©
Alex Davies
On Saturday 13 July, Postdoctoral Researchers Shuaiwei Wang and Pao-Sheng Chang from the Davies lab got all glittery demonstrating neuro-immune interactions to children and families at the Science Wonder Garden Party held at Begbroke Science Park.
Using a simple formula of glitter, glue and card, the team shared their work on the immune cell and antibody interactions with peripheral nerves that underpin causes of neuropathic pain, ranging from traumatic nerve injury to the side-effects of immunotherapy for cancer.
Science Wonder Garden Party is a great chance for kids to understand our research topic and what we have been doing in our lab. - Pao-Sheng Chang, Postdoctoral Researcher
'Glittering art (with glue) fits the concept of immunofluorescent staining in dark room, and what they drew has reflected their interests and imagination of biomedical research. Hence, this garden party is also beneficial for our team to disseminate our research ideas and aspirations to wider public,' said Pao-Sheng Chang.
The team were joined at their stand by members of the Oxford Immunology Group and Pandemic Sciences Institute.
© Alex Davies
Shuaiwei Wang said, 'The Science Wonder Garden Party was just brilliant and exceeded my expectations. Like the other teams from different fields, our team introduced and displayed the knowledge of neuroscience and immunology in a way of entertainment, allowing them to be excited and enthusiastic. Kids loved the hands-on fun. Even the parents enjoyed the neuroscience fun and raised interesting questions.'
The activity was certainly a hit, with the stall receiving a steady stream of visitors all day and feedback over 90% positive. 'Neurons are super cool!', exclaimed one young participant.
The team hope to develop even more creative ways to engage the public on the importance and excitement of neuro-immune interactions in health and disease.
The activity was supported by the NDCN Public Engagement Fund awarded to the Davies lab, which also receives funding from the UKRI, Children’s Cancer and Leukaemia Group (CCLG) and Medical Research Foundation.