MRC National Institute for Medical Research, London
Science for Health
2004 meeting - Chemical messengers in human biology
Once again NIMR was host to the U3A, a self-managed organisation for retired persons who wish to keep in touch with developments in many subject areas. Tickets were allocated three weeks before the event and we had a capacity crowd of nearly 150 people. This year’s theme was 'Chemical Messengers in Human Biology'.
The Director (Sir John Skehel) put the topic in a historical context by remembering Sir Henry Dale’s initiative to set up an organisation to standardise insulin and the discovery of interferon at NIMR in the 1950s. After this he painted a vivid picture of the importance of the importance of gene technology in making possible the commercial manufacture of many hitherto scarce protein messengers in a safe form to be used as medicines.
Following this stirring introduction, Iain Robinson gave a penetrating account of the key role of pituitary hormones, and particularly growth hormone, in human development. Vassilis Pachnis then described the role of protein regulators on the neural crest cells that eventually become the nervous system of the gut.
An animated and wide-ranging discussion followed each talk, encompassing many topics; from the practicalities of treating patients to the delicate strategic choices that must be made to implement new treatments. Everybody who was there will relish specially thought provoking questions that made our speakers rack their brains.
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