Mechanisms of intestinal innervation and vascularization
Lead Research Organisation:
Imperial College London
Department Name: Institute of Clinical Sciences
Abstract
As the human body's first barrier to the outside world, the digestive tract plays an essential role in breaking down food, absorbing nutrients and providing a first line of defence against harmful bacteria. Two complex systems ensure that all these important functions are adapted to the needs of our body: the nervous system, which controls the contractions and secretions of the gut, and the vascular system, which delivers oxygen to its cells. Abnormal oxygen supply and/or the malfunction of gut nerves can lead to prevalent and, sometimes life-threatening conditions, such as intestinal ischemia, Hirschsprung's disease and irritable bowel syndrome. These conditions underscore the importance of the interaction between the nervous, vascular and digestive systems. They also highlight the need to understand how these three systems interact normally, and what happens when things go wrong. This research proposal aims to identify the molecules that ensure the normal interaction between the three systems. In particular, we want to understand how nerve cells and the branches that make up the vascular system manage to find and make contact with the gut, and whether the nervous and vascular systems talk to one another to achieve this goal. Understanding how this process occurs normally will help us understand what goes wrong when nerve cells and the vascular system fail to connect to the gut properly. For example, it may well be that the molecules we identify are not present in the conditions mentioned above. In that case, we could devise ways to deliver them to patients to promote the formation of new connections between their digestive tract and their nerve cells and/or vasculature.
Technical Summary
Internal organs are crucial regulators of metabolic and physiological homeostasis. Their functions are tightly regulated by two remarkably complex and plastic systems: a diverse network of autonomic neurons and the vasculature (a highly branched system of interconnected vessels that delivers oxygen and nutrients to all the metabolically active tissues in the body). By focusing on the digestive tract, one of the most profusely innervated and vascularized internal organs, this proposal will investigate the mechanisms that underlie the innervation and vascularization of internal organs. Our work will make use of genetic and molecular techniques in Drosophila melanogaster which allow unprecedented control of gene expression with temporal and spatial resolution. With these methods, we will be able to test the requirement for receptors and ligands in the interaction between three different tissues: a defined subset of hingdut-innervating neurons, the fly digestive tract and the visceral branches of trachea (a system of interconnected vessels developmentally and functionally analogous to the mammalian vascular system). The identification of molecules that direct axons and vasculature to the gut will open up the field of visceral axon guidance which, in contrast to the sensory and motor fields, remains largely uncharacterized. More importantly, and given that both metabolic and inflammatory conditions result from defective innervation and/or oxygen supply of the digestive tract, the genes and pathways we identify may become candidate drug targets for the treatment of disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome, Hirschsprung's disease and mesenteric ischemia.
Planned Impact
The research will contribute to the nation's culture, and has the potential to generate wealth and improve health:
1. Culture. By learning about our research and findings, members of the general public will increase their awareness of the utility of fruit flies as model systems for biomedical research. This will be achieved through two main kinds of activities:
i) Hands-on activities implemented within the framework of the Cambridge Science Festival. This will allow the general public to meet scientists and learn about their daily work. Modules will be based on the research outlined in this proposal, and will be aimed at highlighting the similarities between the nervous, digestive and vascular systems of flies and humans and the importance of the crosstalk between systems. To convey the latter fact, we will use reagents (e.g. fly mutants) and images (e.g. confocal stacks of digestive tracts) generated as a result of the proposed research. These activities will help bridge the gap between scientists and the general public by making basic research accessible and allowing the public to meet the people behind the science. They will be implemented throughout the funding period and will be updated to better reflect our results.
ii) The development of documentaries/audio slideshows in collaboration with the BBC and UK film makers. These visual media will convey the medical significance and evolutionary conservation of the crosstalk between the nervous, vascular and digestive systems, and will contribute to the nation's creative output by providing an interface between science and the arts. The concept of interconnected systems of branching nerve cells and oxygen-filled tubes reaching and affecting the function of all our internal organs will be evocative and visually compelling. Contact with the relevant BBC media professionals has already been established, and interaction with documentary makers will take place during the Sheffield DocFest in 2012. This will ensure the timely delivery of any creative endeavours.
