Four PhD graduates to showcase cutting-edge research in University of Leicester lectures

The University of Leicester has announced its upcoming Doctoral Inaugural Lectures for 2011, which celebrate and showcase four doctoral graduates who are both outstanding academically and able to present their work in a way that is accessible and engaging. The speakers will talk about their doctoral research, with subjects including: personalising asthma prescriptions, understanding growth disorders of bodily organs, building models of human brain function and defining the mechanisms of pollen fertility in plants.

The first of the University's Doctoral Inaugural Lectures, on 30 November, will be delivered by Dr Michael Borg and Dr Carla Lopes, winners of this year's College of Medicine, Biological Sciences and Psychology Prize medals for best PhDs.

Dr Borg will be discussing the making of sperm cells in the pollen of flowering plants, looking at the underlying molecular mechanisms. This research could lead to strategies for targeted manipulation of plant sperm cell development and improved hybrid seed production, which is particularly timely given the challenges of food price inflation and food shortage the world is currently facing.

Dr Lopes will be talking on the subject of 'connecting the cell's antenna to human disease'. Her research offers a new insight into the mechanisms of so-called 'ciliopathies', diseases that frequently include defects in the kidneys and retina and can also lead to obesity. These diseases are caused by defects in a cellular structure called the primary cilia, the 'cell's antenna'; the ever-increasing understanding the primary cilia will open new avenues for therapeutic strategies for ciliopathies.

The lectures on 14 December will be given by Dr Sophie Bradley, another winner of this year's College of Medicine, Biological Sciences and Psychology Prize medals for best PhDs, and Dr Pranab Haldar, winner of the Lauder prize for best MD.

Dr Bradley will be discussing the idea that 'it takes more than neurons to make a brain'. Her research focussed upon the role of glial cells within the brain (glia is Greek for 'glue'); long thought to be inert, it appears they may also have a role in transmitting signals within the brain.  This would introduce a new level of complexity to the brain, and require the development of a new model of how the brain works.

Dr Haldar will be talking about the latest research into unravelling the complex disease known as asthma. Research suggests that the term asthma is used to describe a number of distinct pathological conditions, each presumably with different underlying causes. It is vital that these different asthmas are properly identified and characterised which provides a step towards personalised prescriptions.