A Year in the Biology Association HOT TOPICS
Car T-cell Therapy: A Living Drug to Cure Cancer? Leukaemia is one of the most common types of cancer amongst children and adolescents, 40 per million were diagnosed in western Europe according to WHO. Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell is a form of immunotherapy, otherwise known as adoptive cell transfer. It involves extracting and using the patient’s immune cells to target different cancers. The T cells are isolated from the patient’s blood in a process called “apheresis”(separating a constituent from blood). The cells are then genetically engineered in a laboratory where an inactive virus is inserted into the T- cells. The cells then undergo clonal selection, the T cells are now ready and can recognise antigens on tumour cells. Since the patient’s T cells are used, there is little or no risk of rejection.
is called Yescarta. This is used to treat B cell nonHodgkin lymphomas, a cancer of the lymph nodes. This treatment in my opinion is groundbreaking. It can be used when conventional cancer treatments like chemotherapy and radiotherapy have failed, both of which are very invasive and significantly reduce patient’s quality of life. Early results have shown that 80% of children and young adults who have received Kymariah have achieved remission.
Hope for Alzheimer’s? A recently approved drug for Alzheimer’s called Aduhelm has recently been approved. This is the first drug that treats the root cause of Alzheimer’s, the beta-amyloid plaques in the brain. According to the phase 3 clinical trials, Aduhelm “consistently and very convincingly reduced the level of amyloid plaques”.
Two main types of treatments have been approved so far. Kymariah is suitable for patients with “Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia” ( Cancer of the bone marrow causing underdeveloped white blood cells). This cancer reduces the patient’s ability to fight off infection, crowds out healthy cells and often spreads to the central nervous system, liver and lymph nodes. The second type
This is a hallmark that paves the way for the treatment of this life-changing disease. This drug was given an accelerated approval pathway to “provide earlier access to potentially valuable therapies for patients with serious diseases where there is an unmet need, and where there is an expectation of clinical benefit despite some residual uncertainty regarding that benefit”(source FDA). Alzheimer’s causes a “cumulative devastation” to patients since they lose their cognitive functioning and memory, greatly affecting their quality of life. A patient with late-stage Alzheimer’s loses the ability to hold a conversation or respond to external stimuli. There is substantial evidence that the reduction in the level of plaque can reduce the severity and potentially treat Alzheimer’s patients.
Long COVID; A lesser-known complication
The benefits for patients often debilitated by Alzheimer’s provided by the drug outweighed the risks associated.
Over two million adults in England are suspected to have had long COVID according to an imperial REACT study. The objective of the series of REACT studies (real-time assessment of community transmission) is to understand how the pandemic is progressing across England. The notion of long COVID is poorly understood by authorities and the public alike. The disease has been shown to cause a range of symptoms from breathlessness to skin rash and brain fog. The study has shown that out of 508,707 participants, 37.7% of individuals with symptomatic COVID-19 had experienced at least one symptom for 12 weeks or more, while 14% had 3 or more symptoms for over 12 weeks. Almost a third of people who had at least one symptom for over 12 weeks reported the symptoms as severe (had a
significant effect on their daily lives). The study will also develop a second programme called REACT GE, which looks for biological “signatures” such as molecules in blood or variations in people’s genes. Researchers will use data collected from 8000 long COVID patients and machine learning to find markers that give people a higher risk of long covid, highlighting new treatment avenues.