2. Health. Although this project is concerned with the normal interaction between the nervous, vascular and digestive systems, it has the potential to identify genes and pathways which could become drug targets for the treatment of metabolic disorders involving the digestive tract, such as intestinal ischemia, Hirschsprung's disease or irritable bowel syndrome. The impact of this has the potential to be very high, given the high prevalence (currently 10% for irritable bowel syndrome in the UK) and the poor prognosis (25-30% mortality in the case of Hirschsprung's and 30-73% for those affected by ischemia) of these disorders.
3. Economy. The proposed research has the potential to foster the economic competitiveness of the UK by providing candidate drug targets for the treatment of the abovementioned disorders. British biotech companies such as Alimentary Innervations or GSK have R&D departments devoted to the development of such targets. As soon as we foresee that any of our results may have commercial implications, we will liaise with Cambridge Enterprise: the University of Cambridge technology transfer company. Services provided to academics include the identification, protection and licensing of IP; support, advice and mentoring in the creation of new companies; and provision of seed funds and links to organisations providing further funding.
1. Culture. By learning about our research and findings, members of the general public will increase their awareness of the utility of fruit flies as model systems for biomedical research. This will be achieved through two main kinds of activities:
i) Hands-on activities implemented within the framework of the Cambridge Science Festival. This will allow the general public to meet scientists and learn about their daily work. Modules will be based on the research outlined in this proposal, and will be aimed at highlighting the similarities between the nervous, digestive and vascular systems of flies and humans and the importance of the crosstalk between systems. To convey the latter fact, we will use reagents (e.g. fly mutants) and images (e.g. confocal stacks of digestive tracts) generated as a result of the proposed research. These activities will help bridge the gap between scientists and the general public by making basic research accessible and allowing the public to meet the people behind the science. They will be implemented throughout the funding period and will be updated to better reflect our results.
ii) The development of documentaries/audio slideshows in collaboration with the BBC and UK film makers. These visual media will convey the medical significance and evolutionary conservation of the crosstalk between the nervous, vascular and digestive systems, and will contribute to the nation's creative output by providing an interface between science and the arts. The concept of interconnected systems of branching nerve cells and oxygen-filled tubes reaching and affecting the function of all our internal organs will be evocative and visually compelling. Contact with the relevant BBC media professionals has already been established, and interaction with documentary makers will take place during the Sheffield DocFest in 2012. This will ensure the timely delivery of any creative endeavours.
2. Health. Although this project is concerned with the normal interaction between the nervous, vascular and digestive systems, it has the potential to identify genes and pathways which could become drug targets for the treatment of metabolic disorders involving the digestive tract, such as intestinal ischemia, Hirschsprung's disease or irritable bowel syndrome. The impact of this has the potential to be very high, given the high prevalence (currently 10% for irritable bowel syndrome in the UK) and the poor prognosis (25-30% mortality in the case of Hirschsprung's and 30-73% for those affected by ischemia) of these disorders.
3. Economy. The proposed research has the potential to foster the economic competitiveness of the UK by providing candidate drug targets for the treatment of the abovementioned disorders. British biotech companies such as Alimentary Innervations or GSK have R&D departments devoted to the development of such targets. As soon as we foresee that any of our results may have commercial implications, we will liaise with Cambridge Enterprise: the University of Cambridge technology transfer company. Services provided to academics include the identification, protection and licensing of IP; support, advice and mentoring in the creation of new companies; and provision of seed funds and links to organisations providing further funding.
People |
ORCID iD |
Irene Miguel-Aliaga (Principal Investigator) |
Publications
Cable J
(2021)
Metabolic decisions in development and disease-a Keystone Symposia report.
in Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
Lemaitre B
(2013)
The digestive tract of Drosophila melanogaster.
in Annual review of genetics
Linneweber GA
(2014)
Neuronal control of metabolism through nutrient-dependent modulation of tracheal branching.
in Cell
Kim S
(2021)
Discovering signaling mechanisms governing metabolism and metabolic diseases with Drosophila
in Cell Metabolism
Imambocus BN
(2022)
A neuropeptidergic circuit gates selective escape behavior of Drosophila larvae.
