Using light to understand and treat diseases.
In St Andrews, twelve years ago, one email resulted in the development of a major new area of research for the University which had previously developed the kaleidoscope, LEDs and new lasers that held the world record for the transmission of data. This new area of research is called Biophotonics: the application of light to answer major biological and medical issues.
In this talk, Professors Kishan Dholakia and Frank Gunn-Moore will explain what happened after this email, and how using the ability to shape and control laser light has resulted in world leading research:
producing new ways to manipulate cells;
making cells into lasers;
creating memories by the use of light;
the naming and understanding of a new gene, and even;
creating new world records.
It has even developed into new ways of diagnosing medical conditions, right here in New York.
Please join us for this intriguing discussion with Frank Gunn-Moore and Kishan Dholakia, Professors of Neurobiology and Physics (respectively) at the University of St Andrews.
Frank Gunn-Moore is Professor of Molecular Neurobiology, and Director of research at the School of Biology, University of St Andrews. As a biochemist he obtained his first degree at the University of Edinburgh and then studied for his PhD at the University of Cambridge. His postdoctoral work resulted in understanding the chemical signals that keep nerve cells alive and also how they are insulated by a substance called myelin, which is lost in Multiple Sclerosis. He then started his own group at the University of St Andrews and is now particularly known for his work into Dementia and specifically Alzheimer’s disease. This work has resulted in uncovering what goes wrong in the chemical signals that are involved in how nerve cells talk to each (i.e. how memories are lost), and also the development of a new potential drug. Unusually he publishes in all three disciplines of Biology, Chemistry and Physics. He established the Alzheimer’s Research UK network for Scotland and as its Chair he helped in the writing of a best-seller on Alzheimer’s disease. He is currently part of an even larger initiative to pool all of dementia researchers together, and is also currently Deputy Director of ‘SULSA’ which is an organisation that has resulted in ~£350M investment into Scottish research.
Kishan Dholakia is Professor of Physics at the University of St Andrews Scotland and an honorary adjunct Professor at the centre for Optical Sciences at the University of Arizona, USA and visiting Professor at Chiba University, Japan. He heads the Optical Manipulation Group at the University that has attracted over £24M in funding over the last decade to the University. He is fascinated with everything to do with light. After a PhD at Imperial College in quantum physics he moved to St Andrews and widened his interest to using light for imaging and therapy in biomedicine to tackle problems in neuroscience, cancer biology, disease, fundamental physics and even whisky identification. His work has featured on the BBC, NBC, CNN and the major international press. He was elected to the position of Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 2007. In 2008 he also received a Royal Society Wolfson Merit Award. His team won the European Optics Prize in 2003. In 2015 he was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for the fastest man-made rotation and in 2016 he was awarded the R.W. Wood Prize of the Optical Society of America.
