A team of researchers from Pirbright’s Avian Viral Disease Programme are heading to east London next week to bring you the best of British Bioscience. The Great British Bioscience Festival is the culmination of a year-long tour, enabling visitors to explore the fascinating world of biology through interactive science exhibits from real scientists.
Scientists from Pirbright’s Compton Laboratories will be showcasing their exhibit Flu Fighters at the festival from 14 to 16 November 2014 in Museum Gardens, Bethnal Green, London.
Flu Fighters is a collaborative exhibit with The Roslin Institute which focuses on influenza viruses and the science behind the different approaches to combating flu at two of the UK’s leading bioscience research institutes.
Through hands on exhibits and by talking to scientists, visitors to the Festival will discover how the two Institutes are using different methods to combat this highly contagious disease which can have a devastating effect on both animal and human health. These methods include, building knowledge about how the virus is transmitted, creating flu-resistant animals and developing better vaccines and diagnostic tests.
Dr Colin Butter, Head of the Avian Viral Immunology Group at The Pirbright Institute, says: “We have developed Flu Fighters to be a fun and interactive exhibit that will educate and inform the public on how we are attempting to tackle influenza using the latest developments in bioscience. Visitors to our stand will be able to build their own virus strains, have a go at testing whether our chicken model has flu and discover what makes flu such a difficult virus to try and control.
“We are very much looking forward to engaging with the public and sharing our passion bioscience.”
The Great British Bioscience Festival is a free event and is suitable for all the family, with more than 20 exciting and interactive displays on offer.
For more information on all the exhibits heading to the Great British Bioscience Festival visit: https://bbsrc.ukri.org/engagement/exhibitions/gb-bioscience-festival/.