in Current biology : CB
Ameku T
(2020)
Food, microbes, sex and old age: on the plasticity of gastrointestinal innervation
in Current Opinion in Neurobiology
Brown K
(2020)
An interview with Irene Miguel-Aliaga.
in Development (Cambridge, England)
Sarraf-Zadeh L
(2013)
Local requirement of the Drosophila insulin binding protein imp-L2 in coordinating developmental progression with nutritional conditions.
in Developmental biology
Hiiragi T
(2021)
20 years of Developmental Cell: Looking forward.
in Developmental cell
Millington JW
(2021)
Female-biased upregulation of insulin pathway activity mediates the sex difference in Drosophila body size plasticity.
in eLife
Title | BBC Radio 4 interview |
Description | BBC Radio 4 interview |
Type Of Art | Performance (Music, Dance, Drama, etc) |
Year Produced | 2016 |
Impact | n/a |
URL | http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0713p30 |
Title | BBC audio slideshow |
Description | BBC audio slideshow |
Type Of Art | Image |
Year Produced | 2011 |
Impact | n/a |
URL | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-12686745 |
Title | Contributed images to "The Cell: An Image Library" |
Description | Contributed images to "The Cell: An Image Library" |
Type Of Art | Image |
Year Produced | 2012 |
Impact | n/a |
URL | http://www.cellimagelibrary.org/ |
Title | Contributed images to the University of Cambridge's 800th anniversary light show. One of them was also the exclusive image used for the posters and flyers advertising the event |
Description | Contributed images to the University of Cambridge's 800th anniversary light show. One of them was also the exclusive image used for the posters and flyers advertising the event |
Type Of Art | Image |
Year Produced | 2010 |
Impact | n/a |
Title | Contributed video to Imagine Science Films Festival |
Description | Contributed video to Imagine Science Films Festival |
Type Of Art | Image |
Year Produced | 2014 |
Impact | n/a |
URL | http://old.imaginesciencefilms.org/events/neural-imagining-the-brain-seen-on-film/ |
Title | My lab contributed a video to the University of Cambridge "Under the microscope" series, accessible on YouTube |
Description | My lab contributed a video to the University of Cambridge "Under the microscope" series, accessible on YouTube |
Type Of Art | Film/Video/Animation |
Year Produced | 2012 |
Impact | n/a |
URL | http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDg2Keu3HT8 |
Description | We have found that nutrients in the diet may play a role in changing the architecture of blood vessels in the gut and other organs. Our work in Drosophila has shown that small changes in their diet alter the nerve signalling guiding branching of new oxygen-delivering tubules - a process reminiscent of adaptive angiogenesis. In turn, this affects how the fly handles and stores different nutrients from its diet. This work was published in Cell, was highlighted twice in F1000 and in a dedicated fetaure in EMBOJ. It also featured on the BBSRC and MRC websites. |
Exploitation Route | If a similar process takes place in humans or other mammals, this mechanism could be targeted as a way of modifying how organs store nutrients and fat. It also opens up the possibility that diet influences the arrangement of blood vessels in mammals, contributing to conditions such as obesity (and the improvements seen after gastric bypass), cancer or to the way the body adapts to malnutrition. |
Sectors | Education,Healthcare,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections,Pharmaceuticals and Medical Biotechnology |
URL | http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk/news/health/2014/140120-pr-how-nutrients-remodel-fruit-fly-vessels.aspx |
Description | Our findings and/or data have been used for several educational activities, notably a film festival in New York (imaginesciencefilms.org), microscopy demonstrations to primary school children and MRC Open Week. We also took part in a project in collaboration with designers from MA Textile Futures, Central Saint Martins, UAL, and architects from the Interactive Architecture Lab, RC3, at the Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL (http://csc.mrc.ac.uk/fabrics-of-life-2014-big-data/). |
First Year Of Impact | 2013 |
Sector | Education,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections |
Impact Types | Cultural,Societal |
Description | Member of BBSRC Pool of Experts |
Geographic Reach | National |
Policy Influence Type | Influenced training of practitioners or researchers |
Impact | How research budget is allocated - optimised value for money |
Description | Member of MRC LMS Space Committee |
Geographic Reach | Local/Municipal/Regional |
Policy Influence Type | Membership of a guideline committee |
Description | Member of Wellcome Trust Pool of Prospective Committee Members |
Geographic Reach | National |
Policy Influence Type | Influenced training of practitioners or researchers |
Impact | Research budget allocation - imporved value for money |
Description | Postdoctoral mentor |
Geographic Reach | Local/Municipal/Regional |
Policy Influence Type | Influenced training of practitioners or researchers |
Description | Postdoctoral mentor to Dr J Cordero |
Geographic Reach | National |
