For many people chronic pain can be incapacitating but thankfully new developments in neuroscience are providing scientists with a better understanding of the condition. A free lecture tonight [17 November] at the University of Bristol by Professor Clifford Woolf, a leading Harvard scientist, will explore pain and how neuroscience research is helping to alleviate it.
For many people chronic pain can be incapacitating but thankfully new developments in neuroscience are providing scientists with a better understanding of the condition. A free lecture tonight [17 November] at the University of Bristol by
Professor Clifford Woolf, a leading Harvard scientist, will explore pain and how neuroscience research is helping to alleviate it.
Professor Woolf is Director of the Neurobiology Programme at Children's Hospital Boston, US. His career has taken him across the world and spans from his MD and PhD at the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa, to UCL where he gained his Professorship and Honorary Consultancy, followed by a move to Boston to establish the Neural Plasticity Research Group at Harvard Medical School.
Professor Woolf’s research is devoted to investigating how neural plasticity contributes to normal function and diseases of the nervous system. In particular, he’s interested in somatosensory circuits, pain and regeneration. One current area Professor Woolf is exploring is whether patient fibroblasts can be reprogrammed to become sensory neurons, allowing the study of pain mechanisms and screening of new analgesics in human tissue.
Dr Anne Cooke, Neuroscience Facilitator and Communications Manager at the University, said: “Truly one of today’s leading neuroscientists, we are thrilled Professor Woolf has accepted our invitation to be the 2009 BN’s Lord Sainsbury Lecturer. I very much hope you can join us for both lecture and post-talk wine reception.”
Co-hosted by the British Neuroscience Association (BNA), Professor Woolf will deliver the annual Lord Sainsbury Lecture, entitled ‘Found in translation – a cure for pain’ tonight at 6 pm in the University’s Pugsley Lecture Theatre, Queen's Building (Engineering), University Walk, Bristol.
Further information
About Bristol Neuroscience. Neuroscience is one of the key areas of research at the University of Bristol. Furthermore, the city of Bristol has one of the largest concentrations of researchers engaged in neuroscience in the UK, many of whom are internationally recognised. In 2003 Bristol Neuroscience (BN) was established to enable all neuroscientists working in Bristol – both within the University and its partner hospitals across the city – to make full use of all available resources and expertise. BN runs numerous activities to encourage the dissemination of ideas, to create opportunities for interdisciplinary research, and to facilitate the pursuit of neuroscience to the highest possible standard. For further information on BN please see www.bris.ac.uk/neuroscience or contact Dr Anne Cooke, b-n@bristol.ac.uk.
