School of Pharmacy brings The Science of Medicines to the 2019 National Eisteddfod in Llanrwst

School of Pharmacy staff, postgraduate and undergraduate students made the trip to North Wales in August 2019 to engage audiences at the National Eisteddfod of Wales. With over a hundred thousand visitors each year, the annual festival of Welsh culture is seen as a great opportunity to talk about the research being undertaken at the school, with an emphasis being placed on the engagement theme of The Science of Medicines.

Co-ordinating this years’ science activities was Professor Arwyn Jones (School of Pharmacy). He has been involved with the National Eisteddfod in this capacity for over a decade and this year, in his home town, he presented the Eisteddfod’s prestigious Science Lecture. He talked about his career in science under the title, “The long journey to the centre of the cell: from tadpole tails to the heart of cancer.”

The CALIN-sponsored Fantastic Antibodies exhibition included a life-sized sheep called Darwen, and an activity emphasising how biology is absolutely dependent on molecules binding to each other and fitting perfectly together. These activities were designed to explain and showcase how researchers at the School of Pharmacy are using sheep DNA and a virus-infecting bacteria to develop technologies for the manufacture of new diagnostics and therapies in the form of Antibodies.

Also on hand were the Pharmabees team, discussing the antimicrobial properties of honey; CITER demonstrating wound healing polymers, and the Medicines Discovery Institute with their search for new drugs.

Professor Jones said of the week, “Despite some inclement weather this was a great week of science engagement and I was deeply honoured to be able to present the lecture in my home town. Thanks to all who helped organise and engage in the Cardiff University Science Pavilion.”