References: www.bbc.co.uk & www.fda.gov Written by Rohan
References : www.imperial.ac.uk , spiral.imperial.ac.uk & www.imperial.ac.uk https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/224853/over-million-adultsengland-have-long/ https://spiral.imperial.ac.uk/bitstream/10044/1/89844/2/REACT_ long_covid_paper_FINAL.pdf https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/215193/react-study-expanded-help-better-understand
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-57383763 https://www.fda.gov/drugs/news-events-human-drugs/fdas-decisionapprove-new-treatment-alzheimers-disease
Biology Association has chosen Water for Africa as our charity to support As the Biology Association, we came together as a group to choose a charity that we feel fit with our beliefs. Water, as we have learned throughout our A level so far, is essential for the survival of humans and animals. Water has lots of unique features that make it one of the most important molecules on earth. Farming sustainable prevents mass loss of habitats and many other damaging factors that affect our environment. Therefore we aim to raise money and awareness for the charities and their missions. We had planned
to have several fundraisers throughout the year but due to covid, our plans were put on hold. Therefore we decided to focus on raising awareness and have created our summaries about the charities. The Water for Africa charity aims to drill wells of clean water for local people struggling to locate clean water. Unsanitary water can cause countless illnesses which may even lead to death. They hope that a sustained programme of investment will enable communities in Africa
to develop, become self-reliant and so break the cycle of dependency and short term aid. Anyone hoping to get involved can donate via the official website or look at all the great information and resources that they have on their website which can be found at water-for-africa.org. We hope to be able to plan some exciting fundraising events in the future for lots of students to get involved in and learn more about the missions of the charities. Written by Charlotte
PRESENTATIONS This year we have been lucky to have so many wonderful presentations by the members of the Biology Association themselves. In case you missed them, here is a summary of the presentations... Biology of Life by Huarui
Rui started the year with a talk on what biology is, which seems a simple concept but often goes over our heads. Biology is the study of life. The line between what is alive and what isn’t is controversial. Although viruses and prions (folded proteins) are considered non-living, they have some characteristics of living things, making the barrier blurry. From the organisms that existed, the blue whale is the largest animal, the Meganeuropsis (dragonfly-like) is the largest insect and the Quetzalcoatlus is the largest flying animal. The largest organism on the planet is a fungus. The Armillaria solidipes measures 3.4 miles across and is found in Oregon. The smallest insect found is the firefly (0.15mm). The presentation opened our eyes to the massive amount of life we have on this planet!
Food Nutrition by Charlotte
The Human Heart by George and Amna
With obesity becoming a growing issue, Charlotte gave a relevant presentation on the difference between saturated and unsaturated fats. Fats are lipids called triglycerides that are used as energy stores in the body. Saturated fats (from animals) have only single C-C bonds in the fatty acid chains but unsaturated fats (from plants) have one or more C=C double done in the chains. Saturated fats are considered unhealthier than unsaturated fats as eating too much-saturated fat can lead to a high cholesterol level. This is linked to an increased risk of heart and coronary disease. This is due to the bonds causing them to behave differently.
George and Amna delivered a presentation on how ageing affects the heart. The heart is an essential organ and if it becomes damaged the effects can be severe. Valves are essential for blood flow through the heart. Atrioventricular valves are shaped like cusps and may need replacing due to narrowing or leaking caused by calcium deposits or complications from birth. Heart attack is also more likely in old age and can severely damage heart muscles. These can be due to coronary heart disease, where coronary arteries are damaged. Heart failure, coronary artery disease, high blood pressure and TIA are all problems surrounding the circulatory system that become more common with age. This informative presentation ended with an even better Kahoot to test our knowledge.
The Immune System by Rohan
Gas Exchange and Lung Diseases
Hormones in Pregnancy by Sarah Sarah delivered a presentation on the complex topic of hormones in pregnancy. The basic cycle is once a month the hormones GnRH, FSH, LH and oestrogen stimulate a follicle to mature and move into the fallopian tube as an egg. The egg is fertilized here, becoming a zygote that divides by mitosis eventually becoming a blastocyst. The blastocyst implants in the uterus, which is kept thick by hormones hCG, oestrogen and progesterone. The foetus develops and the hormones relaxin and progesterone signal muscles to loosen. hPL is released which stimulates the mother to store glucose and lactate. Before the end of the pregnancy, cortisol stimulates more oestrogen to be released, and progesterone levels decline. Finally, the hormones oxytocin and prostaglandin cause the mother to enter labour. After the talk, we had a much greater appreciation of the intricacies of pregnancy!
by Huarui and George
As part of the A-Level Biology course, we study the immune system and Rohan gave a presentation going more in-depth about this topic. The body’s first line of defence against pathogens is physical barriers (skin). If the pathogen gets through these, the body attacks with cellmediated or humoral responses. Immunity can be passive or active. White blood cells form a large part of the immune system and there are two main groups, phagocytes and lymphocytes. Phagocytes include monocytes (secrete cytokines), macrophages (present antigens to T cells and engulf pathogens), granulocytes (kill pathogens in cells) and dendritic cells (present pathogens to T cells). B cells produce antibodies when stimulated and T cells stimulate various other cells. T cells also include cytotoxic cells, which are killer cells.
Rui and George were back, this time with a talk on lung diseases. The lungs consist of a series of branched tubes. The gas exchange system is essential in humans as we are too large for simple diffusion to supply oxygen. Lung disease occurs when the structures of the lungs become damaged and gas exchange becomes less efficient. Tuberculosis is a disease caused by bacteria, with the main symptom being a persistent cough with phlegm and blood. Cystic fibrosis is a genetic disease that leads to recurring chest infection
and wheezing, with no cure. Asthma is caused by swelling of the airways and leads to wheezing and coughing. There is no cure but deaths are unlikely. COPD can be caused by genetics, smoking, fumes and more. It damages and narrows the lungs, causing breathlessness and can be cured by lifestyle changes. Lung cancer can be caused by a variety of things and is identified by coughing up blood. Mortality is very high and treatment is long. The talk ended with another Kahoot, which went down well!