Policy Influence Type | Influenced training of practitioners or researchers |
Description | DFG Postdoctoral Fellowship |
Amount | £40,460 (GBP) |
Organisation | German Research Foundation |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | Germany |
Start | 04/2014 |
End | 12/2015 |
Description | EMBO Long Term Postdoctoral Fellowship |
Amount | £50,421 (GBP) |
Organisation | European Molecular Biology Organisation |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | Germany |
Start | 01/2013 |
End | 12/2015 |
Description | EMBO: The Crosstalk Between the Brain and Gut |
Amount | £37,570 (GBP) |
Organisation | European Molecular Biology Organisation |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | Germany |
Start | 04/2012 |
End | 03/2015 |
Description | IntraGutSex |
Amount | € 2,485,217 (EUR) |
Funding ID | ERCAdG 787470 "IntraGutSex" |
Organisation | European Research Council (ERC) |
Sector | Public |
Country | Belgium |
Start | 10/2018 |
End | 09/2023 |
Description | Postdoctoral Fellowship to Tomotsune Ameku |
Amount | £82,600 (GBP) |
Organisation | Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) |
Sector | Public |
Country | Japan |
Start | 05/2018 |
End | 04/2020 |
Title | Transgenic Drosophila |
Description | Generation of ca. 50 transgenic Drosophila stocks |
Type Of Material | Model of mechanisms or symptoms - non-mammalian in vivo |
Year Produced | 2008 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
Impact | Publications by both my and other groups |
Title | antibodies |
Description | Two antibodies against Drosophila proteins |
Type Of Material | Technology assay or reagent |
Year Produced | 2009 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
Impact | Publications by both my and other groups |
Description | J Y Yew |
Organisation | Temasek Polytechnic |
Country | Singapore |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Exchanged scientific data and conducted experiments. |
Collaborator Contribution | Exchanged scientific data and conducted experiments. |
Impact | Endocrine remodelling of the adult intestine sustains reproduction in Drosophila. |
Start Year | 2015 |
Description | Y N Jan |
Organisation | Howard Hughes Medical Institute |
Country | United States |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
PI Contribution | Exchanged scientific data and conducted experiments. |
Collaborator Contribution | Exchanged scientific data and conducted experiments. |
Impact | The Ret receptor regulates sensory neuron dendrite growth and integrin mediated adhesion. |
Start Year | 2015 |
Description | "Gastronauts 2020: A Symposium for Gut-Brain Matters", Nantes, France. |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | "Gastronauts 2020: A Symposium for Gut-Brain Matters", Nantes, France. Symposium co-organiser. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
URL | http://thinkgastronauts.com/nantes/ |
Description | 10th Meeting of the Latin American Society for Developmental Biology, Buenos Aires, Argentina. |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | 10th Meeting of the Latin American Society for Developmental Biology - Invited Speaker |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
URL | http://lasdb2019.com/ |
Description | 1st LMS/Helmholtz Munich Symposium on Metabolism, London, UK. |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | 1st LMS/Helmholtz Munich Symposium on Metabolism, London, UK. - Organiser |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
URL | https://lms.mrc.ac.uk/german-and-uk-scientists-forge-path-for-future-european-collaborations/ |
Description | 2020 Oxford Autumn School in Neuroscience (virtual) - invited speaker |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | 2020 Oxford Autumn School in Neuroscience (virtual) |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
URL | https://talks.ox.ac.uk/talks/id/22dd2e41-7bdd-4b3e-b0a2-8acb3e137ad8/ |
Description | 25th European Drosophilia Research Conference, London UK - Workshop co-organiser and Chair |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | 25th European Drosophilia Research Conference, London UK - Workshop co-organiser and Chair |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
Description | 27th European Drosophila Reseach Conference |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | 27th European Drosophila Reseach Conference - IGFL, Lyon. Workshop co-organiser and chair. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
URL | https://edrc2021.sciencesconf.org/ |
Description | 6th Biennial Symposium on Growth and Reeneration - Invited Speaker |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | 6th Biennial Symposium on Growth and Reeneration - Invited 6th Biennial Symposium on Growth and Reeneration - Invited Speaker, Begur, Spain |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | ASCB/EMBO Meeting Program Committee Member |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | ASCB/EMBO Meeting Program Committee Member |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
Description | ASCB/EMBO Meeting Program Committee Member and Symposium Chair (Virtual) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | ASCB/EMBO Meeting Program Committee Member and Symposium Chair (Virtual) |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020,2021 |
