Welcome to Day 3 of LIYSF!
Manjot here, to start off the day we had a principal lecture from Professor Waseem Qasim, a pediatric immunologist and Professor of Cell and Gene Therapy in London. Dr. Qasim’s work focuses on leading ‘bench-to-bedside’ development of translational gene therapies for children with blood and immune disorders. His research group was one of the first to incorporate genome editing technology like CRISPR/Cas9 and base editing leading to new treatments with engineered T cells. He taught us about how we can genetically reprogram and transplant T cells to fight certain types of cancer.
After the lecture, we had a little break for lunch and then it was time for the Science Bazaar where students got the opportunity to showcase their research projects. There were over 130 student presentations. I felt extremely honoured to represent UFV internationally with my research project on enzyme immobilization and digestion using hydrogels for bottom-up proteomic analysis. It was really inspiring to see other student’s projects and learn from students around the world! Hearing from all the younger students inspired me and I feel a sense of hope and excitement for the future of science and technology, knowing that such talented and determined individuals will soon be leading the way!
Our day ended with an early dinner so Catherine and I got to explore London and go shopping. We went to the Harrods Chocolate Hall which was like paradise for chocolate lovers! We got many different flavours to try including white chocolate raspberry, hazelnut truffles, Turkish delights, yuzu coconut, and more!
Stay tuned for tomorrow, you will hear from Catherine and her adventure to Stonehenge and Salisbury!
-Manjot