Genetic Engineering by Rosie and Diya Rosie and Diya gave a presentation on the growing world of genetic engineering. Genetics is defined as the study of heredity and variation and genes are the units of heredity contained in the DNA. Genetic engineering is the deliberate modification of characteristics of an organism by editing genetic material, usually using CRISPR technology. This process has been very successful so far, opening up many possibilities, such as for producing drugs, curing genetic diseases, GMO foods and more. We are at the stage where we can edit embryos genes, which leads to ethical considerations (designer babies). Genetic engineering can change the world, GMOs can end the hunger crisis and diseases can be eradicated but what will be the consequences? It’s important to take care moving forwards in this field but it is certainly a very exciting one.
The Placebo Effect by Myra and Chiamaka Myra and Chiamaka gave us an interesting presentation about the placebo effect. The term
placebo comes from the 17th century when they first realised fake drugs could cure a patient’s symptoms. The Placebo test is carried out by splitting patients into 2 groups, one is given the real drug and one is given the placebo. No patients or doctors know which group is which. If both groups feel the same at the end of the trials, then the drug is not effective as it shows the real drug just brings psychological pain relief and not actual pain relief. If one group genuinely feels better than the other, then the drug is effective. The placebo effect is a psychological effect, where the brain tricks itself into thinking the body is feeling better because it thinks it should be better due to the drug. The brain reacts as though the disease has been cured. This test has some ethical issues as it may abuse autonomy, is the patient being lied to?
finding food and communication. He amazed us in the detail of how echolocation works through the use of the whiteboard by drawing simple diagrams. He also mentioned the other applications of echolocation in other areas such as medicine in ultrasound we can produce images of inside the body! Currently, there is an innovation of glasses fitted with echolocation for blind people in trial! Amazingly, this ability in marine animals determines its life and death; we’re very glad that we got to hear this presentation.
Echolocation in Whales by Abdullah Abdulah gave the last presentation about echolocation in whales, he explained how the concept of echolocation worked and why it was important to the whales in terms of navigation,
The first year of the Biology Association has been very successful in improving and extending our knowledge surrounding the subject, we can’t wait to see the Written by Diya presentations we have in store for us next year!
GUEST SPEAKERS I would like to thank all of our Old Hymerians for coming in to share their story at Hymers and giving insights into their career, these presentations were inspiring and informative. It was a pleasure to listen to how the school had helped these students and supported them. I want to thank Mrs Pennack for reaching out to these Old Hymerians and us pupils connecting us. We are very grateful and we would like to invite these guest speakers to come back again to talk to our younger pupils, passing on their experiences. Written by George & Jessica
Dr Sebastian Hennige Senior Lecturer at the University of Edinburgh researching Ocean Biochemistry The Biology Association kicked off our guest speaker series with Dr Sebastian Hennige, a senior lecturer at Edinburgh University, with a research focus on ocean biochemistry. After leaving Hymers, Hennige studied Biology at the University of St. Andrews and switched to Marine Biology in his 3rd year. Hennige currently works as a lecturer and admissions adviser to undergraduate students in Ecological and Environmental Sciences. Through his talk, Hennige discussed his research, both in the lab and the field, regarding tropical, cold-water and aquaculture, and the effect of climate change on marine life. The group engaged well and asked insightful questions on the impact of climate change on species migration, the importance of conservation and the impact of Brexit on the way British waters are protected.
Dr Amitava Banerjee Consultant Cardiologist and Associate Professor in Clinical Data Science The following week, Dr Amitava Banerjee spoke to the BA about his career and research as a consultant cardiologist. Banerjee studied Medicine at Oxford University and worked as a Junior Doctor in Oxford, Newcastle and Hull. He then did a research year at Harvard University, before starting work with the World Health Organisation. Banerjee then completed his medical training, before achieving a DPhil qualification at Oxford. After finishing his higher cardiology training in Birmingham, Banerjee began work as a consultant and senior lecturer at UCL. A key part of Banerjee’s research was his work on CVD in the homeless, and more recently
with the risk factors associated with severe COVID-19. Dr Banerjee inspired the Biology Association with the variety of his career and proved that you can learn and research anything you want.
