereby cells are cultivated to imitate the real organ outside of the natural environment of the body. This incredible speaker’s main points were clear; she had a distinct vision for the advancement of mankind. Unfortunately, acknowledging that we were treading deep water, significant subject-specif- ic knowledge was required to fully appreciate this lecture. Following the lecture, our dumbfounded group were further astonished by the vastness of the outside of the Royal Albert Hall, as well as the for- mer prince consort’s memorial in the idyllic green- ery of Hyde Park. Admiring the beautiful evening, we were transported into another adventurous expe- rience by eating at Ognisko, a restaurant in Kens- ington serving upscale Polish and Baltic dishes. To the dismay of several diners, our Eastern European adventure did not feature any hamburgers. This en- sured that everyone tried something new and opened their minds (and mouths), a key purpose of the out- ing. Everyone was very appreciative of Mr Slocock for organising the trip, and we wish to thank him again for his willingness and dedication. Gareth Hart, Year 12 We were impressed by the grandeur of the Albert Memorial.