URL | https://www.ascb.org/cellbiovirtual2020/program/ |
Description | BBC Radio 4 and World Service interviews |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Radio interview about our recent Nature paper |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
URL | http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0713p30 |
Description | Contributed Images |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Contributed images to University's 800th anniversary light show. One of them was also the exclusive image used for the posters and flyers advertising the event. n/a |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2010 |
Description | EMBO Conference |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | EMBO Conference "Molecular and Develoipmental Biology of Droisophila" - Organising Committee Member |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014,2015,2017,2018,2019 |
URL | http://events.embo.org/18-drosophila-crete/ |
Description | EMBO Conference "Molecular and Developmental Biology of Drosophila" |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | EMBO Conference "Molecular and Developmental Biology of Drosophila". Organising committee co-chair. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
URL | http://events.embo.org/20-drosophila/ |
Description | EMBO Conference - Molecular and Developmental Biology of Drosophila - Organising Committee Co-Chair (2020-2026) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | EMBO Conference - Molecular and Developmental Biology of Drosophila - Organising Committee Co-Chair (2020-2026) |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020,2021 |
URL | http://events.embo.org/20-drosophila/ |
Description | EMBO Symposium "Inter-organ Communication in Development and Disease", EMBL Heidelberg, Germany |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | EMBO Symposium "Inter-organ Communication in Development and Disease", EMBL Heidelberg, Germany. Symposium co-organiser |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
URL | https://www.ascb.org/event/embo-embl-symposium-inter-organ-communication-in-physiology-and-disease/ |
Description | EMBO Workshop - Cell and Developmental Systems - Invited Speaker |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | EMBO Workshop - Cell and Developmental Systems - Invited Speaker - Arolla Switzerland |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | EMBO meeting "Gender and Cancer Susceptibility". Les Diablerets, Switzerland. |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Third sector organisations |
Results and Impact | EMBO meeting "Gender and Cancer Susceptibility". Les Diablerets, Switzerland. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
Description | EMBO/EMBL Symposium - Metabolism Meets Epigenetics - Invited Speaker |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | EMBO/EMBL Symposium - Metabolism Meets Epigenetics - Invited Speaker, Heidlberg, Germany |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
URL | https://www.embo-embl-symposia.org/symposia/2021/EES21-12/index.html |
Description | ERC Conference - invited speaker |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | ERC Conference - Gender Dimension in Research - invited speaker, Brussels, Belgium (virtua) |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
URL | https://erc.europa.eu/event/sex-and-gender-dimension-frontier-research |
Description | Fabrics of Life Workshop |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Participants in your research and patient groups |
Results and Impact | n/a |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
Description | Fly Gut and brain video used for film festival (New York) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | n/a |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
Description | IST |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Invited Speaker - IST Vienna, Australia |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
URL | https://ist.ac.at/en/home/ |
Description | Imperial Festival |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | We contributed an interactive installation to demonstrate the use of Drosophila to replace and reduce animal experimentation |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
URL | http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/newsandeventspggrp/imperialcollege/eventssummary/event_17-8-2017-12-52-36 |
Description | Imperial Fringe: Food of Tomorrow event |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | An evening on the future of food and how we will feed the next generation. Food of tomorrow was the latest in Imperial College's Fringe series of public evening events exploring the livelier side of science. Based on the College's ground-breaking research, the Fringe programme runs throughout the year to give our friends and supporters an opportunity to meet our researchers and find out more about our work. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
Description | Insect Hormone Workshop - International Advisory Committee Member |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | International Advisory Committee Member |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