Graham Pockley PhD Professor, Cancer Immunotherapy & Flow Cytometry Specialist - Director of the John van Geest Cancer Research Centre at Nottingham Trent University in Nottingham, UK, the Founder / CEO of Chromocyte and the CEO of multi immune GmbH Our next speaker was Professor Graham Pockley, who talked about his academic career with an entrepreneurial twist. Pockley gained his PhD in Reproductive Immunology, before becoming a professor in Immunobiology at Sheffield University. Pockley established himself as the director of the John van Geest Cancer Research Centre at Nottingham Trent University. Currently, the centre is researching a vaccine for prostate cancer, possible non-toxic treatments of breast cancer and new treatments for Crohn’s disease. Pockley also became founder and CEO of a company called Chromocyte, which is a web-based resource for cytomics, allowing Pockley to be involved in research, development and engage with global research communities. The students were amazed at the possibility of such an exciting, fulfilling and diverse career.
Dr Emily Mould The Kids’ Cancer Project Our fourth speaker was Dr Emily Mould, who spoke to us from Sydney. Mould studied Biomedical Sciences in Newcastle and completed her PhD in Cancer Research. Her post-doc applications then led her to a position in Sydney, before starting work at Zero, a childhood cancer research facility. Here, Dr Mould worked on experimental cancer treatment that would allow a patient to take a genetically specific medication that would attack their cancer without harming the rest of their body. In 2020, Mould then began work as partnerships manager at the Children’s Cancer Institute, as she found herself wanting to broaden her horizons into business development. One big point that she made through her presentation was the importance of connections and personal relationships with colleagues, mentors and contacts, as they may open doors for you in the future.
Richard Atkinson Boehringer Ingelheim Customer Lead Richard Atkinson was the next to visit the Biology Association, as he discussed his career with animal health and welfare, in a pharmaceutical company. After Hymers, Atkinson studied at Harper Adams University, with Biology being the centre of the majority of his studies. Atkinson then began work with Cranswick Mill Ltd, with a focus on high welfare pig production in partnership with Sainsbury’s. Following this stint, Atkinson became a country manager for a large chemical company looking after key accounts across Europe. Atkinson then moved to a pharmaceutical company working with vets across all species, to improve the welfare of animals through prevention and reducing the overuse of antibiotics. The talk linked well with the A Level biology spec, as well as showing its real-world applications in business.
Dr Tony Banerjee Lead GP & LMD at Hurley Group, GP Appraiser & Managing Partner at Ixia Clinic. Dr Tony Banerjee shared with us an inspirational talk of his journey since Hymers. He went to Hymers during 1987-1997 and went to Leicester University Medical School, he shared his experiences and advice of his time at uni balancing his self-directed study and playing rugby at Leicester University. He shared his story of resilience and gratitude when he fell ill of an unforeseen illness, he went through major operations and long treatments, he was able to make a full recovery in the end. Currently, he is Lead GP & LMD at Hurley Group, GP Appraiser & Managing Partner at Ixia Clinic, countering all the hard work he does in the medical field he is a stand-up comedian sharing joy with his audience. “The only rush is what we impose on ourselves - there is no rat race”
Joseph Nariculam Consultant Urologist Mr Joseph Nariculam came to Hymers Junior School in 1983, started senior school in 1986 when the current Biology Laboratory block opened and finished Hymers in 1993 the Hymers Centenary Year. After graduating from Imperial Medical School and specialising in urology, he gave us an insight into his career as a consultant urologist where he treats diseases of the male and female urinary tract and his subspeciality is in treating kidney stones. Biology is the basis for physiology and other medical principles which had helped him most in medical school in his Pre-Clinical Years. During the Q+A our aspiring medics in the Biology Association asked questions of ethics and motivation of his career and he advised us that “any experience - is a good experience”. We are grateful to hear his experiences and advice and he wished us all the best.
Rob Dalziel Ecologist Consultant Rob Dalziel came to talk to us about his journey from Hymers and how biology was involved in his career. He finished Hymers in 2011 and studied Biology at the University of Lincoln, during his study at Lincoln he did a series of work at Driffield Anglers Club, RB (pharmaceuticals) and doing surveys and decided to go into ecology and environmental management at the University of York. He did a Yorkshire Wildlife
Trust as an intern. He started an ecological consultancy in 2017 and now works as a senior ornithologist which consists of the analysis of data and assessments of impacts from buildings on birds. He ended the talk with his advice “Take every opportunity to learn and build new skills” This is true for him as we were able to see his career progression YWT to his current position and we are incredibly thankful for his talk.
