Submitted by Catherine Atkins on Wed, 26/03/2025 - 15:56
On 25th March members of the public were treated to two fascinating talks given by Early Cancer Institute researchers Professor Jamie Blundell and Dr Daniel Muñoz Espín as part of the 2025 Cambridge Festival programme. In the stunning surroundings of St John's College Divinity School, Jamie spoke about the process of Darwinian evolution that is occurring within each and every one of our body's cells and how his lab is applying this knowledge to gain greater understanding of the process of cancer development.
By analysing blood tests taken at regular intervals over a period of ten or more years from over 200 000 volunteers, some of whom developed blood cancers in this interval, Jamie's group looks "back in time" to see if it is possible to spot the point at which the cancer was initiated. If this is the case, could it have been prevented?
Daniel then gave a thought-provoking talk on ageing looking at the attitudes towards it through the centuries and in different cultures. Despite the many claims made by industries motivated by profit, is it really possible to "prevent" it? Rather, given that it is inevitable and our lifespans are increasing, how we can intervene to ensure that our "healthspan" (the number of years that we can expect to live in reasonably good health) is maximised?
The audience of nearly 100 people was highly engaged and asked many thought-provoking questions of the two speakers.