Events
Pint of Science: How to build a body: Replacing animal research
Dr Timothy Hopkins
Date: Wednesday 15 May 2024 19:30 - 21:15
Location: London Hospital Tavern
176 Whitechapel Rd
E1 1BJ
Register at: pintofscience.co.uk/event/how-to-build-a-body-replacing-a...
How do scientists build bone or make muscle in the lab? Find out about the non-animal technologies being used to mimic human biology and investigate health and disease.
Printing body parts
Natalia Andrea Moreno Sierra (PhD Student)
Imagine printing 3D structures out of living human cells. This is called bioprinting, a technology that scientists are using to recreate tissues, organs and biological models in the lab and replace the use of animals in research. Natalia is using a 3D bioprinting technique to recreate the largest tissue in the human body – skeletal muscle – to better understand and treat diseases such as muscular dystrophy which are typically researched using animals.
Chipping away at animal use in bone research
Dr Timothy Hopkins (Versus Arthritis Research Fellow)
Tim is researching how bones grow and change over time. Rats and mice are usually used in this type of research but Tim is using a new technology called ‘Organ-on-a-Chip’. This combines biology and engineering, allowing scientists to grow human cells in small chambers and channels to create miniature mimics of human tissues. Tim is using this technology to imitate cartilage, bone and blood vessels in the lab and replace rodents in his research.