Dr Tom Hutchinson Consultant Geriatrician and Associate Medical Director for Safety and Quality Dr Tom Hutchinson shared a great insight into his career as a geriatric consultant and associate director for safety and quality. Our aspiring medics were able to make good use of his talk, we dived deeply into the responsibilities as a doctor and he shared some case studies about coronial inquests. We were able to interact and engage with the decisions the teams would have to make together, this activity showed us how important teamwork is in the hospital. The case studies were great to be able to discuss and make use of the information, the talk was very stimulating and informative. It was great to see that in some of the other activities he participated in outside of his career, his work-life balance is a learning point we should all try to aim for. His final advice to us young people was “Balance, balance, balance - keep up outside interests and invest in yourself”
James Newman Science in Law and Judiciary James Newman gave us a talk about his science career in law as a coroner. He has said that he thoroughly enjoyed the extracurriculars at Hymers, especially the sports and the drama productions. He finished his time at Hymers College in 1988 studying Biology, Chemistry and Physics as his A-levels, quoting that “Hymers is so much more than just book learning”. After Hymers James went to Dundee University to study anatomical Sciences and a postgraduate law degree. He began his career as a coroner in 2012 beginning as a part-time assistant and then became a full-time Area Coroner. He guided us by taking us through some of the tasks he has a coroner sharing with us that you needed to have a great mind being able to
problem solve, research, analyse and present your case to the audience. Despite the sorrow stories he has come across with his clients he final advice for us was to maximise our potential and be flexible!
Laura French Public Health Campaign/Registrar in Obstetrics Laura’s experiences in the medical field of Public Health gave us a great understanding of her job, she explained the role of the Public Health Sector which stands at a very important role in society. We discussed the pandemic curve of coronavirus and why information is very important to control infectious diseases. The path she had walked amazed us, from studying medicine in Hull to studying tropical medicine in Australia and then entering the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynecology. She shared with us where her motivation came from and gave great resources to look up to find out more about public health. Our Q+A at the end was filled with questions regarding the covid-19 pandemic, current policies that public health have implemented in society and possible future changes in the sector of public health.
Q+A What is the aim of the club? We aim to combine knowledge learnt from lessons or wider reading into discussions and presentations.
What do we do in the session? > Pupil/s to take the liberty and present what they have learned in lessons whilst layering on the wider reading they have done in biology to discuss with everyone else. The presentations don’t always have to be focused on the specification that we are learning, pupils may choose any biology subject related to a topical issue to talk about and display what they have learnt in reading certain magazines or articles. > Discussion of a recently taught topic/controversial invention/policy > Debates on controversial topics
When and where will the Association be happening? Monday BL2 12.30pm
Why you may want to join the Biology association? > Listening skills - if you do Modern Language listening is key as you need to differentiate between what the presenter is saying and remember what the title/question is that the speaker is presenting.
BA
> Weekly Topical News Updates
rs e @hym
> Confidence - doing public speaking or presenting a discussion needs encouragement and bravery, building confidence is key so when you’re being interviewed for job or university you can speak confidently (language, fluency and clarity) > Research skills - to do a presentation you will need to find a topic of interest and research, during this process you will have gained experience on how to research and this skill can be used anywhere in the world when you are presenting a topical issue. > You will learn to communicate better in all areas of life. Presentation skills are an impressive and powerful tool that will take you so much further than just speaking in the classroom. With your communication skills training, you’ll become a good presenter all round, structuring and expressing your ideas clearly. Knowing how to make a good presentation will help you in job interviews and make new connections!
Opinions of the Biology Association “I study Biology, Maths, Further Maths and Physics at A-level. I joined the Biology Association with the intention of having fun in Biology outside the classroom. The presentations have been informative and engaging. Fun fact... I am the champion of Kahoots in the Biology Association - it was great to hear the Old Hymerians especially the non-medicine related careers. I am glad that joined the Biology Association, hopefully next year it will be even better.” Robert Thomlinson “I study Chemistry, Biology and Psychology at A-level. My reason for joining the Biology Association was to help myself find a field of interest in careers. The Old Hymerians were great, they gave a lot of insight into their careers varying from an ecologist consultant to a marine biologist. The student presentations were good fun too, I liked listening to the discussions and debates of the Placebo Effect presentation - it was interesting to see.” Michael Kopac-Pickering “I study Maths, Chemistry and Biology at A-level. I thoroughly enjoyed being a part of the Biology Association, with the responsibility of keeping record of what happens in the club and what could be improved. I felt more relieved and accomplished, it was great presenting a topic I find interesting to everyone. The guest speakers were awesome, I was able to really engage with some of the presentations and take a lot from what they’ve shared with us students. I am excited for our charity event in the future supporting the charity water for Africa.” Charlotte Hodgetts