On Tuesday 15 February, the new Clinical Research and Imaging Centre (CRIC Bristol) is hosting an open day (11am-7pm) for colleagues in healthcare and academia interested in using the facility.
The state-of-the-art Centre comprises:
- A high-spec magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner
- A two-room sleep laboratory for adults and children
- Four clinical consulting rooms
- Access to high-performance computational facilities, labs and academic rooms
The MRI scanner can be used in a wide range of biomedical research, for example to monitor blood flow in the brain and identify changes in brain activity in people with mood disorders (anxiety and depression), addiction (alcohol and drugs), stroke and dementia. It will also be used for cardiovascular investigations, notably the use of stem cells in heart repair and new cardiac surgery procedures to monitor blood flow in the heart in children and adults.
The sleep laboratories will house studies into the links between sleep disorders and obesity in children, hypoventilation (the condition associated with Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) or cot death), and the links between sleep disturbances and mood disorders and addiction in adults. The work on children will be led by Professor Peter Fleming, whose work on cot deaths is estimated to have prevented 100,000 infant deaths worldwide.
The open day will consist of a series of tours, discussions about the background to CRIC Bristol and its plans for the future, and the opportunity to talk to staff about how the facilities can be used to promote research.
Speaking ahead of the open day, Dr Chiara Bucciarelli-Ducci, one of the Centre's co-directors, said:
'We are looking forward to welcoming our colleagues – from students to postdocs, from junior to senior academics, and NHS colleagues – to our open day on 15 February. Come and find out about CRIC Bristol, get to know the facility, its staff and what we could do together.'
CRIC Bristol (pictured opposite) is located at 60 St Michaels Hill, adjacent to St Michaels Hospital and is directly opposite the administrative headquarters of the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry.
Anyone interested in attending should email Emily Austin to arrange a viewing time.