Visits – Barrett Centre for Helminth Control

Sir Brian May visits Aberystwyth University

Last week, Sir Brian May visited Aberystwyth University. He presented a talk titled ‘The Insights of the Gatcombe Farm Project: Finally a working farm TB eradication strategy?’, he discussed the findings of the Bovine tuberculosis control project that has been ongoing on for several years at Gatcombe Farm in South Devon. The talk described the…

BCHC strengthens collaborations with Kingston University

On 31st July and 1st August, we welcomed Prof. Tony Walker from Kingston University to Aberystwyth. Tony gave a great seminar talk entitled ‘When parasitology meets cell biology: Mechanistic insights into the functional biology of schistosomes and the importance of host-parasite interplay’. While at Aberystwyth University Tony also met with several BCHC members to discuss…

Future collaborations with University of Perpignan

In April, BCHC member Dr Gabriel Rinaldi attended a meeting with collaborators at the University of Perpignan. At the university, they work on areas of Ecology and Neglected Tropical Diseases with a particular focus on different species of Schistosomes, including hybrids. The meeting was hosted by Prof Christoph Grunau, his team and Dr Ronaldo De…

British Science Week at Aberystwyth University

This March members of the BCHC took part in British Science week hosted by Aberystwyth University. An annual UK wide celebration of science, technology, engineering and Maths, this year’s theme was Connections. Over the 3-day event pupils from local primary and secondary schools visited the Penglais campus for the opportunity to engage with a wide…

BCHC members attend the Life Sciences Research Network Wales Congress

In February, members of the BCHC travelled to Cardiff to attend the Life Sciences Research Network Wales (LSRNW) Congress 2023 held in St David’s Hotel, Cardiff. This network is led by Cardiff University and unites HEIs from across Wales with the aim of developing new precision therapeutics and diagnostics in areas of unmet medical and…

BCHC strengthens collaborations with University of Cambridge

This month we welcomed Klara Stark a PhD student from the Department of Veterinary, University of Cambridge. Her PhD focuses on the question ‘How does the Schistosoma mansoni egg alter the intestinal microbial makeup of its host?’ with an overall aim of new antibiotic discovery. While at Aberystwyth University she tested the antibacterial effect of Schistosoma mansoni egg excretory-secretory products using a…

Dundee Drug Discovery Unit visit

In January, members of the BCHC travelled to Dundee University and met with the team at the Drug Discovery Unit for a one-day symposium. With the aim of driving the development of new anthelmintic treatments and future collaborations, the in person meeting allowed for open discussions between chemists and data-analysts from Dundee and Cardiff Universities…

BCHC takes part in British Science Week

At the beginning of March, Aberystwyth University took part in British Science week, a UK wide initiative to celebrate science, technology engineering and maths. Over the course of 3 days pupils from local primary and secondary schools visited Penglais campus to engage in a range of lively science activities, games and quizzes. Undergraduate, Masters and…

BCHC visit local primary school

During October, Dr Jo Forde-Thomas visited local primary school, Ysgol Gynradd Llanilar, to deliver 4 sessions on ‘The world of Parasites’. Dr Forde-Thomas talked with pupils ranging in age from 4 through to 11 about some commonly encountered parasites before leading students through a drug discovery experiment drawing parallels to the work currently being conducted…

BCHC establishes new collaborations with the University of Oxford

Last Month the BCHC welcomed Professor Stuart Conway from the Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford for collaborative discussions. Professor Conway’s research focuses on the use of synthetic organic chemistry to enable the study of biological problems. Discussions focused around collaborations into the development of new anti-schistosomal agents. This proved to be a hugely productive…

Category: Visits