This exhibition showcases some of the most recent additions to the University of Dundee Museum Collections. Focusing on art and design, it also features objects relating to medicine and life sciences. 

Among the highlights are:

• Artworks acquired from graduating students at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design (DJCAD)
• Designs from the former world-famous Dundee greetings card company Valentine & Sons
• Objects relating to the drug discovery research of Prof Alan Fairlamb
• Original comics art including work by DC Thomson artists Leo Baxendale, John Geering and Barrie Appleby
• One of four paintings by the former Head of Fine Art at DJCAD, Prof Alan Robb (1946-2020), gifted by his family
• Medical equipment used in neurosurgery and ophthalmology
• Examples from a large collection of drawings and designs for public art donated by sculptor and DJCAD alumnus David F Wilson
• A significant sculpture inspired by visionary thinker and polymath Patrick Geddes, donated by the artist Kenny Munro

The exhibition is open Mon-Fri 9.30am-7pm, Sat 11am-4pm. Please note that during weekdays the Tower Building may close earlier than advertised so we advise arriving no later than 5pm.

Easter opening times:

Good Friday 9.30am-5pm 
Easter Saturday 11am-4pm 
Easter Monday 9.30am-5pm

Find out more about the University of Dundee Museums.

Dr Joana Neves, Senior Lecturer in Mucosal Immunology, Kings College London, will give a talk on  “Complex organoid models to study gut cell interactions in health and disease”.

Your host will be Mahima Swamy.

Abstract

Intestinal homeostasis is dependent on appropriate interactions between various compartments including immune, mesenchymal, neural, epithelial and bacteria cells. Disrupt of these interactions can have local and systemic consequences and has been associated with the development of several diseases including, Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), cancer and Parkinson Disease. Using intestinal organoids as a starting point, we built complexity into this model by adding other cellular components to be able to study these interactions in health and disease.  

Our studies on cultures of intestinal organoid with Innate Lymphoid Cells (ILC), a key mucosal immune player, demonstrated that epithelial cells provide a complex niche capable of supporting the final maturation of tissue specific ILC subsets. In addition, we showed that human gut ILC1 drive intestinal and extracellular matrix remodelling through production of TGFβ. This indicates the potential impact of ILC1 accumulation in IBD patients in driving intestinal cancer and fibrosis, two sequelae of IBD. We also identify a new module of interaction between ILCs and the intestinal epithelium: goblet cells provide Notch ligands that are essential for maintenance of NC3R+ ILC3 and for their production of IL-22. In turn, ILC3 drive intestinal epithelial cells towards a secretory phenotype.  

More recently, developed human neuron - intestinal organoid co-cultures to study the potential role of these interactions in the initiation of Parkinson disease. 

Taken together, our work provides unprecedented insight into in situ ILC maturation and function. Moreover, it introduces an organoid platform that provides exquisite control over both environmental stimuli and host genetics, making it powerful tool for dissecting immune, epithelial, stromal and neural interactions in health and disease. 

Biography  

Joana F Neves is a Senior Lecturer in Mucosal Immunology, group leader at King’s College London and 2023 Lister Institute of Preventive Medicine Prize winner.  

Joana did her PhD in immunology at Queen Mary University of London before moving to the Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School to study immunological responses in colitis.  

In 2014, Joana joined King’s College London where she held a Marie Sklodowska Curie fellowship and a RCUK/UKRI Rutherford Fund fellowship before establishing her research group and becoming a Lecturer.  

Venue

Small Lecture Theatre: Medical Sciences Institute, School of Life Sciences

Dr Susan Atkinson is an Associate Professor in early childhood in the College of Education, United Arab Emirates University. She has previously worked in Higher Education in the fields of psychology and early years education at Leeds Beckett University, Bradford University, University of Central Lancashire and The Open University. She began her career as an early years teacher in London; she has also worked as a Learning Support Teacher with children in mainstream primary schools in Cambridgeshire, and as an early years teacher at an international school in Luxembourg. She has research interests in young children’s cognitive development, and the transition to school. She is currently researching transitions to university for students and their families with Professor Jindal-Snape.

Transitions at any point in the life cycle may be either positive, negative or a combination of both. I present here an autoethnographic account of my experiences making the transition from living and working in the UK to living and working in the UAE. This story considers the impact of the transition on myself, my family, friends and colleagues in both the UK and UAE within the MMT framework. I reflect on the factors which supported or mitigated the effects of the transition which may be useful to others embarking on a similar adventure.

Venue: Main Library, in the Europe room on the ground floor