Engineering Biologically Active Vascular Grafts

By LifETIME CDT Student: Justine Clarke (She/Her) (University of Glasgow) Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of death globally. They can occur in several different forms, most commonly from a build-up of fatty tissue or blood clots that restrict the blood flow to the brain, heart, or limbs. Another type of CVD occurs when the

From bench to bedside: how physiological relevance underpins the future for Mycobacterium abscessus drug discovery.

By LifETIME CDT Student: Emily Baker (She/Her) (Aston University) Think back to the last time you took a shower or did some gardening on a (albeit rare) sunny day. How did you feel? Were you worried about your wellbeing or what you may be exposed to in the process? Most people don’t think about this on

Organs may not grow on trees, but they can on leaves

By LifETIME CDT Student: Xally Montserrat Valencia Guerrero (She/Her) (University of Glasgow) Have you ever thought about the similarity between an apple and a bone? Or maybe between a leaf and a human heart? It’s hard to think about what these things have in common, especially because they look nothing alike, their shape, colour, texture… everything

Lateral flow tests – they’re not just for COVID-19!

By LifETIME CDT Student: Rory Barnes (He/Him) (University of Glasgow) Remember all those expired COVID-19 lateral flow tests you’ve got hidden in a cupboard somewhere? It might surprise you to find out that technology has been around a while, and we’re still working on improving it. Lateral flow tests first hit the market in 1980’s in

Lab 4.0: The Rise of Smart Biosensors

By LifETIME CDT Student: Imen Boumar (She/Her) (University of Birmingham) In our fast-paced, technology-driven world, smart biosensors are quietly revolutionizing various fields, from healthcare and environmental monitoring to food safety and specifically cell therapy technologies. These tiny, but powerful devices have the potential to transform how we collect and analyze data, offering real-time insights that were

“Osteoporosis, I have a bone to pick with you!” Developing bone: a small molecule approach

By LifETIME CDT Student: Francesca Kokkinos (She/Her) (University of Glasgow) Osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, and osteonecrosis are just some of the degenerative and deformative conditions which affect over 13 million people in the UK alone. All of these conditions are rooted by one small word: osteo, the Greek word for bone. Current gold-standard therapeutic strategies for treating bone