The EuroStemCell event at Centre for Life
On 10th and 11th March 2012 Centre for Life presented a Stem Cell engagement event in collaboration with EuroStemCell, funded by ASDC as part of Newcastle ScienceFest. Almost 2000 people took part over the weekend. Visitors enjoyed a variety of hands-on science activities based on different aspects of stem cell science.
As well as the science centre, Centre for Life is home to world-class scientific research. In 2005 a team lead by Professor Alison Murdoch created the first cloned human embryo. In 2008, Dr Lyle Armstrong and his colleagues created the first animal-human hybrid embryos for use in research. Pioneering clinical trials have also taken place there, including using limbal stem cells to restore the sight of patients with corneal scarring.
Centre for Life and North East England Stem Cell Institute (NESCI) have worked together to enthuse and engage everyone with the science that takes place here. They previously devised exhibits and activities for stem cell events across the North East of England, reaching over 7000 people. Collaborating with the EuroStemCell team offered an exciting opportunity to build on our experiences, and share resources, to produce an event to celebrate this research.
The hands-on exhibits and activities helped people to understand what stem cells are and what makes them so amazing. A group of visitors were so engaged with a game about cell differentiation that even a passing life size animatronic polar bear didn't distract them!
Stem cells offer huge potential for regenerative medicine, which is one of the reasons scientists are so interested in them. One of the most popular exhibits 'Stella' explored how stem cells could potentially be used to treat patients affected by different diseases. Opening up discussions to also include how scientific research becomes medicine.
Both Life and EuroStemCell benefit from close relationships between the science communicators and local research institutes. These were key to producing up to date exhibits that communicate cutting edge developments in this fast-moving field.
These contacts also proved valuable when recruiting scientists to take part in the event itself. Scientists from Newcastle University and the University of Edinburgh, who took part were able to share their in depth knowledge of the field as well as their personal experiences of life as a scientist. Taking part in the event allowed them to see the overwhelming positive responses towards their work, giving them a renewed sense of purpose on returning to the lab.
Families were interested to hear how science would affect them and their families in the future. Visitors who wanted to explore the topic further were referred to the EuroStemCell website which has resources useful for students, teachers and other curious minds.
Among the visitors to the event were several families whose children had been born at a local hospital and had consented for the Umbilical cord blood to be donated to a research programme based at NESCI. One father said 'When our daughter was born the doctors asked us if we would donate the umbilical cord and told us about the stem cell research. We thought it would be a good thing to do, but we didn't really understand exactly what it was for, it was so hectic at the time! It has been great to speak to you today and find out what it was actually used for, I have wondered about it, I came here to bring the kids for a day out I wasn't expecting to find the answer! I'm glad we did it, what they are doing is fantastic.'
We would like to thank the scientists who took part in this event, Morten Ritso, Jane Carr - Wilkinson, Julia Reichelt, Aishwarya Sundaresh, Juliane Mueller, Rui Ma and Harsh Vaidya.