URL | https://insecthormones.org/ |
Description | International Insect Hormone Meeting. Member of the International Organizing Committee. |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | International Insect Hormone Meeting. Member of the International Organizing Committee. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
URL | https://insecthormones.org/ |
Description | International Society of Developmental Biology (ISDB) Congress - Invited Speaker |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | International Society of Developmental Biology (ISDB) Congress - Invited Speaker - Algarve, Portugal |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
URL | https://isdb2021.com/ |
Description | Janelia Workshop - Invited Speaker |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Janelia Workshop on Ceullar Mechanisms of Brain-Body Interactions (virtual) - invited speaker |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
URL | https://janeliaconf.smapply.io/prog/CMBBI/ |
Description | Keystone Symposium - Metabolic Decisions in Development and Disease |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | Keystone Symposium "Metabolic Decisions in Development and Disease" - Symposium Co-Organiser |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
URL | https://www.keystonesymposia.org/ks/Online/Events/2021C6/Details.aspx?EventKey=2021C6 |
Description | Keystone Virtual Symposium - "Metabolic Decisions in Development and Disease" |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Keystone Virtual Symposium - "Metabolic Decisions in Development and Disease" - Co-Organiser . Santa Fe, New Mexico. USA |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
URL | https://virtual.keystonesymposia.org/ks/live/653/page/5413 |
Description | Meeting Co-Organiser - "Gastonauts: A Symposium for Gut-Brain Matters" |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Meeting Co-Organiser - "Gastonauts: A Symposium for Gut-Brain Matters", Nantes, France. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
URL | https://www.sciencesconf.org/browse/conference/?confid=8608 |
Description | Meeting Organiser - EMBO-EMBL Symposium "Inter-organ communication in physiology and disease" |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Meeting Organiser - EMBO-EMBL Symposium "Inter-organ communication in physiology and disease", Heidelberg. Germany. Co-Organiser. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020,2021 |
URL | https://www.embo-embl-symposia.org/symposia/2020/EES20-02/ |
Description | Nature paper press coverage |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Wide press coverage for our 2016 Nature paper. Achieved an Altmetric = 270. Daily Telegraph - p7 i (the paper for today) - p2 Press and Journal (Scotland) - p15 Daily Mail (online only) - http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3451482/Organs-know-male-female.html Medical News Today - http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/306695.php Medical Xpress - http://medicalxpress.com/news/2016-02-deeper-sexual-nature.html Yahoo! News - https://uk.news.yahoo.com/organ-stem-cells-sexual-identity-181117114.html BT.com - http://home.bt.com/news/science-news/organ-stem-cells-have-sexual-identity-11364040903895 Irish Examiner - http://www.irishexaminer.com/examviral/science-world/organ-stem-cells-have-sexual-identity-382540.html CBS Radio News Internaitonal press |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
Description | Neuroscience Program for Columbia University |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Type Of Presentation | Paper Presentation |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
Results and Impact | My Lab's contribution to "Under the microscope" is used in "Fruit-Fly Gut and Brain" a video for a Neuroscience film program for Columbia University. N/A |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
Description | Pint of Science 2019 event: "Tomorrow's medicine, today!" |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Lab contribution to Pint of Science 2019 event: "Tomorrow's medicine, today!" |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
URL | https://pintofscience.co.uk/event/how-did-we-become-us |
Description | Rank Prize Symposium |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | "Exploring the impact of Nutrition on the Ageing Process" - invited speaker, Grasmere, UK |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
URL | http://www.rankprize.org/index.php/symposia |
Description | School Visits |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Schools |
Results and Impact | Microscopy demonstrations (Drosphila life cycle) to school children. n/a |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
Description | Seminar Series - Cambridge |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Developmental Biology Seminar Series (virtual) - University of Cambridge, UK |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
URL | https://talks.cam.ac.uk/talk/index/156601 |
Description | Webinar Series |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | "Frontiers in Biology", Stanford University, USA |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
URL | https://frontiers-in-biology.stanford.edu/ |