Westminster students partner with Queen Mary University to launch first of its kind forum on gene editing

Students from the University of Westminster's Gene Editors of the Future programme joined forces with the Queen Mary University Undergraduate Centre for Research (QMCUR) to launch the Where Engineers Meet Gene Editors research symposium. The interdisciplinary forum brought together students from both universities to share research findings and discuss future collaboration.

As a cross-university initiative, Westminster's student Gene Editors worked collaboratively with Engineering students from Queen Mary University London to create a three-day symposium programme. The event included 35 presentations, an in-depth panel discussion and a poster session, where participants had the chance to share cutting-edge research findings in different sectors including engineering, materials science, pedagogy and life science. Along with this, students engaged in networking sessions led by the director of QMCUR Dr Giuseppe Viola to identify connections for driving future research and transformative technologies.

Students presented a range of topics that spanned the future of medicine, environmental sustainability and advanced biotechnology to an interdisciplinary audience from across the two universities.

Applied Biotechnology MSc student Harshana Chaurasia introduced Westminster's Gene Editors of the Future programme. The student-led extracurricular research programme is designed for students to learn about the new CRISPR gene editing technology. Westminster PhD student Khalid Akram also joined the discussion and highlighted CRISPR genome engineering's transformation from science fiction to reality, and Magdalena Ruiz Perez explored its impact on data storage. Biological Sciences BSc Honours student Jolina Viessmann also spoke and discussed how CRISPR technology could revolutionise healthcare, while Nadine Benyahia shed light on the urgent battle against "forever chemicals". Biomedical Sciences MSc student Afsaneh Vahedi Moghaddam Masouleh discussed CRISPR's potential in combating bladder cancer before Nikiforos Lakos shared insights on gene editing in treating viral diseases. Julia Gorczynska also spoke on engineering crops for a sustainable future and Aya Hijazi spoke on plastics and cancer risks.

As the event went on, more students had the chance to take the floor. Iman Bennacef discussed exploration of genetic engineering in spinal cord injury, while Mishal Mansha Akhtar and Maha Mansha Akhtar explored the health risks of BPA versus BPS plastics. Along with this, Hannah Florence addressed the genetic challenges associated with cell culturing in breast cancer research.

Finally, Westminster Biological Sciences BSc Honours alumna Munuse Ceyda Savash Ishanzadeh shared their CRISPR research stories from Westminster to the University of Oxford, demonstrating how Westminster's Gene Editors are engaging in advanced scientific research at Westminster and beyond.

About the research forum, Professor Alistair Mathie, Head of the School of Life Sciences, said: "This excellent collaboration between students of different disciplines at different universities allowed our Gene Editors to present their research findings to peers with different areas of scientific expertise. Initiatives like this will help to unlock the vast potential of cross-disciplinary collaboration between engineering and life sciences students to address current real-world research questions."

Dr Kalpana Surendranath, Director of the Gene Editors of the Future programme, commented: "I am incredibly proud of all 35 teams who engaged in this collaborative event and of the synergy achieved at the launch of this first-of-its-kind forum. We are grateful for the energy and enthusiasm of QMCUR and look forward to the impactful outcomes this collaboration will bring."

The undergraduate research forum and Gene Editors programme contribute to several of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) including 3: Good Health and Well-being, 4: Quality Education and 17: Partnerships for the Goals. Since 2019, the University of Westminster has used the SDGs holistically to frame strategic decisions to help students and colleagues fulfil their potential and contribute to a more sustainable, equitable and healthier society.

Find out more about studying in the School of Life Sciences at the University of Westminster.

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